Filed under: Study — @ July 12, 2011
Researchers from the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre found that mice fed on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet had slower tumour cell growth than those fed a typical Western diet high in carbohydrates. Western diet fed mice began developing tumors by middle age, but the low-carb fed mice none developed tumors by that time. The mice used in the study were predisposed for breast cancer and had an average life expectancy of two years. 70% of the high-carb diet mice developed cancer before death compared to just 30% of the low-carb fed mice.
Additionally, while both diets had similar caloric levels, the high-carb mice gained a significant amount of weight.
Filed under: In The News — @ April 13, 2011
The New York Times has covered Dr. Robert Lustig’s popular video on the possible toxicity of fructose. Dr. Lustig’s “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” video has been viewed over 800,000 times since its posting in 2009. Not a small feat for a very academic lecture on biochemistry.
While being against fructose and popular in our community, Dr. Lustig isn’t a fan of low-carb diets. According to Lustig, the type of carbohydrate is what’s important.
Refined sugar (that is, sucrose) is made up of a molecule of the carbohydrate glucose, bonded to a molecule of the carbohydrate fructose — a 50-50 mixture of the two. The fructose, which is almost twice as sweet as glucose, is what distinguishes sugar from other carbohydrate-rich foods like bread or potatoes that break down upon digestion to glucose alone. The more fructose in a substance, the sweeter it will be.
Filed under: In The News — @ December 29, 2010
It’s almost become passé this time of the year to reflect on what has happened over the previous 12 months by compiling lists to recap the year. From the top news, sports, and entertainment stories, these lists are everywhere. But they are a friendly reminder of what has happened throughout the year that will very likely be remembered in the years to come. That’s why I decided to jump into the fray with a top 10 list of my own this year to highlight what I believe has been a banner year for livin’ la vida low-carb in 2010. Unlike any year since I’ve been paying attention to low-carb health and nutrition news, this one was without a doubt a game-changer in the mainstream of public thought when it comes to taking the healthy low-carb lifestyle more seriously not just as a weight loss tool (which it does a wonderful job with), but also for improving various aspects of health. It seemed like every month or so we’d see some headline extolling the virtues of restricting carbohydrates, increasing fat in your diet, or other basic principles that you hear me share about here at my blog and podcast each and every week. I don’t know if it’s the influence of the blogosphere, more readily available information online, Gary Taubes, the rise of the Paleo movement or what, but something has triggered a huge shift in thinking in the right direction about the high-fat, low-carb way of life. As someone who has absorbed his life into this topic for nearly seven years, I find it encouraging to see even a glimmer of hope for real lasting cultural change when it comes to nutrition as it relates to health.
Only time will tell if we’ll see this trend continue into 2011 and beyond, but for now click here for my Top 10 Low-Carb Headlines of 2010.
Filed under: Books — @ December 28, 2010
The book we’ve all been waiting on for several years is finally here! Good Calories Bad Calories author Gary Taubes has been hinting at and promising a more consumer-friendly version of his 2007 bestselling classic for a while now and that promise comes to fruition beginning today, December 28, 2010 with the release of Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It. This book holds a lot of promise to make a huge impact on our culture with the low-carb message and I’m excited to help spread the word about it to you today. Buy several copies and give it to your friends, family, doctor, and whoever else you can think of who could stand to benefit from the message of living low-carb!
Filed under: Events,Giveaway — @ December 21, 2010
MERRY CHRISTMAS everybody! I for one absolutely love this joyous time of year because everyone seems to be in an especially good mood. I don’t know if it’s all the seasonal smells, the uplifting music, or the time with family and friend reflecting on another year of life together. But there is great excitement in the air anticipating the glorious moment coming up this Saturday when we celebrate together with gift-giving and fellowship. It should be a fun occasion for all no matter who you are. So why should things be any different here at the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog for the week of Christmas? You’re just as much a part of MY extended family since we share so intimately with each other here on a daily basis about the diet and health plan that has worked so well for us to make us healthier than we ever thought possible. With that in mind, I have compiled a few nice gifts and offers to share with you during this Christmas Week Mini-Giveaway Bonanza and I personally invite you to participate by sending me your name, U.S. mailing address, and telephone number to livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you’d like to enter to win. Deadline for entries is Friday, December 31, 2010 and the winners will be selected at random and mailed their prizes to kick off 2011 on the right foot! GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!
