High Glycemic, Low Glycemic, It's All Bad
I discovered The Heart Scan Blog via Dr. Eades. The author is Dr. William Davis, a Milwaukee cardiologist.
Here's an excerpt from a post he had on the mistaken notion that certain carbs (low glycemic ones like oatmeal or whole wheat something-or-other) are good for you:
There are several fundamental flaws with the notion that low-glycemic index foods are good for you:1) Check your blood sugar after a low-glycemic index food like oatmeal. Most non-diabetic adults will show blood sugars in the 140 to 200 mg/dl range. The more central (visceral) fat you have, the higher the value will be. In other words, an apparently "healthy" whole grain food like oatmeal can generate extravagantly high blood sugars. Repeated high blood sugars of 125 mg/dl or greater after eating increase heart disease risk by 50%.
2) Foods like whole wheat pasta have a low glycemic index because the blood sugar effect over the usual 90 minutes is increased to a lesser degree. The problem is that it remains increased for an extended period of up to several hours. In other words, the blood sugar-increasing effect of pasta, even whole grain, is long and sustained.
3) Low-glycemic index foods trigger other abnormalities, such as small LDL particles, triglycerides, and c-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation). While they are not as bad as high-glycemic index foods, they are still quite potent triggers.
Low-glycemic index foods trigger the very same responses as high-glycemic index foods--they're just less bad. But less bad does not equate to good. Low-glycemic index foods cause weight gain, trigger appetite, increase blood pressure, and lead to the patterns that cause heart disease.
High-glycemic index foods are bad for you. This includes foods made with white flour (bagels, white bread, pretzels). Low-glycemic foods (whole grain bread, whole wheat crackers, whole wheat pasta) are less bad for you--but they are not necessarily good.
Don't be falsely reassured by foods because they are billed as "low-glycemic index." View low-glycemic index foods as indulgences, something you might have once in a while, since a slice of whole grain bread is really not that different from a icing-covered cupcake.
Me? I eat dessert about once every week and a half. If I'm going to have something carb'y, it'll be that cupcake. Well, truthfully, I actually try to avoid eating flour even for dessert, however, and will try to have a gelato or pot au creme or something dairy and not flour'y.
Otherwise (tragically!), I maintain my slim physique and the blood pressure of an elite athlete the tough way: Yes, it's just bacon, bacon, bacon, eggs, steak, hamburger, cheese, cheese, salami, hot dogs, and lots of green vegetables drowned in butter.
Low-fat diet? Nuh-uh. Tastes like crap, and it's likely to kill you.
What, no fruit? Nope. Here's another excerpt from one of Davis' posts, "Diabetes from fruit":
While fruit is certainly better than, say, a half-cup of gummy bears (84.06 g carbohydrates, 50.12 g sugars), fruit is unavoidably high in carbohydrates and sugars.Take a look at the carbohydrate content of some common fruits:
Apple, 1 medium (2-3/4" dia)
19.06 g carbohydrate (14.34 g sugar)Banana, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)
26.95 g carbohydrate (14.43 g sugar)Grapes, 1 cup
27.33 g carbohydrate (23.37 g sugar)Pear, 1 medium
25.66 g carbohydrate (16.27 g sugar)Source: USDA Food and Nutrient Database
Fruit has many healthy components, of course, such as fiber, flavonoids, and vitamin C. But it also comes with plenty of sugar. This is especially true of modern fruit, the sort that has been cultivated, hybridized, fertilized, gassed, etc. for size and sugar content.
When you hear such conventional advice like "eat plenty of fruits and vegetables," you should hear instead: "eat plenty of vegetables. Eat a small quantity of fruit."
I eat none. I just feel too good from not eating carbs. And on the infrequent occasion I eat sugar, it's going to contain chocolate.
I am not giving up my fruit. I do no refined carbs-no white flour anything-but I am not giving up carbs completely. One has to enjoy life, or there's no reason to live it, after all!
momof4 at February 26, 2010 4:57 AM
I'm with you momof4! I love fresh bread!! White bread on top of that. SINFUL!!
