Nuno Figueira

And are you aware of the damage you're doing to your health?

Nuno Figueira

Yes, I'm familiar with Paleo nutrition, but I haven't read the books in question. I read a few of Dr Loren Cordain articles and I quite like this dietary aproach. Personally, I use a isocaloric, high protein (up to 200 gr a day), around 65 % total calories from animal sources, high veggie and moderate fruit, around 10-15% total calories from grains, mainly because it gets hard to get that many carbs from vegetables alone. I've been doing great on this diet but eventually will go on a more strict paleo diet.

Dr Rick

There is a large body of evidence that high dietary protein is associated with more rapid progression of renal (kidney) damage in individuals with underlying kidney problems such as diabetic nephropathy, and high protein diets may increase the risk of kidney stone formation.

The risk to healthy individuals has not been definitively established, but it appears to be minimal. There is no clinical evidence that the ketosis induced by dieting is harmful in otherwise healthy persons. Ketones are a normal by-product of metabolism and are always present in the human body.

There is no clinical evidence that the Atkin's diet results in any long-term adverse outcomes 40 years after it was first introduced. On the other hand, the health risks associated with obesity have been well-established, so if the Atkins diet works well for someone that is otherwise in good health, there is no medical reason to proscribe it.

Your diet description sounds quite healthy. As long as you eat a variety of different vegetables and whole grains with adequate caloric value, you're unlikely to encounter any nutritional problems except possibly a deficiency of B12, which comes only from animal sources of food. A B12 deficiency can easily be prevented with either a vitamin B12 supplement or one serving of B12 fortified grains each day. A strict-vegen diet without dairy foods or eggs can be low in Calcium and vitamin D, so supplemetning these may also be advisable

If you are lactose intolerant but enjoy yogurt, there are lactose-reduced forms available or you can use a lactase supplement such as Ultra-Lactaid

The diet you describe has been associated with a decreased risk of heart disease and a decreased risk of cancers; nonetheless, preganant women and anyone with any chronic medical condition should not undertake a weight-loss or restricted diet without medical supervision and advice.

Rick

Tara

Thanks Dr. Rick, but isn't there an ideal fat-carb-protein caloric ratio? 40% Carbohydrate, 30% Protein, 30% Fat?

Is it really okay to eat very little protein, I guess I should mention I run upwards of 90 miles per week. So for an athlete, isn't some fat and protein advisable? I certainly get some every day, I just doubt it fits that suggested ratio. Mine is probably 70% carbs, and I'm able to run/perform on it well so far...

Is it possible that my greater overall caloric intake, compared to that of a non-athlete, makes it okay for my ratio to be skewed?

Besides, is a diet consisting mostly of carbs possibly LESS healthy than the Atkins diet of largely protein and fat? Not that this reasoning is good justification for my diet, but still the latter sounds more damaging to ones health than the former. I'd think an increase in exercise would be far wiser than eating an all fat and protein diet for weight maintenance, of course I'm no one to preach on the nutrition part

JGL53

Just to reiterate, I claim no great expertise regarding all these type concerns - just what I read plus my person results over the years - but I think the consensus of studies in this area show that dietary cholesterol is of little of no concern regarding blood cholesterol levels, certainly not anywhere as critical as the public has been lead to believe over the years. It seems that a high sugar /high fat diet (especially the high trans fat in hydrogenated vegetable oil) may the worst producer of dyscholesterolemia.
It's my understanding that one's body produces most of the circulating blood cholesterol, and that if one restricts cholesterol in one's diet, the body tends to just manufactor more to make up for it. Dr. Rick?

I eat two to three eggs on most days and my blood cholesterol tests fine. I've never had 'rgg beaters' before. What does it taste like? Is it more or less expensive than actual eggs?

Dr Rick

The ADA recommendations target Americans who are typically omnivorous, obese, get about 40% of their calories from fat and don't eat enough complex carbohydrates.

Most recently, the ADA has adopted a "food pyramid" and suggests that adults need 45 percent to 65 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrates, no more than 25 percent of calories from added sugars such as soft drinks and candy, 20 percent to 35 percent of calories from fats, and 10 percent to 35 percent of calories from protein.

These are suggestions; they do not serve-and should not be used-as regulations. The recent failure of several randomized trials to confirm results of observational studies linking specific nutrients to disease outcomes and a critical evaluation of the scant evidence supporting the guidelines are grounds for skepticism about these recommendations, anyways.

Non-ADA dietary guidelines for athletes recommend high carbohydrate (CHO) intakes in routine or training diets, though these guidelines also lack supporting clinical evidence. Nonetheless, CHO intake ranges of 5 to 7 g/kg/day for general training needs and 7 to 10 g/kg/day for the increased needs of endurance athletes has been suggested.

Your diet, if it includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes in adequate (non-weight loss) caloric portions is likely to provide all the fat and protein you need if you are otherwise healthy. Most Americans get more protein and fats then required for nutirional needs; CHO-restricted weight-diets are designed to suppress hunger and theoretically reduce the calories metabolized from foods, but they typically provide much more fat and protein than nutritionally required.

There is no good clinical evidence that the Atkins diet is "healthier" than a vegetarian one, and the later has been observationally associated with a decreased risk of many illnesses including heat disease and cancer.

So do the Mesquite Indians of Central America upon which Pritikin based his diet "research" back in the 70's, though his popular book of the time didn't mention that, nor their high binge alcohol consumption, their high childhood mortality rates, or their proclivity for long-distance running.

Dietary cholesterol plays a minimal role in serum cholesterol levels; the consumption of other dietary fats, particularly saturated ones, exerts a much greater influence on a normal person's serum cholesterol and the ratios of "good" to "bad" cholesterols.

The comparisons have been epidemiologic studies of Americans', most of whom are neither vegetarians nor on the Atkins diet, disease risks and the risks of those diseases amongst vegetarians or populations that have a higher ratio of fruits and vegetables to meat consumption than Americans.

I am aware of no studies comparing a vegetarian diet to the Atkins's diet.

You"re welcome.

Rick

JGL53

Thanks for your informative post, doc, but one point of clarification.
The association of a vegetarian diet (containing cheese and eggs?) with "a decreased risk of many illnesses including heat disease and cancer" - this would be a decrease of these disease states in comparison with what type of diet?. (I just want it made clear, to avoid any possible confusion, that the comparison 'control' diet wasn't Atkins - or was it?.)

Gurdur

Till now I was completely unaware that a vegie diet could protect against sunstroke ?

Godot

Gurdur, I was unaware that ANY dietary intervention offered protection against sunstroke. Perhaps you need to re-read "heat" as "heart." Does that help?

alek0

Can you prove it that a balanced vegeterian diet is harmful?

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Tara, I am no expert but I've been a vegetarian for 18 years. You probably don't need any more protein, just as Dr. Rick mentioned B12 supplementation may be advisable. As long as your diet is varied enough and you spend some time out in the sun (vit. D) no need to worry. There are plenty of studies showing that a balanced vegetarian diet is healthy.

These studies do not compare vegetarian diet to Atkins, but instead to a typical omnivore diet. But this works both ways - those few studies on Atkins diet compare it to omnivorous diet on subjects who are overweight, not to healthy vegetarians whose weight is in the normal range.