Filed under: Health — @ December 16, 2010
One of the most frequently-asked questions I’ve received from my readers over the years is, “Where can I find a good low-carb doctor in my area?”. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that question, then I’d be a very rich man. After receiving e-mail after e-mail from people sincerely wanting to find a low-carb physician who will help treat their obesity, diabetes, and other health conditions, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a resource allowing patients to tap into a network of medical doctors, chiropractors, and nurses who subscribe to carbohydrate-restriction. I call it the “List of Low-Carb Doctors” blog and it has continued to grow steadily over the past few years as I’ve added new names each week. I’m thinking of including nutritionists, dietitians, and health coaches who subscribe to this way of eating on that site as well to give people even more options for finding quality care for their weight and health needs.
Read the rest
Filed under: Health — Tags: insulin — @ December 10, 2010
Insulin is a dirty word for most people who are on a low carb diet because so many of us believe it is the major hormone responsible for making us fat, sick, and old. I’ve literally interviewed and spoken with hundreds of people who have pointed the finger of blame at excessive insulin production being one of the leading causes of obesity, disease, and aging. The theory goes a little something like this: excessive carbohydrate consumption leads to higher insulin levels which in turn begins a devastating domino effect on weight, health, and longevity. Therefore, if you cut the carbohydrates down in your diet, then it will result in lower insulin levels which leads to fat loss, health improvements, and a longer life. All of this seems to make sense and books galore have been dedicated to addressing this very topic in recent years.
But what if the theory is dead wrong?
That’s exactly what a nutrition-minded blogger named James Krieger from Weightology believes and he has been writing quite extensively about it over the past couple of months. It’s a subject matter I believe is worthy of further discussion and debate within the low-carb community.
Filed under: Traveling — @ November 26, 2010
At long last, Christine and I are getting away from some rest and relaxation–just the two of us–away from computers, Internet, and everything. No iPhones, no iPad, no Facebook…complete detachment from everything except some fun in the sun in Jamaica! Yep, we’re headed down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday morning to hop on a cruise ship Sunday for a 6-day cruise to Key West, Florida, the Grand Cayman Islands, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica on the Carnival Freedom. This is the same cruise that our 4th Annual Low-Carb Cruise (sign up by December 2, 2010 to lock in the group rate!) will be heading to from May 1-6, 2011.
Read the rest
Filed under: Events — @ November 23, 2010
The holiday season is upon us and that means it’s time to crank up the cheer and joy that comes with this time of the year by sharing some really fun stuff with you as we celebrate Thanksgiving this week. I consider it a real privilege to be able to blog here and always enjoy passing along some really cool things for you to enjoy as you live your healthy low-carb lifestyle. Maybe you’ll find a little something something amongst this list that will tickle your fancy and bring you into the Christmas holidays in earnest.
- WIN A FREE FLIP ULTRA HD DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA FROM CARBSMART
- LIBERATION WELLNESS WEIGHT LOSS & WELLNESS WEEKEND
- WANNA INFLUENCE THE KRAFT FOODS COMPANY? JOIN THEIR CULTIVAR COMMUNITY!
- WIN FREE PRIZES WHILE I’M AWAY ON VACATION NEXT WEEK!