I maintain my slim physique and the blood pressure of an elite athlete by actually being an athlete. It's what I enjoy. Hockey, joggong, badminton, tennis. The works. I am phasing in organic foods slowly and while I do eat low carb, I don't go "no carb". My lifestyle simply can't handle it. As it is I have 19% body fat. Any lower and I will start to look anorexic.
karen at February 26, 2010 6:26 AM
Youse guys can get borderline fascist about this, presuming that everything good in your life, or everything that happens to be going well (Weight! Skin tone! Thick hair! Good vision! Clockwork bowels!) is the product of your own good character and sensible choices... When actually these outcomes are the dumbest luck.
I hear you now: 'But Crid!,', you protest, 'In his "Undergraduates B'Damned" column in the March 5th edition of Grad School Washout Week (the one with the woodcut of the smiling physician wearing a stethoscope), Dr. Ernesto Fuckface of the Emory University institute for Rhetorical Annoyance says that MY preferred behaviors are the ones which guarantee a long life of good sex, easy money, and lilac farts!'
To which the only sensible reply is: Child, someday your body is going to betray you. And on the day that it does, you should not have conducted your life with such off-putting religious fervor that non-believers shall feel vindication in your comeuppance, or even relief at your fresh silence.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 26, 2010 7:26 AM
I think what Crid is trying to say in that rather stange and almost incomprehensible rant is that "good genes play a big role".
To which I agree. I had cancer at 18. Had nothing to do with carbs, eating or exercising. My aunt had it, my cousin had it and a third cousin had it. All women, all on my fathers side of the family, all the same same cancer.
I exercise because I like it. I eat fairly well because we all should. I indulge because WTF...why not!!
karen at February 26, 2010 7:55 AM
Since I am on a modified version of the Atkins Diet, I will address that. The diet was not designed to lose weight. It was designed to clean up the veins and arteries. Weight loss is correlated, but of secondary importance. It is certainly possible to be (temporarily) slim and trim, and still clog your arteries, and work your way into diabetes.
At the same time, there are always personal differences. I agree with Amy. "I just feel too good from not eating carbs."
Our hospitals are filled with dying people, who just had to enjoy life by emulating our 4 legged brethren. Life is filled with hard choices.
irlandes at February 26, 2010 8:03 AM
I'd like to get my girlfriend to stop using agave nectar, all that fructose ... goes right into your liver, contributes to fatty liver and even though it's low GI and GL, some studies think it messes with your insulin. But the low GL makes it not "feel" as bad as sugar, but that is pointless we can only go so much by our feelings. But luckily she is smart and reads so it's just a matter of time.
Though it seems more the entire package is important than just cutting all carbs completely. but then i'm a dilletante so.. i have been spending the last few weeks reading that WholeHealthSource blog you have linked to, that is great.
plutosdad at February 26, 2010 8:12 AM
I would gladly shave a few years off my life (as Denis Leary has said, they're the bad years -- the ones at the end) for access to great sandwiches and beer.
MonicaP at February 26, 2010 8:20 AM
I thought Crid's rant was funny.
kishke at February 26, 2010 8:24 AM
Well, I consider it good news that I shouldn't eat oatmeal (Blech!) or fruit for that matter. Personally, I've only had really good fruit a handful of times - if it is fresh off the tree, ripe and juicy it can be more delicious than a cupcake. But most of the fruit I've eaten in my life has been tasteless crap that I forced myself to eat because it's healthy.
Like others here, I know that I could never do no-carbs as strictly as Amy does. Oh well, so I just won't be as rail thin as she is. But I still find this information very helpful as far as knowing which foods I should eat less often.
KarenW at February 26, 2010 8:54 AM
Thanx Kishke— Tough room.
Crid at February 26, 2010 9:05 AM
I think what Crid is trying to say in that rather stange and almost incomprehensible rant is that "good genes play a big role".
