The Low-Carb Diet May Soon Become Mainstream

[tex]

USDA may be considering the addition of low-carb diet options in it's dietary guidelines. If that happens, it will surely change the way that doctors and mainstream media approach the diet. It may finally gain official recognition for the health benefits it can provide, rather than being treated as a fad diet followed by extremists. Clearly, with obesity, allergies, and various health issues such as diabetes and autoimmune diseases steadily increasing, current guidelines not only leave a lot to be desired, but they are obviously incorrect for most people.

Keto, low-carb fans hope for stamp of approval from U.S. health officials

Tex

[JFR]

I've been following a low carb real food paleo type keto diet for more than a decade. Combined with all the great information that I got on this forum I have eliminated virtually all of a myriad of health problems I used to have. Beyond just eliminating MC I have eliminated, asthma, depression, dry eye, rosacea, gerd, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes. I am 70 years old and take no prescription medications. It really is truly remarkable. Food is my medicine. I hope the nutrition guidelines change to reflect what is obvious to so many people, low carb diets are a very healthy way to eat that could eliminate so many of our current health problems.

Today I visited my neighbor and friend, who is recovering from a heart attack, at a local rehab facility. I got there at lunch time and joined her in the dining room. The food was appalling. When I looked at what they were serving the residents I was sickened. I thought that if I ever had the misfortune to land up in a place like that the menu would kill me. Recently I had conversation with my daughter-in-law in which she promised me that if I ever was in the hospital she would bring me food that I could eat. I hope it never comes to that.

Jean

[Kari]

Tex - Thank you for posting this. The more I read and study about Paleo and Keto, the more convinced I become that it's the way everyone should eat.

Jean - You're a shining example of why this way of eating works!!! Can't believe how many health issues you have been able to clear by this way of eating. I hope to follow in your foot steps. So far I seem to be on the right track , as issues are gradually resolving. I will update when I'm further along this path. Even though it has always been advocated on this forum that the only way to heal is through food, we only BELIEVE IT when it happens to us personally. Thanks for sharing your personal experience.

Love,
Kari

[dhouts]

I was in a rehab facility almost a year ago after a total knee replacement. Initially, I wasn't going to go because of concerns regarding my diet. However, I changed my mind after surgery when the thought of getting from the street to my home was overwhelming and I also thought that I could get a head start on the physical therapy. As I was being wheeled into the facility I knew I had made a mistake. I was stuffed into a very small room with two other women who also had knee replacements. We got along great so that part worked out. But the bathroom situation was horrid and the food was equally horrid. The nutritionist tried to work with me but he didn't really get it and I refused to eat the food. At my doctor's appt to remove the bandage and staples, I talked her into discharging me home. She said that although I may want to go home immediately, rehab won't discharge unless I have home health in place. As soon as I returned to rehab, I gave the papers to the RN and made it very clear that they needed to do what ever it was that was necessary to discharge me that afternoon. The doctor for the facility stopped by to talk with me and asked me why I was leaving so soon. I explained that the food situation wasn't working and he said that when I first arrived, he knew it wasn't going to go well. He signed my discharge papers. So, yeah, it was challenging. Something I won't do again. Also, after surgery, my doctor sent ensure with every meal. The nurses tried to talk me into drinking it but I had to explain that it was one of the worst foods on the planet for me. It was really tricky being a patient, on some pretty heavy pain meds and trying to control my diet. I'll be so glad when the medical field realizes the value of our diet.

[Erica P-G]

I have to agree that I see this coming as well. With my husbands new diagnosis (which he is doing amazing on the keto diet by the way he has lost 10 lbs in a week and it has slowed down now but still losing I'm sure the first bit of weight was water). This is also the diet I suggested to his mom and she dropped her A1c from 10 to 7 in 3 months and although she could use some more weight loss, she is much better than she was.

I notice I do better without all the grains, I incorporate some into my diet, I just don't eat as much of them anymore. It is mostly a small portion of meat and vegetables. I am maintaining weight just fine too, I'm 5' 10" and weigh 147. I can remember back when the MC hit hard I weighed around 131, I'm absorbing nutrients just fine now.

Thank you Jean for all your wonderful advice and opinions, when it works it works... right!

[Marcia K]

Hi, Jean. Would you be willing to share what you eat in a normal day?

[JFR]

Hi, Jean. Would you be willing to share what you eat in a normal day?

I eat pretty much the same thing every day. I tweak it every now and again but the basic blueprint is the same, 2 meals a day consisting of mostly protein (meat or fish) and low carb veggies. Right now it looks like this. For breakfast I have an 8 ounce grass fed beef burger, 4 tbs of ground sunflower seeds and a salad of Romaine lettuce, green and red peppers and cucumber with homemade oil and vinegar dressing plus coffee, 2 cups. Lunch is now stir fry, 4 ounces of ground meat (beef usually), some veggie (right now it's bok choy last week it was swiss chard next week it will probably be something else). I stir fry them in coconut oil and serve them over shiratake noodles. I also have a cup of bone broth every day as well as another cup of coffee in the afternoon. I drink either water or sparkling mineral water as well. Sometimes I eat canned Alaskan wild salmon which I use in my salad. Sometimes I get ground pork or ground venison rather than ground beef. I used to get ground lamb but it has gotten too expensive here so I no longer buy it. I eat ground meats because they cost less. I eat only grass fed or pastured or humanely raised etc.