- THE LIVIN’ LA VIDA LOW-CARB SHOW FAN CLUB OFFICIALLY BEGINS DECEMBER 1, 2010
Filed under: In The News — Tags: paleolithic diet — @ November 17, 2010
I really enjoy philosophical questions about nutrition from my readers because it means they are giving serious thought to this whole concept of livin’ la vida low-carb and not just blindly following it (that’s what far too many people are doing with conventional wisdom regarding diet). Some people buy into the healthy low-carb lifestyle hook, line, and sinker because it just makes total sense to them through the scientific evidence and results they see personally while others have to come into it gradually at their own pace as knowledge and understanding begins to happen and they become convinced empirically. That’s what is so fantastic about the whole low-carb/Paleo/primal community is that each of us are at varying levels on this journey to attain optimal health and have our own hurdles and obstacles to overcome to make this way of eating work for us in the long-term.
Read the rest
Filed under: Health — @ November 16, 2010
In Episode 419 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from a Harvard-educated PhD named Mat Lalonde who is a strong advocate for the Paleolithic nutritional approach along with a CrossFit exercise regimen. Mat made quite the name for himself in June 2010 when he participated in and led an 8-hour long Nutritional Seminar which is now available for purchase if you like what you hear in today’s interview (NOTE: We apologize for the audio technical difficulties during this interview and hope to have this kind of issue resolved for future interviews). Listen to Mat Lalonde discuss whole host of issues regarding Paleo/low-carb eating and the science supporting this way of eating as an optimal nutritional source.
Click here to listen to one of the most exciting interviews I’ve conducted this year!
Filed under: Health — @ November 10, 2010
Controversy ensued early last year when President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Regina M. Benjamin to serve as the nation’s 18th surgeon general. It’s a highly prestigious position for any respected physician because you are looked at as America’s top doctor (sorry Dr. Oz, it ain’t you!). The U.S. Surgeon General sets the tone for public health policy and becomes the face for those decisions–and therein was the problem for the 52-year old Dr. Benjamin. As you can see from the photo posted to the left, she is overweight. The argument from the skeptics of this nomination stated that she was unqualified to hold the position of surgeon general because of her weight since we are currently facing an obesity epidemic and we need an example for Americans to follow. But with grace and honor, Dr. Benjamin dismissed what she described as “hurtful” criticisms stating that although she weighs more than she’d like, being fit and healthy is “more than just a dress size.” She added that because of her own struggles she is able to understand the plight of what upwards of two-thirds of Americans are dealing with. I can certainly relate to this as I’ve written about quite often as an encouragement to others who are trying to get a handle on their weight. The good news is that livin’ la vida low-carb has indeed made me healthy by all measurable metabolic markers despite the extra pounds. That’s the solace I find in my chosen diet plan.
One of my readers who is a medical professional specializing in obesity wrote to me recently sharing quite openly of her frustration and struggle to shed the pounds. Although she helps literally thousands of patients find their path to weight loss success, she’s been unable to make it happen for herself. She poured her heart and soul out looking for answers to her weight problem after literally exhausting everything she knows to make it happen for herself. Like Dr. Benjamin and myself, she’s looking for the answers to why she’s dealing with extra pounds despite seeming to do everything correctly.
Click here to read what she wrote along with my analysis of what may be hindering her weight loss progress.
Filed under: Health — @ November 9, 2010
If it’s Fall in America, then it’s football season. From the kindergardener’s just learning how to play all the way to the professionals in the National Football League, everyone seems to get excited about this time of the year as the temperatures begin to drop and we root for our favorite team. Where I live in South Carolina, football is almost like a religion the way people so closely monitor their local high school or college team and I enjoy watching grown adults get all upset or excited when their team wins and loses. That’s not to say I’m not a fan of the sport, but I don’t get all obsessive about it like some people do.
In high school football stadiums all across the country, there are three things you will consistently see: football players, fans, and food! It’s that latter one where many of the fundraising efforts are focused on by selling overpriced concessions as a means for raising money for the football team, band, and/or the school itself. If you’ve ever been to one of these games and stood in line for 30-45 minutes to get something to eat, then you know the selection is quite limited to mostly carbs, carbs, and more carbs. From nachos to French fries, sugary sodas and corn dogs, it’s almost impossible to escape the overabundance of carbohydrates that fill the air during football games.