Yes, they do. I can eat bread and oatmeal and not weigh much more than I do, and others can look at a crouton and put on weight. But, it's not, as irlandes pointed out, just about weight; it's about health.
Fruit, as I point out to people, and as he points out in the piece, is not the stuff we would have had back in the Pleistocene, which would have been icky, crap-apply stuff. This his highly hybridized, highly sweet stuff.
And the thing that has me sticking to this no/very low carbs thing is how great I feel. I need much less sleep, and I'm much more even emotionally.
PS I take fish oil (should take Krill oil, and will next time around on the advice of Dr. Eades) and magnesium, vitamin D, and potassium. I also eat parsley for vitamin K. Here's the bit on Krill oil.
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/uncategorized/why-krill-oil/
Amy Alkon at February 26, 2010 9:33 AM
kishke - very true - Crids rant was funny!! it just took me 2 reads before I got it all (mind you I usually read in french)!!
Amy - Crids point goes beyond weight. Being healthy is also genetic. I know someone who is a big health nut...good diet, exercise the whole kit. He actually follows the same type of diet as you...and explains it simply as "if it's not green or dead, I don't eat it. He takes all kinds of supplements - wouldn't be surprised if they are the same as yours in some cases. At 52 he's all muscle, great health according to all blood tests. He has also had 2 heart attacks and a triple bypass. Runs in the family.
karen at February 26, 2010 10:25 AM
Crid, you slay me. If I were of a mind to have babies, yours would be the ones I'd be thrilled to pop out.
I actually prefer the look of women (especially as they get into their 30's and beyond) who are not rail thin. With very low body fat, the face takes on a haggard, drawn look that I don't find attractive. Call me crazy, but I love the differences in body shapes between men and women. I'm no fan of the rotund obesity that masquerades as the feminine form in much of North America, but what's wrong with women having some soft curviness?
Marina at February 26, 2010 10:27 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/26/high_glycemic_l.html#comment-1698207">comment from karenCrids point goes beyond weight. Being healthy is also genetic.
Again, some people may have to eat almost no carbs, but if you read on Eades' site and on this guy's, you'll see that people can be healthy if they just follow an evidence-based diet, which is not what much of the medical establishment is recommending.
I have fat women mad at me for a column I wrote recently, noting that male lust typically comes with a weight limit. (The woman had gained 40 pounds in two years and her boyfriend didn't even want to hug her.) The thing is, if you cut out carbs, you can drop a lot of weight.
Amy Alkon at February 26, 2010 10:33 AM
To Amy and anyone who has cut out carbs.. how long does it take until you do start to just drop the pounds like old clothes?
I’m just curious because I’m wondering when I might begin to see it. Not that weight loss is the most important aspect for me, but it would be nice. I’m not really fat, just uncomfortable in my body. I used to be very, very thin. (I became a vegetarian when I was 15 and in addition to cutting out meat, I became pretty much anorexic, which is a completely different story). I know now how unhealthy I was back then, but I miss being thin. I was a vegetarian for almost ten years, but since reading your blog, Amy, and looking at Taubes and Dr. Eades information and doing a lot more thinking about and reading about nutrition and healthy diets, I decided two weeks ago that I wanted to eat meat again. That was difficult at first, but I don’t regret it at all. It took about four days to see a noticeable difference, but waking up BEFORE my alarm went off and not feeling like I needed at least two more hours of sleep was an amazing feeling… one I haven’t felt in, I don’t know, probably years.
My clothes fit better, I guess I’d say I don’t look/feel bloated anymore. I never realized before that I was. According to my scale, I’m only down 2 lbs though.. so, it’s a little discouraging. Not that I’m going to start eating carbs anyway, I’m not really a huge fan of them, never have been. And the fact that I’m eating REAL food, instead of fake processed crap just feels better, so I’m not going to stop eating meat. I’m just hoping I didn’t screw up my body so much that it won’t happen for me, but maybe it’s too early to tell?
Anyway, just curious, probably not really anyone out there in the same situation as me, but I thought I would ask anyway.
