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Showing posts from December, 2013

There's no dietary need for saturated fat ...

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Random Bump! Original Publish Date:  6/15/12 There's no dietary need for saturated fat ... ... or monounsaturated fats, MUFA, for that matter.  Therefore low fat diets, where most of the fat is essential PUFA, are optimal.  The body can make all the SF and MUFA we need from carbohydrates.  Furthermore, relying on this metabolic pathway as a source of body fat is metabolically advantageous for weight management as making fat from carbohydrate is an energy intensive process.   Sounds a little silly, right?  I think so.  But so, too, is the ridiculous mantra from low carbers citing the fact (true) that there's no dietary necessity for carbohydrate.  You know the drill, we can make all the glucose we need by gluconeogenesis (just saying that makes me feel smarter) therefore LC diets are optimal.  There is a metabolic advantage built into LC diets because gluconeogenesis requires energy to convert protein to glucose.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing those who celebrate, a very joyous Christmas.  Enjoy the day with family and friends.  Stay safe, stay warm, be well.

Macronutrient Confusion is Everywhere Apparently

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Thank you to everyone for contributing to my little survey !  I wasn't trying to trick anyone or anything, just get an idea of whether or not there is any so-called macronutrient confusion across the pond (and/or in other countries that have adopted similar nutritional recommendations). Where'd that come from?  I had a random page hit from a blog discussing a paper by Zoe Harcombe where a commenter had linked to my  discussions  of Harcombe's  credentials .    Yes, Zoe Harcombe -- obesity researcher extraordinaire -- did indeed publish a paper in a "peer reviewed" journal back in March of this year:   Food for Thought: Have We Been Giving the Wrong Dietary Advice? .    In it she, and coauthors, lamented some so-called macronutrient confusion in the UK. I was wondering if it did, indeed, exist.

The Grain Brain Quiz

I'm going to have at this abomination that is sweeping the nation faster than Wheat Belly and Fructose Alarmism combined, or so it seems.  But Grain Brain promises to be a classic from first blush.  Yes ... I just got my "hands" on a Kindle copy. Here's a risk assessment quiz (Kindle Locations 210-227) ... note that if your answer is "sometimes" you are instructed to answer True. 1. I eat bread (any kind). TRUE/ FALSE     2. I drink fruit juice (any kind). TRUE/ FALSE     3. I have more than one serving of fruit a day. TRUE/ FALSE     4. I choose agave over sugar. TRUE/ FALSE 5. I get out of breath on my daily walk. TRUE/ FALSE     6. My cholesterol is below 150. TRUE/ FALSE     7. I have diabetes. TRUE/ FALSE     8. I am overweight. TRUE/ FALSE     9. I eat rice or pasta (any kind). TRUE/ FALSE 10. I drink milk. TRUE/ FALSE 

Quick Survey -- For the UK folks, and others

Hi! Quick survey ... mostly for the UK folks but if you live in the US, Australia, Canada, etc. where some version of our American My Plate/Food Pyramid is recommended you can participate too (just identify please ;-) ) Your government counsels limiting fats in general and saturated fats in particular.  Can you list 3-5 foods that you would limit in order to limit sat fats?  In other words, what foods does your government suggest be limited in order to lower sat fat consumption. Thanks!

The NBA and Dr. Cate ... Who knew? I'm a Paleo Low Carber!!

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I have decided to adopt the paleo template.  As anyone who reads this blog knows, just about any diet that doesn't involve dining with Marie (Callender), Debbie (comma Little), Ronald (McDonald) and Wendy can and will be *fit* into the paleo template!  Let's see there's: WAPF:  Eh, nevermind the sprouted grains and dairy of all manner, we're all on the same team. Vegan:  Well ... it is real food.  We can always try to convert them. Atkins:  What's a Quest Bar between friends?  Swap the Splenda for Stevia and we've got a deal. Zone:  The cause of every eating disorder including potentially Evander Holyfield according to the paleorati, but Sears cites Eaton so there's that. Mediterranean:  Well that's just really paleo low carb right? The Tequila Diet:  It IS paleo.  STFU! Perfect Health Diet:  Grok sooooo ate white rice and coconut oil! Carb Nite?:  Shhhhhhh he didn't really mean to front load junk food during your back loading.   Gluten

The NEAT part about Moving More

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Random Bump! Original publish date:  4/21/12 In writing up a post on metabolic rate and weight loss, I couldn't help but come across a ton of stuff I had in my draft bin and hard drive vis a vis exercise, lean body mass and metabolic rate.  This got me thinking about the usefulness of ELMM = Eat Less Move More as a strategy to flip the CICO balance along with other things we can do.  

If your guru's ideas have an expiration date, maybe it's time to find one whose ideas have a longer shelf life.

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Have you just stumbled upon an old book, blog post, interview, etc. from your favorite guru only to have someone exclaim how old that is and how your guru's opinions have changed?  It might be time for a new guru. Quick background here.  First, no I haven't dropped the Paleo ApprovED issue, but there are some things related and lots of stuff unrelated going on that have eaten up time and energy to blog on the subject.  It is a sensitive issue and needs more "care" than your run of the mill blogging.  It is also rather stressful and defeats one of the purposes of this blog as an outlet for my sarcastic side -- for which a post such as this is perfectamundo!    So that said, as I was looking for a post on Robb Wolf's blog ( this one ) my search also popped up the following post: Insulin: Anorexic?

Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims

It's not often I share journal articles without comment here anymore, but I just wanted to share this with my readers. Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims   from Nature .

A hypothetical.

I don't often appeal to emotion here.  I'm not sure this hypothetical technically qualifies as such but here goes anyway. The Hypothetical: Imagine if you will your daughter or sister ... feel free to substitute any young woman ever, that you have been close to and cared for in what one might describe as a protective way.   She's off to college soon.  You worry that if she gets in trouble, and struggles a bit, that she'll have a good support system so far away from home, friends and family.  No matter how strong those bonds, you recognize that at that age, some may even disregard those closest to them from "their past".  Also, you recognize that at that age, being out from under a parent's ever watchful eye, they may act out of a little rebellion.

DIets and Disorders

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This is going to be a quick post.  Nothing groundbreaking here, but there are some I-don't-care-what-the-Latin-phrase-is debate tactics that creep into too many of the discussions on eating disorders from all sides.   One such tactic is to accuse me, and others, of blaming the paleo diet or saying it causes eating disorders.  I didn't do that.   A scenario: You look in the mirror one day and don't like what you see.  Where did this gut come from?  Step on the scale, 10 lbs since a year ago!  Yikes!!  New Year's Resolution:  Lose 10 lbs.    The approach you choose is a standard one:  Establish a calorie deficit of 500-1000 cal/day , mostly calorie counting but adding a 40 min-1 hr walk 5 days a week.  Before you know it the pants are less snug, the belt tightened not just one but two notches.  Feeling good ... looking good!  Goal reached.  Hey, maybe I'll look and feel even better if I lose 5 more pounds!  Step on scale after a week.  No loss.  Another week