The sad reality of this in light of the health and weight problems we face as a nation wasn’t lost on one of my readers who is a parent of a daughter in the high school band. She was recently one of the volunteers working the concession stand at the school and wanted to share her thoughts about this deep-ingrained part of American culture.
Click here to read what she had to say about the carb-loaded concessions sold at football stadiums and the manipulation that takes place to lure people into purchasing this food because it’s “for a good cause.”
Filed under: Events — @ November 4, 2010
“The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast has emerged over the past year into one of the top-rated health shows online today. The success of this twice-weekly, interview-based healthy living show is due to all of the wonderful word-of-mouth advertising that YOU the listeners have been giving it sharing interviews you’ve enjoyed with friends, family and people you think would dig it. Up until now we haven’t armed you any tools to help spread the message but now we have not just one but two awesome posters for you to print out and plaster anywhere and everywhere you can to show your love and devotion to the #1 low-carb podcast in the world! Check out the super-cool punk poster on the left and the more traditional yet fancy poster on the right (click on the image to view the larger PDF file version of the poster that you can print out):
(Click on the images above to view the PDF version of these posters)
Print as many of these as you’d like and place them on the bulletin board where you work (ask permission from your boss, of course!), the student bulletin board at college, your local civic organizations and anywhere else publically you think eyeballs might come into contact with it. It basically shares a quick blurb about the show and gives them the URL so they can find it. Don’t think we won’t show our appreciation for your efforts to shout it from the rooftops that you think our podcast is the coolest either. We’ve got a nifty photo contest for those of you who wish to be a bit more daring and creative in your placement of the posters.
Here’s how the contest works:
1. Print off as many copies of your favorite poster (I LOVE the punk one the best!).
2. Find the most unique (the stranger the better) place to put the poster (NO BATHROOMS!).
3. Take a photograph of the place where you put the poster up (seriously, NO BATHROOMS!).
4. Send the jpg file of your photo to LLVLCShow@gmail.com.
5. Contest will run from November 4, 2010-November 29, 2010 (Winners announced 11-30-10).
What do you win if your photo is chosen? THREE LUCKY GRAND PRIZE WINNERS will get a FREE 6-MONTH MEMBERSHIP to the brand new “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show Fan Club” which will officially launch on Wednesday, December 1, 2010. If you were one of the charter members who signed up last month, then you are eligible to enter this contest as well…we’ll tag on six extra months of access to the world’s finest fan club just for you! If we get inundated with entries, then we may just have to give away more than three prizes–I’ll probably throw in a few autographed paperback copies of my latest book 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb and other surprises. GET THOSE ENTRIES IN and let’s see how many crazy, oddball places you can find to put the poster. This oughta be fun!
Filed under: Health — @ November 2, 2010
In Episode 415 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from arguably one of the biggest advocates of a plant-based diet on the planet. His name is Dr. Neal Barnard from Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and he is the author of a new book for diabetics called Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program For Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System For Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs. It was months in the making and I’m happy to have this voice of opposition clearly articulating why he believes what he believes so we know where he stands. Agree or disagree, you can’t deny he’s passionate about the plant-based diet.