Angie at February 26, 2010 11:34 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/26/high_glycemic_l.html#comment-1698340">comment from AngieYou really have to cut out all carbs or it won't work, and you may inhibit your ability to lose weight by this method. I had a friend do this for a month, and he dropped 17 lbs. He ate only bacon, eggs, hamburger, and steak.
Amy Alkon at February 26, 2010 11:45 AM
I'm much more even emotionally
I've noticed this as well. Really have to buckle down and eliminate the rest of the carbs.
We did have chicken breasts cooked in a balsamic/broth reduction served over a mound of steamed spinach last night and it was fabulous. Some avocado slices on the side. Very satisfying!
deja pseu at February 26, 2010 11:53 AM
Yeah, I read that. All I’ve eaten is hamburgers, steaks, eggs, bacon, breakfast sausage, summer sausage, chicken (yeah, I totally jumped right into the meat!) and then I’ve had beef jerky for snacks, but I know the package says there are a few carbs in that.. is it from the flavoring or something? It just seems like such a small amount, but maybe that’s it. I also wonder if maybe the coffee I drink in the morning could be a problem, I put a little creamer in it. I don’t drink soda, I’m one of those freaks that actually really likes water. I’m not sure.. I’ve always had a pretty slow metabolism, so maybe my body is just taking some time to adjust. I’m going to stick with it, but I hate waiting for things!
I cut out carbs over the summer, and it took about two weeks before I began to see results and I lost almost ten pounds, but I was still a vegetarian then.. and I guess I just thought now that I was eating the good foods, it would work as fast, if not faster.
Anyway, thanks for the response!
Angie at February 26, 2010 11:59 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/26/high_glycemic_l.html#comment-1698354">comment from AngieThat creamer has some horrible shit in it. I suggest reading Dr. Eades books and site about what to do when you plateau. Maybe you need to incorporate moderate exercise? The epidemiologist I'm friends with tells me you need to do weight-bearing exercise to maintain bones in addition to cardio, by the way. I'm trying to do more of both. (Life in NYC IS weight-bearing exercise, but life in LA is very easy.)
Amy Alkon at February 26, 2010 12:28 PM
Thanks, I will do a bit more reading.
Angie at February 26, 2010 12:39 PM
My wife and I are doing Eades' 6 week cure and we have both dropped about 5 lbs in the first two weeks. A real bonus is that some of the dinner recipes in the book are really tasty and we'll be using them after the six weeks.
I have never tried a short term diet before. Any changes I have made were with the idea that they would be permanent, but reading the book convinced me that the "6 week cure" was a good idea. In a nutshell you are retraining your body to draw on your stored fat for energy rather than using sugar and carbs.
Steamer at February 26, 2010 1:19 PM
There is no doubt in my mind that this style of eating - tons of fat and protein, no carbs - will be exposed for the war on common sense that it is.
Patrick at February 27, 2010 6:22 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/26/high_glycemic_l.html#comment-1698650">comment from PatrickPatrick, the evidence speaks to cutting out carbs. Read the difference in the blood work on these people posted by the cardiologist. I've seen the results myself, in myself, and in a friend of mine who lost 17 pounds the first month, and has lost about 31 lbs. total in five months (he's losing at a slower pace after incorporating cheese and vegetables -- in addition to bacon, eggs, butter, steak and hamburger that he ate only in the first month. He also drinks wine now, a bit).
I have to tell you, Gary Taubes is the most meticulous person I have ever encountered vis a vis caring about what the evidence says. I believe he has night sweats about being sure he's presenting the evidence-based truth -- and I'm not really kidding.
Amy Alkon at February 27, 2010 6:34 AM
One wonders what the long-term effects of eating in such a fashion will prove to be.
The evidence of common sense tells us that we were designed to consume fruit. Everything, and I do mean everything (hands, teeth, digestive tract, etc.), on our anatomy dictates we were designed to eat that way.
One wonders where the moron Lobster disappeared to. When I pointed out that I will not be convinced that fruit is bad for you, he screamed that I was erecting a strawman.
