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Just read a fascinating opinion piece by Dr. Dean Ornish. I thought he framed our eating dilemma well -- we all too often eat to lose weight without eating to have good health.
It's as though we think slim equals wellness --when it does not necessarily do so. Hence the Atkins diet can harm our health, cause inflammation and clog our arteries, compromise our heart health, even if we lose weight on it.
Anyhow, read and judge for yourself. Me. I was very taken with his points.
Just read a fascinating opinion piece by Dr. Dean Ornish. I thought he framed our eating dilemma well -- we all too often eat to lose weight without eating to have good health.
It's as though we think slim equals wellness --when it does not necessarily do so. Hence the Atkins diet can harm our health, cause inflammation and clog our arteries, compromise our heart health, even if we lose weight on it.
Anyhow, read and judge for yourself. Me. I was very taken with his points.
Very interesting article - my husband and I are on a plant based diet and doing so well - we add no extra oils or fat to our diet (very similar diet described in the article) - this article was very encouraging - thanks so much for posting.
Very interesting article - my husband and I are on a plant based diet and doing so well - we add no extra oils or fat to our diet (very similar diet described in the article) - this article was very encouraging - thanks so much for posting.
Glad that way of eating works for you.
Me, too!
Guess I enjoyed the article because it was kind of preaching to the choir...though it did encourage me not to be "afraid" of eating carbs-- at least when they are whole grains--I do so enjoy them.
Dr. Ornish has a lot of science and medical studies to support his view point..and as he's a highly regarded cardiologist, I tend to trust his opinion.
Dr. Dean Ornish is a very credible source. He has advocated a low fat, plant based diet for prevention of heart disease and other diseases for a very long time with excellent results. His diet can be hard to follow because it is strict, but it is optimal if one has heart disease or just wants to be as healthy as can be. If nothing else it is a good guideline to follow. I am very skeptical of low carb high fat diets. People do lose weight on them, and they can combat diabetes. But in the long run that fat is going to catch up and it is going to cause problems. A friend of mine's husband did Atkins and lost weight and then had to have his gall bladder removed due to all the fat he was eating.
The recent demonizing of grains is another mis-step by the Paleo and low carb crowd. Whole grains are an excellent source of nutrients and fiber. They also help in satiation.
I haven't heard of Dr. Ornish but upon reading this article, I get a gist of what he knows. It really is great to read something like this and make it a basis of what to do with your own health.
Interesting article. There are so many differences of opinion amongst the "experts" it can be hard to know what is best to eat. Plus, I believe we are all "different" and respond differently to various types of diets.
For myself, I have been recently diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. I am not following a strict low-carb diet, I just can't, I don't feel well and I am not happy doing so. But I do try to stick to healthier whole-grain carbs and limit processed foods and sweet treats. I also exercise A LOT, and drink a lot of fresh water. I also like a couple glasses of wine with dinner. My #s are going down slowly but surely, and doc says I have an excellent immune system. I do believe that diabetes and most other diseases start with chronic inflammation in the body; which in turn is caused by a poor diet of processed foods, sugary carbs, and greasy fast-foods (to name a few).
We can all adapt a healthy diet and lifestyle based on our particular body types and needs. This was a good common-sense article that provided some basic information for people to follow.
Interesting article. There are so many differences of opinion amongst the "experts" it can be hard to know what is best to eat. Plus, I believe we are all "different" and respond differently to various types of diets.
For myself, I have been recently diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. I am not following a strict low-carb diet, I just can't, I don't feel well and I am not happy doing so. But I do try to stick to healthier whole-grain carbs and limit processed foods and sweet treats. I also exercise A LOT, and drink a lot of fresh water. I also like a couple glasses of wine with dinner. My #s are going down slowly but surely, and doc says I have an excellent immune system. I do believe that diabetes and most other diseases start with chronic inflammation in the body; which in turn is caused by a poor diet of processed foods, sugary carbs, and greasy fast-foods (to name a few).
We can all adapt a healthy diet and lifestyle based on our particular body types and needs. This was a good common-sense article that provided some basic information for people to follow.
