Government Warnings

[finnz]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1046662,00.html


See above link to Observer article. Looks like the heavy artillery is being brought out. And they still haven't read the book!

What is laughable about the whole thing is what an accompanying article says at :-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1046579,00.html

"Back at Wortley High, Tudor Griffiths is doing what he can in the fight against obesity. He has made the food in the school canteen less stodgy and more nutritious. But he is a pragmatist. Chips had to be kept on the menu...."

So it's a "High Sugar Okay, Low Sugar Bad" mantra from our so-called nutritionist experts.

[tholian8]

Unbelievable. Official government warnings indeed!

They can kiss my rapidly shrinking a$$.

Emily

[Lisa N]

Ho hum. Nothing that hasn't been said (and debunked) before. I did note that they admitted that there was no "reliable" research showing that the diet can cause liver or kidney disease. One of the arguments (that the diet can be boring and unpalatable) made me laugh out loud. The way I eat is far from boring and unpalatable, but even if it were since when is either of those things "dangerous"? Maybe they're concerned I'll die from boredom? :lol: High fat diets cause heart disease? Absolutely! BUT...only if you combine it with a high carb diet. In the absence of high carbs, studies have shown that it actually improves cardiac profiles better than low fat. The author needs to take a closer look at the current research instead of trotting out studies that are based on high carb AND high fat. :nono:
Also...basing 1/3 of your dietary intake on starches is a step away from the traditional food pyramid which recommends that such foods make up 60% or better of your daily caloric intake and is more in line with what the Zone recommends. On an 1,800 calorie intake that would equate to 150 grams of carb; still too high for me but at least half of what the average adult consumes currently.

[HumminBird]

I have one thing to say....Yawn! When are they gong to read the book and do some real research? It's the same thing everytime.

[cc48510]

High fat diets cause heart disease? Absolutely! BUT...only if you combine it with a high carb diet. In the absence of high carbs, studies have shown that it actually improves cardiac profiles better than low fat.

Actually, my opinion is that Hi-Fat even when combined with Hi-Carb is not per se deleterious to LDL/HDL...What is deleterious is Trans-Fat and when combined with a Hi-Carb Diet, large amounts of Saturated Fat [other than Stearic Acid] can become deleterious. All the studies focusing on a Hi-Fat diet, have derived most of the fat from either Trans-Fat or Saturated Dairy Fat.

I believe if they were to study a group who avoids Trans-Fat completely, and derives most of its Saturated Fat from Stearic Acid...that they would find no link, even in the presence of Hi-Carb. One thing Hi-Carb is deleterious to [Lipid Panel Wise] is Triglycerides. A Hi-Carb diet, will raise TGs, regardless of Fat composition. The only fat that seems to moderate the rise in TGs is Omega-3...and I don't think its possible to take in enough w3 Fats to completely counteract the rising TGs caused by a Hi-Carb Diet.

Also...basing 1/3 of your dietary intake on starches is a step away from the traditional food pyramid which recommends that such foods make up 60% or better of your daily caloric intake and is more in line with what the Zone recommends. On an 1,800 calorie intake that would equate to 150 grams of carb; still too high for me but at least half of what the average adult consumes currently.

150g is the absolute highest carb limit I would accept as healthy. 100g [derived mostly from Fresh low-glycemic Fruits and Vegetables] is probably the best suggestion [for Healthy Folks.] Any diet that derives most of its Carbs from Grain is highly unhealthy. IMHO, Grain was put on this earth for the animals. Some animals can eat raw grains and break down the bran. Humans can't do this. We have to grind the grain up, and then bake it to make it edible. Animals were meant to eat the Grains. We were meant to eat the animals, as well as some fresh fruits, and vegetables.

BTW, it seems the USDA's new Food Pyramid [from what I can tell] would call for 45-65% Carbohydrates; 10-35% Protein; and 20-35% Fat. 45% Carbs on a 2,000 Kcal diet is 225g. Unfortunately, they suggest a 2,600 Calorie diet for most young adults, which works out to 293g of Carbs. IMHO, 2600 Calories is excessive for a person who is not very physically active...especially when combined with a large number of carbs. 2,000 Calories on average is more than sufficient for a person who is moderately active. I was at 3,000 Calories/day when I was 320 pounds. I lost 90+ pounds since going on Atkins, and my caloric intake steadily decreased to 2,000 Calories/day.

[DebPenny]

I'm sorry, but this looks so much like the British government has been bought by the sugar, grain, and potatoe industries. It's scary to me. Pretty soon they'll make it illegal to follow a low-carb WOL.

OK, enough paranoia... ;)

[Sinbad]

More bullshit! The FSA warning did not name ANY diet... it only said that "ELIMINATING CARBS is a bad thing..."

[Dodger]

'Cutting out starchy foods, or any food group, can be bad for your health because you could be missing out on a range of nutrients,'

Can anyone tell me what nutrients are in starchy foods that are not in many other foods?