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The No Nonsense Diet

Our discussion last week focused on good and bad fats.  In a nutshell, LDL cholesterol is bad, and HDL cholesterol is good.  Transfatty acids are bad.  Triglycerides are kind of bad.  So what are we to do?

As I pointed out at the end of my last article, we want to eat a diet moderately high in protein, low in saturated fat, low in transfatty acids, low in sugar and in unrefined starches.  Having said that, what specifically can we eat?

Protein foods:  you can safely eat red meat, in moderation, if it is lean.  If a steak has a lot of marbling, it has too much fat in it.  Extra lean ground beef is ok. Pork, the other “white meat,” is fine.  And, of course, fish is an excellent source of lean protein, and it also has a special type of fat that is very healthy for you:  omega-3 fatty acids.  White meat fish (Halibut, Sea Bass, Roughy, Tuna, etc) are the best.  The white meat of chicken is an excellent source of lean protein as well. 

Make sure you cook these foods in Canola oil or Olive oil.  Vegetable oil (cottonseed, soy) has small amounts of transfatty acids in it.  These are also called “partially hydrogenated vegetable oils”.  They are very had on the arteries.

Other acceptable protein sources include nuts (especially almonds which are the lowest in saturated fat); low fat cheeses; low fat milk (1% or less milk fat); beans; legumes; soybean (tofu anyone?); and eggs (moderately high in cholesterol but not in calories or saturated fats).  Fruited yogurt is “ok” but I have found them to contain a lot of sugar (something has to make yogurt taste good!).

Carbohydrates:  The Atkins people say this is the enemy.  Studies show they are partially correct.  However, where one gets into trouble with the Atkins-type diets (very high protein, very very low carbohydrate) is in those persons who have even the slightest amount of kidney dysfunction (you may not even know you have it).  Studies show that these high protein diets are just too harsh on kidneys whose function is even slightly impaired, and thus even minor disturbances in kidney function can be worsened by high protein diets.  These strict high protein diets are also very deficient in fiber and many vitamins, so you must take a supplement while on them.

Having said that, studies do show that the Atkins diet is more effective early on than most other types of diets; but the more moderate protein--carbohydrate diets are just as effective later on, if you stick with them.  The early effectiveness of the Atkins diet comes from this fact:  they mobilize fat stores better in the early phase of the diet, which causes a ketotic state, which then causes excess water to be lost form the kidneys.  This faster weight loss is encouraging to most people so the Atkins early success seems to bolster compliance.

Now, another of my concerns with the Atkins diet is its apparent conflict with the word of wisdom.  The latter tells us to eat meats sparingly and in season (the hot summers cause the kidneys to work extra hard and then stressing the kidneys with extra protein is harsh).  The Word of Wisdom also says that fruits and grains are good for man, which is contrary to the Atkins diet.  I believe that grains and fruits are very healthy as long as the grains are not refined and chemically altered (white rice, white bread—all the fiber has been stripped off, the wheat germ removed).  So develop a liking for whole wheat bread and brown rice.

Vegetables should be fresh, and eaten raw (or at least not overcooked to where the fiber is broken down).  Fruits should be eaten in moderation because they contain a lot of sugar.  Potatoes are acceptable in moderation, but could you do me a favor and also eat the potato skin, where all the fiber is?  And what about French fries—forgetaboutit!  They are loaded with transfatty acids (and calories). 

Potato chips?  Corn chips?  Loaded with fat and salt.  Well then, what about low fat chips?  The problem with these low fat treats is that you are getting tons of refined carbohydrate in place of the fat.  Try and reduce these snacks in your diet.

Please drive on past McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Taco Time, -- you get the point.  The foods they serve generally have too much fat and salt in them and they purposely make the servings too large (expands your stomach, creates faster digestive times, makes you hungrier faster, makes you return to the fast food place more often, makes the stockholders happy).  Now I will confess that yes, I have had a Whopper in the past month.  But to do so once a month is not going to kill anyone (usually).  Moderation is the best guide.

Soda pop—you read my article last month.  Too much sugar (200 calories of sucrose per can); too low in pH (very acidic—hard on the stomach and esophagus); and one reader reminded me how bad they are for your teeth (which I didn’t mention because doctors know very little about those teeth things).  

Fruit drinks are not much better either.  They have lots of sugar, very little fiber, and only a few vitamins.  I am not sure where people got the impression that fruit juices were so healthy for you.  Maybe from the fruit juice companies!  Best advice:  Drink more water!

Don’t even get me started on donuts, cookies, and pastries.  Loaded in transfatty acids and calories.  Chocolate—same thing.  But here is the problem:  I love donuts and chocolate.  Well, how about eating them less frequently?  There is nothing wrong with having these desserts once a week, in small amounts.

Now, if you want to lose weight, simply cut your normal portions by 1/3 and stick to the suggestions I have made above.  If you want to be more aggressive, cut portions by ½.  But do not miss meals and do not go overboard with calorie restriction—you won’t be able to maintain it, you will be more hungry in the long run, and in the end you will actually eat more than usual and gain more weight!

And remember, if your are really serious about losing weight, write down everything you eat, everything that goes into your mouth, including sugary chewing gums, mints etc.  Look at your notes often and see where you can improve.

Lastly, don’t forget to start walking 30 minutes every day (older patients clear this with your doctor first).  You will be surprised at how healthy you will become as you put these suggestions into place in your every day lives.  Good luck