I really don't think it is all that hard to know what to eat....there are lots of very large independent studies done by major university research centers and overseen by noted doctors (as well as the China Study - a study of millions of people and their eating habits and the rate of variouis diseases (cancer) compared to rate of animal products in the diet) that show that a plant based diet dramatically decreases the incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Really look at the studies done in that New York Times article - tens of thousands of people studied for many years.
If you really want to see a dramatic change in your diabetes - exercise moderately and start eating a totally plant based diet with no added oils or even a mostly plant based diet with occasional salmon (as the linked studies suggest) - eat this way for one month and have your blood work done and you will see a dramatic change. My husband eats salmon once a week but other than that his diet is completely plant based with no added oils and he is diabetic. A plant based diet can be delicious and it is very filling - we are never hungry between meals.
All I can tell you is that I avoid processed foods, stick to whole grains for carbs, have cut out most sugar and white flour, eat about 3/4 of my diet as veggies and fruits, and I DO eat a few eggs a week, have a cut of plain yogurt (in a fruit smoothie or over granola) nearly every day, and eat meat a few times a week (not every day) - nearly always chicken or fish or seafood, very little red meat.
I feel FANTASTIC. Skin looks great, hair is shiny and healthy, nails are strong, and I have a terrific energy level at age fifty.
I generally have 2 or 3 glasses of wine, or an occasional beer, each week. Mostly I stick to water and tea. A soda is very rare.
I eat to supply nutrients and fuel to my body, not to try to "diet." I am very picky about what I put into my body - it's the only body I've got and will ever have, and I want to treat it right.
I've considered cutting out animal products, but hey - if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? My diet, with it's emphasis on veggies and fruits, is naturally low fat anyway, and I think that is what's really important when it comes to animal products.
All I can tell you is that I avoid processed foods, stick to whole grains for carbs, have cut out most sugar and white flour, eat about 3/4 of my diet as veggies and fruits, and I DO eat a few eggs a week, have a cut of plain yogurt (in a fruit smoothie or over granola) nearly every day, and eat meat a few times a week (not every day) - nearly always chicken or fish or seafood, very little red meat.
I feel FANTASTIC. Skin looks great, hair is shiny and healthy, nails are strong, and I have a terrific energy level at age fifty.
I generally have 2 or 3 glasses of wine, or an occasional beer, each week. Mostly I stick to water and tea. A soda is very rare.
I eat to supply nutrients and fuel to my body, not to try to "diet." I am very picky about what I put into my body - it's the only body I've got and will ever have, and I want to treat it right.
I've considered cutting out animal products, but hey - if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? My diet, with it's emphasis on veggies and fruits, is naturally low fat anyway, and I think that is what's really important when it comes to animal products.
I suspect many people would benefit and be more disease free if they ate as you do. It's pretty much how my family eats and we've the same results you see in your vibrant health! Junk food equals junk health.
I suspect many people would benefit and be more disease free if they ate as you do. It's pretty much how my family eats and we've the same results you see in your vibrant health! Junk food equals junk health.
You got that right. Junk in, junk out. Give me real, whole, organic, fresh food raised in plenty of sunlight and as chemical free as possible ANY DAY.
I honestly feels sorry for people who don't eat like that - I used to eat a lot of junk, greasy food, fast food, starches, fats, etc and I honestly didn't know how good it could feel to be alive till I changed my eating habits.
I have my yearly checkup coming up with my former doctor - I had moved away so I haven't seen her for awhile. The last time I was under her care, I was forty pounds heavier and so sick that I ended up having a hysterectomy after two or three years of troublesome exams, abnormal cells, etc. That was seven years ago when I was in my early forties. I cannot WAIT to see her - she is going to be AMAZED at my exuberant health! Forty pounds lighter, great blood pressure, and plenty of energy - I look and feel better than I did at forty! I am actually looking forward to my annual girly exam, just to see the look on her face! She did see me once about a year after the hysterectomy and I had lost the forty pounds - so I will enjoy seeing her take note that I've successfully kept it off.
WOOHOOOOO!!!!!
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