Patrick at February 27, 2010 9:21 AM
Amy,
Low Carb rocks!! Just finished my crisp bacon (local pig) and eggs (our own) over easy in a ton of grass fed butter! (no toast!) Will snack on two squares of Cote d’Or Noir 86% Cacao mid afternoon (about 4 carbs) – even thought I won’t be hungry!! My have my chocolate with a few ounces of heavy cream.
Dinner?
Seared Ahi tuna with salsa appetizer and a cheeseburger (no bun of course) with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms and jalapenos. Side of Cole slaw made with avocado oil mayonnaise, cream and vinegar.
Nice blog Amy – Dr Eades turned me on to you. I love Dr Eades, Peter, etc.
Regards,
Philip Thackray
Philip Thackray at February 27, 2010 9:42 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/26/high_glycemic_l.html#comment-1698683">comment from PatrickPatrick, fruit back then was not the hybridized, highly sweet stuff it is now.
We evolved during the Pleistocene, and many of the situations we adapted for then no longer exist. We lust for sugar, and it would have been important to eat it when we found it back then, but no longer, when you can buy a crate of Twinkies at Costco, cheap.
Amy Alkon at February 27, 2010 9:59 AM
"Yes, it's just bacon, bacon, bacon, eggs, steak, hamburger, cheese, cheese, salami, hot dogs, and lots of green vegetables drowned in butter."
Amy, I'd kill myself if I had to eat the way you do. Eades is probably an amazing diet for anyone who likes this type of food, but for someone like me who is a vegetarian and doesn't like greasy food, this would be miserable. Fortunately for me there are TONS of other options for eating healthy and being healthy. And once you figure out what works, you don't need a scientist to tell you what the best diet is-the results speak for themselves.
Shannon at February 27, 2010 12:45 PM
Shannon,
You might want to read The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Myth-Food-Justice-Sustainability/dp/1604860804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267308108&sr=1-1
I don’t agree with her politics but her take on farming versus sustainable animal husbandry and the section on Nutritional Vegetarianism are right on in my opinion.
YMMV!
Regards,
Philip Thackray
Philip Thackray at February 27, 2010 2:09 PM
Amy, I have reduced the carbs in my diet somewhat, but adapting to your style just appears to me to be a drudgery composed of meat and cheese. Are there a variety of recipes with which to make all that meat and cheese less boring.
And no tomatoes? Judging by their taste, that particular fruit seems to me to be relatively low in sugar.
And, if grapes are on sale, I will still buy them. :-)
mpetrie98 at February 28, 2010 1:37 AM
I made it about half way through Protein Power (sorry, don’t know how to italicize) over the weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed the reading so far. If you actually read it and think about it, it makes sense. It does point out, like Amy said, that fruit long ago would be more like a crab apple, instead of the hybridized fruit we have today which has been selectively bred to create such sugary tasteful varieties. Also, in case you cared to know, in the book it was mentioned that I might not see a difference on the scale because my body may be gaining muscle just from the increase protein alone (which is probably the case for me especially), but that a better way to measure in the beginning is to compare how my clothes fit… and let’s just say I’m wearing my skinny pants comfortably today. I also did measurements this weekend, so I’ll be able to keep track that way too, which I imagine I’ll see more of a difference with.
Angie at March 1, 2010 7:32 AM
Maybe the fruit we eat now is more sweet due to selecting plant genetics, yes, but also the meat we eat today has been selectively bred and had hormones added... as well as the animals are kept in poor conditions and not able to exercise where the meat we ate much earlier in our evolutionary history would have been wild caught. And humans would have had to work hard at catching and gathering food. I also find it funny how you act like evolution is something that happened a long time ago rather than an on-going process. I'm sure we are different from the humans 2 million years ago. Also, we've seen fad diet after fad diet over the years and this one will probably prove to be bunk just like all the rest of them. Best to eat a varied diet of minimally processed foods, I say.
whatever at March 5, 2010 10:04 AM
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