For the first few years of my MC journey I did not eat nearly this many vegetables and I certainly couldn't eat salad and shiratake noodles which are 100% fiber would have been out as well, but I have recovered enough to tolerate this. Food is medicine to me not entertainment and keeping my diet the same from day to day allows me not to have to think very much about it and shopping is quick and easy. I no longer have to worry about leaving the house and the location of every bathroom.

Hope this helps. It may appear very restrictive but it works for me. I am used to it and it keeps me functioning in the world rather than housebound. It is also very low carb and keeps my blood glucose levels under 100 all the time. It also allows me to maintain an over 100 pound weight loss. What's not to like?

Jean

[sonja]

Hi Jean,

I have some questions and should appreciate it if you will answer them.

I live in the Netherlands and I wonder if one ounce is what I think it is. Is it correct that you eat more than one kilo meat daily?
I had the impression that I eat a lot of protein, because I eat daily two eggs and one or two ounce beaf or fish, but that is nothing compared with you.

And you take only two meals a day I understand. Don't you eat fruit?
I looked at the internet for shiratake noodles, because i never heard of them. They look interesting and apparently you can tolerate them. Are they tasty?

I would like to hear from other members how much protein they eat and how they are doing with their diet.

Sonja

[JFR]

Sonja,

I eat about 12 ounces of meat a day which according to the conversion table I use is equal to about .34 kilograms. And yes I eat only 2 meals a day and no fruit. I keep my diet very low carb which I why I don't eat fruit which is high in sugar. I eat very low carb to keep myself from becoming diabetic and from gaining weight. If I eat high carbohydrate foods I immediately start gaining weight.

Shiratake noodles are also called glucomannan noodles and they are 100% fiber. They are not tasty at all but when you cook them in sauce or juices they absorb the flavor of whatever they are cooked in. I eat them for a noodle like product that doesn't add carbohydrates to my diet. Some people like them and other people don't but if you have a problem with fiber I would avoid them.

My goal always is to stay as healthy as possible and this seems to do it for me.

Jean

[Erica P-G]

I had to do some thinking about what I eat and it resembles about what Jean intakes on a daily basis as well as far as protein goes. I suspect give an take a couple ounces due to making bone broth soup makes a difference. I just recently started making a stew with home grown beef and adding a couple white potatoes, a sweet yam, celery and carrots, and I use 1/2 the Orrington Vegetable Soup base spice packet. Instead of using the tomato sauce I used Coconut Milk and it was really yummy

I know this may too much carb for a diabetic meal, but omit the white potato and I bet it would work just fine.

[Marcia K]

Thank you, Jean. I've been eating a sweet potato daily but I'd like to cut back on the carbs, too.

Sonja, I eat 4 ounces of protein at lunch & dinner (mostly turkey, sometimes grass fed beef, salmon, chicken sausage). I drink hemp protein in almond milk for breakfast. I am in remission and have normans most of the time.

Erica, the soup sounds very good!

[Kari]

I usually have a smoothie with fruit, veggies and nuts for breakfast. For my big meal, which is in the middle of the afternoon, I have pork, chicken or salmon with veggies and usually a mash with rutabaga or squash. I use soy free Earth Balance butter substitute and nut milk to make the mash. At dinner time I eat very little, like a piece of fruit w/Daiya cheese substitute. For snack I have a paleo muffin (if you search for it, you'll find the recipe, as it has been quite popular here). I also snack on nuts, and am particularly fond of pistachios. I'm trying to gain weight, and am not worried about diabetes, as it doesn't run in my family. Miraculously, Norman has finally started to show up . I also usually have home made chicken broth with a carrot. Today I made egg drop soup by adding an egg to it.

Kari

[sonja]

Thank You Jean, and also Erica and Kari.

Nice to hear what you all are eating and there is much resemblance with my diet!

An ounce is fortunately not what I thought! That means that I eat about 4 ounces protein in one meal. Together with veggies and at the moment also salads, because I'm in remission. I eat also rice and (sweet) potatoes.
In the morning I make a smoothie from homemade almond milk and fruits. As snacks I eat fruits and nuts. Every day I drink homemade bone broth.
I was treated for H. pylori in januari and since then I have normans. I am also gaining weight since than because my intestines are healed, I think. I want to stop the process of weight gaining, so that's why I want to lower my carbs.
I bought shiratake rice (the noodles were sold out) and I try them tonight. It is a little bit risky because of the fiber of course. But because I can handle salad, I'll take the risk.

Sonja