A Maverick Approach to Diet and Health

Full fat, raw dairy. Eggs. Pastured meats from local farms, and from an Amish farmer. Sweet apples and pears from orchards in my neighborhood, and colorful vegetables growing nearby. Artisan sourdough bread made from locally grown, whole grains. Wine from my favorite vineyard that sits under mountain cliffs.

This is what I've been eating. Sounds delectable, doesn't it?

If you're an ADDer who has ever struggled with heart disease, weight loss, mood swings, energy regulation, or general health problems, then keep reading...

Here's the thing: I, like the rest of America, have always believed that dietary fat (specifically animal fat) is bad. For as long as I can remember, the message has been that dietary fat causes diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. I, like many Americans, bought low-fat cheese, skim milk, no-fat yogurt, and lean cuts of meat.

Over the past few months, I've been exposed to some maverick ideas on the subject of health and nutrition. I first started to change my mind about the health benefits of dietary fat when I read Nina Planck's book Real Food: What to Eat and Why. After reading that book, I began making small changes in my diet until, one day, I realized that I was eating completely differently...without trying to.

I had, in a very organic manner, adopted a "back to basics" diet that included plenty of fat, and almost no refined carbohydrates. (Refined carbohydrates are sometimes known as "whites:" white bread, white rice, white pasta, sugar, etc. Corn syrup, a sweetener used in many low-fat foods, is also a refined carbohydrate and one that is arguably the worst refined carb of all.) I was eating plenty of natural carbs, like fruits and vegetables, but I wasn't craving candy, ice cream, and other high-carb sweets. Erin had a similar progression in her diet, and described it this way:

One morning I was eating my favorite cereal, Honey Bunches of Oats, which is supposed to be a very healthy cereal. I looked down at the half-finished bowl and realized that I just didn't want that cereal. It didn't compare to the real food I could be eating, like yogurt and fruit or scrambled eggs. I haven't wanted my "favorite cereal" since and the box has sat in the pantry untouched.

Little by little, the protein and fat in my diet increased, and the carbohydrates decreased. So did the volume of food that I consumed. Turns out protein and fat are much more filling and satisfying! And I noticed amazing benefits to my mental and physical health, as I posted about in  'I've Never Felt Better' earlier this week.

So you can imagine how happy I am as I work my way through the very thick and interesting new book by Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease. (The book was developed from Taubes' 2002 New York Times article, What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie, which I recommend over the book if you're not a big science buff.)

Taubes painstakingly traces the history of low-fat diet recommendations, and reviews the actual scientific studies on diet, nutrition, and health. Turns out that the evidence overwhelmingly points to carbohydrates (mainly refined carbohydrates), not dietary fat, as the cause of numerous "Western diseases," such as obesity, diabetes, and yes, even heart disease. The science doesn't come close to proving that animal fat causes illnesses. (Vegetable oils do, but that's another story.) I'll leave it to Taubes to explain how this information has been ignored and covered up. It makes for a fascinating read by an author who is an objective journalist interested in presenting facts, not opinions.

Meanwhile, I'm eating the way humans did long ago, and reaping the benefits. I am continually amazed by the positive effects--from healthy skin to better moods and (much) more energy.      

This way of life has improved my ADD challenges, too. I'm finding it easier to focus and, because my stress levels are way down, I haven't been getting overwhelmed. I do still tend to be late for appointments, though. :-)

I don't expect anyone to read my posts and be convinced to make dietary changes. But I do, at the very least, recommend reading Nina Planck's Real Food and Gary Taubes' NYT article. See if these experts change the way you think about diet and health. Then, maybe, see if you don't agree. I know I certainly do...

...and I've never felt better.

 

Comments

[Sue D.]

I TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR CANDY BECAUSE IT MAKES ME MOODY. I HATE HALLOWEEN BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH CANDY IN THE HOUSE. I DID THE ATKINS DIET IN THE 80S AND LOST WEIGHT BUT DID NOT FEEL SO GREAT AS YOU. SOUNDS THO LIKE YOU ARE HAVING MANY MORE CARBS THAN DR. ATKINS ALLOWED. I DID WEIGHT WATCHERS TOO AND SOMETIMES IT DOES WORK AND SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT. HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR FOOD? I WILL READ THE BOOK. MAYBE YOU CAN DO A MEMBERS CLASS TO TEACH US WHAT YOU KNOW.

[Keith]

Both my nutritionist and my ADD counselor have pushed me to say no to cereal. Bacon and eggs it is. I was not getting enough protein in the morning, and it was leading me to go for the candy bars, snack cakes, etc.

Finding organic and natural foods (in particular fresh items) is unfortunately hit and miss today. I moved away from Amish country (in PA) 15 years ago, and I still miss being able to go to the farmer's market and get fresh natural foods.

Now if I can only convince myself to like fruit :o)

Thanks