Eat Meat. As Much As You Want. With Plenty Of Fat.
As I keep saying, based on the evidence I've seen.
Now, Anahad O'Connor writes in The New York Times about a new study -- with a rather small sample size, for only a year -- with findings that give the thumbs up to eating not only low carb but also a diet that embraces fat:
People who avoid carbohydrates and eat more fat, even saturated fat, lose more body fat and have fewer cardiovascular risks than people who follow the low-fat diet that health authorities have favored for decades, a major new study shows.The findings are unlikely to be the final salvo in what has been a long and often contentious debate about what foods are best to eat for weight loss and overall health. The notion that dietary fat is harmful, particularly saturated fat, arose decades ago from comparisons of disease rates among large national populations.
But more recent clinical studies in which individuals and their diets were assessed over time have produced a more complex picture. Some have provided strong evidence that people can sharply reduce their heart disease risk by eating fewer carbohydrates and more dietary fat, with the exception of trans fats. The new findings suggest that this strategy more effectively reduces body fat and also lowers overall weight.
The new study was financed by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It included a racially diverse group of 150 men and women -- a rarity in clinical nutrition studies -- who were assigned to follow diets for one year that limited either the amount of carbs or fat that they could eat, but not overall calories.
"To my knowledge, this is one of the first long-term trials that's given these diets without calorie restrictions," said Dariush Mozaffarian, the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who was not involved in the new study. "It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that's really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories."
By the end of the trial, people in the low-carb group had lost about eight pounds more (on average) than those in the low-fat group, as well as losing more body fat and improving their lean muscle mass -- without changing the level of physical activity. The low-fatters lost weight -- but appeared to lose more muscle mass than fat.
The low-carb participants -- I'm guessing -- would have done better if they'd eaten a no-holds-barred/"eat fat, plenty of fat" diet, which the article suggests they did not. (I haven't read the paper and I woke up late and don't have time -- about three hours late in getting started writing.)
Dietary researcher, Dr. Jeff Volek, on my radio show, suggested eating a diet that is very high in fat (meat fat, avocados, butter, etc.) to balance the protein. This is what I eat, and even while writing "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck" (and barely leaving my chair in the last six months of finishing the book), I did not gain weight.
I think the trial had various problems, for instance even the low carb group wasn't eating what many people consider a low carb diet, just a lower carb diet.
All that said, what I would really like advice on is what cuts of meat are both:
+ relatively inexpensive
+ relatively fatty
Where I am the supermarkets seem to trim a lot of the fat away, and I can't afford the expensive cuts with all their "fancy schmancy" marbling.
Folks, what cuts should I be looking for that I can expect to find in most supermarkets that will be reasonably fatty meat.
I am also curious about the two types of fat that I can observe: when I refrigerate a roast the liquids will solidify and there will be two layers:
A white, opaque, fragile plastic on top of
A brown, mostly clear gel
Is one of those objectively by modern standards a better source of healthy fats?
jerry at September 6, 2014 12:22 PM
Flipping the radio yesteryday, in an area where I can basically only pick up NPR, there was someone (came in after intro, but presumably an expert) discussing this.
Apparently it's _really, really_ important to stay away from red meat, and only lean meat...
Way to miss the point, there.
http://www.turlockjournal.com/archives/26440/
And apparently, the demand for almonds is going through the roof.
Just as I perfected using almond flour for waffles....
Unix-Jedi at September 6, 2014 12:53 PM
Whenever I read these articles, I wonder how many cases of the GOUT result from their studies. I would have thought gout was like scurvy or something, obsolete, until I awoke with my toe in crushing pain.
jefe at September 6, 2014 1:22 PM
jerry:
Pork shoulder's always a good bet. Chicken quarters. Those are the best bangs-for-the-bucks. Ground chuck is the best deal for beef.
The top is the fat, the gelatin is, well, gelatin. Connective tissue, not fat.
Unix-Jedi at September 6, 2014 1:25 PM
I really like beef tri-tip roast. Cooks quick. Beefy taste. Very tender. Love pork shoulder.
Bob in Texas at September 6, 2014 1:43 PM
For some people it's "moist" for me it's "connective tissue".
jerry at September 6, 2014 2:28 PM
Folks, what cuts should I be looking for that I can expect to find in most supermarkets that will be reasonably fatty meat.
