Comments on: Lectins, lactase, vitamin D and why Swedes are light complected

By: Yvana

Yvana — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:06:38 +0000

LOL. I do eat omelettes once in a while since I’m a hedonist at heart trying to be a Purist most of the time.
Yesterday was the 750th day I tracked food intake and 4 yrs since I started low-carbing. Maintaining at a slightly higher weight/bf% than I wish for but overall very healthy.
Average carb intake for the past 750 days has been: 27,1% carbs (2,2g/kg), 29,3% protein (2,4g/kg bw), 43,8% fat (1,6g/kg bw). It seems easier though to lose fat by lowering fat intake,given that I lift weights 3-4 times/week, yet OTOH I feel healthier with a higher fat intake.
Cordain’s book addresses the triathlon crowd and not so much the bodybuilding crowd.
BTW, the leaky gut problem is a major interest of mine since I fell ill 2 years ago and had to stop long-distance cycling: contracted spondylodiscitis. Possible cause: overtraining & undereating. That disease is a major reason why Paleo-diets that cater to the active sports person interest me so much, a leaky gut indeed!

By: Yvana

Yvana — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:57:46 +0000

Interestingly you mention Cordain, since 2 months ago, I ordered 2 books : his Paleo Diet for Athletes and your Staying Power.
Frankly, I was a tad disappointed with both. And yet, some hugely interesting info was in both.
Disappointed because Cordain/Friel’s so-called low-carb diet calls for 50% carbs while your Staying Power didn’t provide me with the mind-shattering info I gleaned from PPLP. That book is completely tattered from reading over & over again. And with the exception of Lyle McDonald’s book none other low-carb diet book made such a lasting impression like yours (PPLP). Haven’t made many omelettes ever since.. BTW not a word on oxycholesterol in Staying Power. Why?

Hi Yvana–

Interestingly you mention Cordain; MD and I just got in from a picnic with him and his family on the shore of Lake Tahoe.

Thanks for the kind words about the PPLP. Staying Power wasn’t meant to be a book of the same magnitude as PPLP. Our publisher wanted a book on maintenance after weight loss, so that’s what we came up with. No oxycholesterol because we had already addressed that in the earlier book.

BTW, go ahead and eat an omelet every now and then–we do. It’s probably good to keep your oxycholesterol scavengers a little bit of practice from time to time.

Best–

MRE

By: David LaCivita

David LaCivita — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:57:10 +0000

I was disappointed to read that Dr. Cordain believes other low-carb diets exclude healthy fruits and veggies. Where do these ideas come from, can you please set him straight?!

Hi David–

Rest easy, Dr. Cordain is ’set straight.’ He knows full well that a good low-carb diet contains a lot of fruits and vegetables. He and I argue over these things all the time. He himself follows a low-carb diet filled with meat, fruits and vegetables, so he knows.

MRE

By: walt milam

walt milam — Wed, 31 May 2006 10:49:05 +0000

Hi Dr Eades:

I request you review this study.
It does not seem to follow other test results I have read.
Can you suggest any reasons why this study is so different from other studies.

Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets
Carol S Johnston, Sherrie L Tjonn, Pamela D Swan, Andrea White, Heather Hutchins, and Barry Sears

Thank you

Walt Milam

Hi Walt–

I have indeed looked at this study. There is a fair amount of information missing, as in, for example, what were the foods on the two diets. Not just the macronutrient compositions, but actual menus.

Also, other studies have shown no advantage to a ketogenic weight loss diet compared to any other diet of the same caloric content. The debate on that issue is far from over. Most studies–not all, but most–do show a metabolic advantage with a lower carbohydrate diet as compared to a higher carb diet of the same number of calories. Probably the best one was done by Penny Greene at Harvard a couple of years ago. I plan to post her study on the classic papers part of our website when we finally get it completely up. Her study showed about a 300 kcal per day metabolic advantage with a low-carb diet (a real low-carb diet. The Zone diet with carbs at 40% of kcal is NOT a low-carb diet).

MRE