Interesting article from Dr. Mercola

[Miss Mousie]

Ever since I first read Drs. Eads books I've know that the high protein low carb way of eating was the best choice.....for me at least, well really for everyone but most everyone is still stuck on the low fat thing. I have a hard time remembering some of the complicated science behind the Protein Power "diet", and I get so frustrated at people ("friends") who would look at me like I was insane as I ate my tri-tip and salad lunch while they ate their measly salad or diet frozen dinner and exclaimed that it "tasted so good" or "I'm so full". I could never think of the reasons why high protein/low carb was good and low fat was bad. I never had any good arguments for those who think this WOE is just a fad.

Also, recently I've been seeing the TV commercials by the High Fructose Corn Syrup industry which make fun of the people who are trying to tell their friend that HFCS is bad. The friend replies "why because HFCS is the same as sugar, and in moderation is perfectly fine". Or some such cr*p. These commercials infuriate me, because it is a greedy ploy but the HFCS industry to lie to the public. But I can never remember exactly why HFCS is so bad for us. Oh, I know I could look it up on the internet but I usually just blow it off and say "later".

Well, today I received Dr. Mercola's newsletter and in it he pretty much spells it out the whole carbohydrate, sugar, HFCS thing. He also talks about how drinking a beer is about like drinking a soda in how it is metabolized.

Anyway, I'm not an avid follower of Dr. Mercola, but he has some interesting articles to ponder. If any of you have a problem with all of the science behind sugar, carb, insulin, etc. this article breaks it down so that even I understood it.

Here is the article. (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/26/Sugar-May-Be-Bad-But-This-Sweetener-Is-Far-More-Deadly-Part-2.aspx)

Just thought I'd share. I'd like to know what you long time PPP, very knowledgeable people think of it.

Sandy

[mcsblues]

Hi Sandy,

I'm in my eighth year of low carbing so I guess I qualify as a long term PPer ... not so sure about the knowledgeable bit though!:p

I used to read Mercola's stuff, in fact I quite liked his book "The No Grain Diet". Back then he was a pretty much mainstream low carb proponent ... but sadly he isn't any more. He basically makes his money these days selling panic ... and isn't all that fussed about letting the facts get in the way. The page you asked us to read is a pretty good case in point. I'm afraid I have only just skimmed through it, but even on that brief view I can see it is riddled with what might very charitably be called 'inaccuracies'.

Is sugar a poison? No it isn't (he acknowledges this later in the same article).

Is it all about sugar intake? No it isn't.

Is it all about fructose? No again.

Is HCFS 20 times sweeter than sugar? Ummm, not even close!:rolleyes:

Is "high fruit juice intake" a source of sucrose? Ummmmm, weirdly no, in fact most fruit juices (not all) would have a greater percentage of fructose than the common incarnation of HFCS (55:45).

I could go on. He only has a very hazy understanding of cholesterol (the two types of LDL are not LDL and VLDL ... and there are in fact 5 kinds of LDL ...) He hasn't a clue what fibre does ... etc, etc

He probably knows more than he is letting on, but basically he doesn't care ... because he is selling panic (and probably very successfully) - but whilst he is doing that, he is not doing the cause of promoting a low carb way of life as a much healthier alternative to what 'experts' tell us any good at all.

[mcsblues]

If you are looking for something simple to show people to explain why you eat the way you do, then try this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M&feature=player_embedded) (full screen is better) ...

... we might quibble over some of the details ... but they should be able to get the gist of what paleo/low carb is all about.

[gitfiddle]

I have a hard time remembering some of the complicated science behind the Protein Power "diet", and I get so frustrated at people ("friends") who would look at me like I was insane as I ate my tri-tip and salad lunch while they ate their measly salad or diet frozen dinner and exclaimed that it "tasted so good" or "I'm so full".Hi, Sandy! Long time no see! I've had people actually get irritated that I could eat a large chicken breast and a pile of vegetables and still have lost all that weight. Poor people! :rolleyes:
I could never think of the reasons why high protein/low carb was good and low fat was bad. I never had any good arguments for those who think this WOE is just a fad.First of all, don't feel compelled to convince a person who is only looking for an argument. Second, if you have the time, read the network of low carb bloggers as they each have a different way of saying it. Sooner or later, it sinks in. Reading is also a way of comparing viewpoints and you'll notice that they vary.


Also, recently I've been seeing the TV commercials by the High Fructose Corn Syrup industry which make fun of the people who are trying to tell their friend that HFCS is bad. There are some spoofs on YouTube that are rather pointed. You might enjoy them. :)

Nice to see you!

[Miss Mousie]

Thanks Malcolm and Carol. This is what I was hoping for. You all are so much more knowledgeable than I am and I've been looking for some answers. I do agree that many of Dr. Mercola's articles are panic based. I did think that this article was fairly good, I guess I'm easily impressed because he quoted sources.

I wonder if you could point me to some of the blogs that you mentioned Carol? I guess I need to start reading more.

On a side note, it's good to be back Carol. I keep falling off the wagon, but I'm back again for another try. Wish me luck.

[gitfiddle]

I wonder if you could point me to some of the blogs that you mentioned Carol? I guess I need to start reading more.Sandy, Dr. Mike's (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/) would be the first one. I like Dr. Briffa (http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/) and the Heart Scan Blog (http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/), Livable Low Carb (http://www.comfort-eaters-diet.blogspot.com/) is fun, Hyperlipid (http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/)...they are all informative and it's interesting to check out the links on their pages to find new voices. I just read everything and make my own decisions. I'm a geek, actually. ;)


On a side note, it's good to be back Carol. I keep falling off the wagon, but I'm back again for another try. Wish me luck.Best of luck, Sandy. It's not luck, you know, just determination. :)