Pork shoulder ftw. Boil it with some oregano, garlic and bay leaves and shred it after for some great taco meat. If you want to go full-on carnitas, brown the shredded meat in lard. It's amazing how cheap pork is these days compared to other meat.
I also like chicken thighs but don't know how cheap they are.
For beef, skirt and flank steak. Marinate in beer, lime juice, and some hot sauce and then grill. (Actually these are fairly lean but who cares? They taste great.)
Astra at September 6, 2014 4:02 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/09/eat-meat-as-muc.html#comment-5038292">comment from AstraOur friends, the Drs. Eades, came up with the Sous Vide for home use, and this makes even the crappiest meat taste fantastic. They gave Gregg and me each a refurb one recently, and I am basically ruined for restaurant food now, because even chicken is fantastic.
Here's a link: Sous Vide Supreme Demi Water Oven, Black, SVD-00101
Also, Mary Dan Eades, whom we saw last night, said to put butter or lard in the packet (you vacuum seal the food to cook it) when meat is that kind that's been put on the diet by the farmer (as so much of our meat unfortunately is). Turkey, for example. Or pork -- so hard to find fatty pork. Gregg, last week, made me chicken that was so good it made us late, because I couldn't resist eating it before we left.
Amy Alkon
at September 6, 2014 4:14 PM
Pork steak is very cheap and decently fatty in the grocery stores here also as well as pork shoulder. Chicken thighs and leg quarters are pretty cheap. I can often buy turkey legs for around 99 cents a pound also. It's not a particularly fatty option, but a tasty and cheap meat choice. For beef we buy cheap ground beef that's about 20% fat and cook it rare. We also buy a lot of chuck roasts and ribeye steaks (definitely not the cheapest option, but comes with a lot of fat). We also buy a lot of bratwurst and bacon, both of which are pretty fatty. If we have drier meats with very little fat we add butter to it.
BunnyGirl at September 6, 2014 4:46 PM
I got gestational diabetes and went low carb, but now I'm in ketosis and am full of acetone, which
1) Is supposedly bad for baby's brain
2) It BURNS when I pee. Like pouring nail polish remover on my vulva.
Has this happened to any of you? What do you do about it? I'm being ordered to eat more carbs but finding the balance between eating enough to not have pee that feels like its going to remove my exterior genitals, but not so high that my blood sugar spikes.
I've lost 4 kilos in 6 weeks which I'd normally be delighted about but is not desirable in your third trimester.
NicoleK at September 7, 2014 9:44 AM
I'm in a similar situation. What actually ends up being the best control for my gestational diabetes (I get it every pregnancy) is to eat my normal low-ish carb diet and just take insulin. I don't eat a lot of carbs normally (20-ish grams per meal that's typically from dairy products) but reducing my normal amount put me into ketosis as well. For this pregnancy I'm on a combo of NPH and R insulin at breakfast, R at dinner, and NPH at bedtime. My blood sugar levels now are at 100 after meals and fasting at 90, no more ketosis. I'm at 26 weeks now so I know my doses will require adjusting up every couple weeks, but this has made control easy without all the other problems. In the past I've also been able to stop insulin within a week of delivering.
BunnyGirl at September 7, 2014 5:30 PM
Thanks Bunny! God, I hope it goes away after... 4 tests + 1 shot a day (I managed to stay off insulin till last week), I can't imagine doing it for the rest of my life. Not to mention the stress each meal brings as I wonder if I'm not eating enough, or eating too many carbs. It makes me want to just not eat anything at all, which sadly is not an option right now. 6 more weeks...
The thing is I don't see why I'm in ketosis, my blood sugar isn't super low. My blood sugar has been between 4.3-5.3 (80-95) mornings with the occasional spike to the high fives, and usually between 5.1-6.5 (90-115-ish) with the occasional dip to 4.7 or so, and a few spikes above 7 (126) when I ate an apple with a grain (I've since learned apple OR grain not apple AND grain).
So my blood sugar levels have been pretty good overall, with the rare high or low, so WTF? So the endicronologist said, "More carbs, but with insulin now". So I went on it last week.
This sucks, this sucks.
And the high carb/low carb debate is SO F@#@$!$ STRESSFUL that I just don't want to eat anything anymore.
Oh well. Finally seeing the dietician today. Who will probably tell me to chill out.
NicoleK at September 8, 2014 1:22 AM
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