Carbohydrates

The New York Times has an excellent post on Carbohydrates and why they are actually pretty bad for you if you eat too much:

Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This
Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new weight-loss procedure in which a thin tube, implanted in the stomach, ejects food from the body before all the calories can be absorbed.

Some have called it “medically sanctioned bulimia,” and it is the latest in a desperate search for new ways to stem the rising tides of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Roughly one-third of adult Americans are now obese; two-thirds are overweight; and diabetes afflicts some 29 million. Another 86 million Americans have a condition called pre-diabetes. None of the proposed solutions have made a dent in these epidemics.

The solution?

It is nonsensical that we’re expected to prescribe these techniques to our patients while the medical guidelines don’t include another better, safer and far cheaper method: a diet low in carbohydrates.

Once a fad diet, the safety and efficacy of the low-carb diet have now been verified in more than 40 clinical trials on thousands of subjects. Given that the government projects that one in three Americans (and one in two of those of Hispanic origin) will be given a diagnosis of diabetes by 2050, it’s time to give this diet a closer look.

But this is just the newest fad idea to come around? No.

A low-carbohydrate diet was in fact standard treatment for diabetes throughout most of the 20th century, when the condition was recognized as one in which “the normal utilization of carbohydrate is impaired,” according to a 1923 medical text. When pharmaceutical insulin became available in 1922, the advice changed, allowing moderate amounts of carbohydrates in the diet.

Low carb is all good - not only if you are diabetic or need to lose weight. Unless you are a marathon runner or extreme athlete, you do not need that many carbs in your diet. Also, if you are using protein supplements, your gut can only digest about ten grams of protein at a sitting - any more goes out in your poop and pee and can cause stomach and gut discomfort.

You do not have to go cold turkey - like I said, Lulu and I are seeing great results with a 60 gram cap on our daily intake. I still backslide and have the occasional Mountain Dew Throwback made with the original formula and real cane sugar (and 44 grams of carbs) or a ham sandwich with butter (both fine) on a rustic french baguette (Noooooo!!!) but I have lost over ten pounds in the last three months without any other changes to my lifestyle. I want to lose another ten.