Listen to Dr. Barnard talk about how he got interested in health after growing up in the cattle industry, how medical school made him change his diet to a meat-less one, why he considers a meat-based diet unhealthy, the results of the NIH study he conducted on a plant-based diet and the impact on Type 2 diabetes, why his diet tends to be a low-glycemic index nutritional approach, why eating low-fat, vegan diet without controlling the kind of carbohydrate intake can lead to higher triglycerides and increased blood sugars, the lipid changes that happened in his study (although particle size was not measured), why he’s not worried about HDL cholesterol dropping, why he didn’t measure LDL particle size in his study, whether there are any alternative hypotheses for controlling weight and diabetes, how the American Diabetes Association gives the green light to veganism for diabetes, why he doesn’t think veganism isn’t an extreme way of eating, his specific concerns over red meat and colon cancer, why he thinks even white meat isn’t any better than red meat, why he believes a plant-based diet is the way we were meant to eat, the reason why he believes meat is toxic, his concern that restaurants are hiding the carcinogenic aspects of their meats, his thoughts on local farmers who are producing grass-fed beef and why he’s not impressed with these higher-quality meats, why he believes the glycemic index from David Jenkins is vitally important to controlling diabetes, whether a person who consumes a meat-based diet can be healthy, which he thinks is worse for kids–meat or sugar, the non-meat-based fat sources he believes are healthy, a sample menu of what he eats, what he thinks will happen with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the USDA, how people are supposed to determine what’s right from wrong in nutrition, whether it is ludicrous to have a “one-size-fits-all” diet plan for everyone, what percentage of the population eats vegetarian/vegan, why former President Bill Clinton went vegan, whether he read Gary Taubes’ Good Calories Bad Calories, his recent CBS News slideshow =”15 Food Myths That Can Kill You,” why he chooses to be provocative and hit hard with his message, the reason why he created the Atkins Diet Alert web site and his concerns with low-carb diets, and the confusion over what is most important regarding the health markers.
Click here to listen to my conversation with Dr. Neal Barnard.
Filed under: Events,Health — @
In Lesson #17 of my latest book 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb, I share a chapter called “Opportunists on the Internet like Heidi Diaz from Kimkins lurk online” to warn others of the nightmare of believing everyone who talks about diet and health in cyberspace. As idealistic as it may be to think that everyone who blogs, has a web site, and puts themselves out there as a real person is being completely honest and trustworthy, the sad reality is that there are shysters who are seeking victims they can take advantage of both emotionally and financially. And one of the biggest perpetrators of doing just that is none other than the founder of a low-fat, low-carb, calorie-restricted diet plan called Kimkins named Heidi Diaz. A class action lawsuit was filed against her in October 2007 for fraud and false advertisement and a judgment was finally handed down by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Rick Brown on Friday, October 29, 2010:
- $1,824,210.39 in restitution to class members
- $500,000 in punitive damages
- Attorney fees dating back to 2007
- A temporary restraining order freezing all of her assets
- Not allowed to contact, harass or cyberbully the plaintiffs or witnesses against her
PLUS, mandatory injunctive relief was ordered for all of her current and future web sites to state:
- She lied about her weight loss
- She lied about her before and after photos
- She lied about the testimonials she used on her web site
- She lied about the photos used with the testimonials (Russian brides)
- Low-calorie diets are dangerous to your health
Click here to learn more of the details of this long-awaited decision in the class action lawsuit filed against Kimkins diet founder Heidi Diaz.
Filed under: Health — @ October 28, 2010
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite podcast guests of 2010 along with specific questions for those guests for our special weeklong “Encore Week” coming the first full week of January 2011 for brand new interviews with the top vote-getters chosen by YOU the listeners. The deadline for entering is coming up on Friday, November 19, 2010 so don’t delay. THANK YOU for voting for the best podcast guests of the year!
In Episode 414 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from a Seattle, WA-based cardiac surgeon Dr. Donald Miller who came on my radar screen with a column he wrote earlier this year on LewRockwell.com called “Health Benefits of a Low-Carbohydrate, High-Saturated-Fat Diet” where he dismantles the traditional dietary advice pushing cutting fat and calories while loading up on carbohydrates. It’s so refreshing to hear someone of this caliber in the medical community sharing these concepts that run counter to what many of his colleagues believe is true. Listen to Dr. Miller talk about his medical training in the conventional wisdom regarding heart health promoting a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, why he began questioning the diet dogma that exists to see if there are alternative hypotheses, how the Weston A. Price Foundation helped shape his thinking about a low-carb, high-fat diet, how obesity and heart disease are a modern phenomenon in just the past 100 years, his response to the work of Gary Taubes, why saturated fats are so much healthier than the vegetable oils, how he convinces his medical colleagues of the low-carb, high-fat message, his experience with the low-fat diet program promoted by Dr. Dean Ornish, his promotion of low-carb to his students and the reaction to it, why he believes the low-fat, high-carb diet concept is “coming to an end,” the story about how we got Crisco in the human diet, the fight that happened over margarine and butter after fat and cholesterol phobia commenced, why the low-fat diet continues to rule the roost, why the insurance companies don’t take a more vested interest in the low-carb, high-fat message, and the future of low-carb, high-fat diets that’s coming.
Click here to listen to Dr. Miller encourage you that brighter days are coming for the healthy high-fat, low-carb message!
Filed under: Study — @ October 27, 2010
There’s a curious dichotomy at work between what is being said about low-carb diets and what the reality is. On the one hand we keep hearing from much of the media and the so-called health “experts” about how low-carb nutrition is just a passing fad, decidedly unhealthy for you, clogs your arteries with all that fat, ruins your kidneys from consuming too much protein, removes whole categories of foods, excludes fruits and vegetables from your diet, will give you cancer because of the red meat consumed, so forth and so on. Read the rest
Filed under: Health — @ October 26, 2010
The people who read “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” are some of the most educated, informed, and thought-provoking people in the world of health. From laypeople to doctors, dietitians to nurses, the level of expertise and experience on everything related to diet, health, fitness and nutrition is as vast and deep as the ocean. As a simple layperson who has educated himself about these things since 2004, I am constantly amazed by the insightfulness of the people who read my blog, listen to my podcast and engage in the debate of ideas about what healthy living is. Every day is a new classroom experience for me as new information is made public and greater learning and understanding commences. Many times this happens whenever I receive an e-mail like one that was recently submitted to me by a registered nurse/certified diabetes educator about something she read and heard from Gary Taubes.
The bestselling author of the game-changing health blockbuster in 2007 called Good Calories Bad Calories recently came back on my podcast for an interview about his upcoming December 2010 release of Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It. This was what precipitated the feedback from the RN/CDE regarding her concerns about a phenomenon known as “the pizza effect” where blood sugar levels soar abnormally after eating certain foods. She was concerned that Taubes was erroneously putting the onus of high blood sugar and insulin levels on carbohydrate consumption when dietary fat could also be playing a role in this happening.
Click here to read what she wrote along with the response from Gary Taubes.
Filed under: Health — @ October 25, 2010
In Episode 413 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from Paleo blogger and advocate Melissa McEwen from the “Hunt.Gather.Love.” blog who is part of the Paleo in NYC movement led by John Durant. Listen to her talk about how she grew up as a “sickly kid” who grew into an unhealthy adult, how the doctors continued to push more and more pharmaceutical drugs on her, her diagnosis with chronic salmonella that forced her to go on strong antibiotics, how she came across Art DeVany’s work on Paleo eating, the amazing results she was finding on this new way of eating that helped her get rid of the medicines, her poor eating habits prior to finding Paleo, how she tried to eat the “right” way consuming low-fat, soy-based foods (with no positive results), her other Paleo/low-carb diet influences, her frustration with the lack of long-term research on Paleo/low-carb nutrition, why hunting is such a lost art in modern society, how she can hunt living in New York City, why gathering plants and consuming them in your diet is so important, the bartering she did with local farmers to obtain grass-fed meats despite lacking the financial means, what her Paleo diet looks like, the pork CSA she is affiliated with and how it supplements her menus, the impact of Paleo eating on her weight, why Paleo/low-carb/high-fat nutritional approach isn’t chosen by more people as their preferred way to eat, why she loves coconut fat, how unique she is being a woman talking about Paleo, why women are suckered into going vegetarian, how yogurt and granola bars are heavily marketed to women as “healthy” when they add tons of sugar, why women need to be eating steak, why she is involved in the “Eating Paleo in NYC” Meetup Group, her disappointment in the New York Times column portraying Paleo as a “macho” diet, why “love” is so essential in the them of her blog, the best books that she’s read over the past few years, and why restricting fat on a Paleo diet is not a good idea.
