Why Vegan Is The New Atkins

If you're wondering about the recent articles claiming that a study found that high-protein diets help lose weight and drop cholesterol, please take a closer look. First, the "low fat" diet that was compared to the high-protein one in this study was a full 30 percent fat, which is not low-fat as the phrase is used by any of the top nutritionists and scientists who are using low-fat diets to help people lose weight and keep it off. Second, the study organizers encourage people to eat vegetarian protein sources, not the animal products encouraged by Atkins and South Beach . I don't know about you, but it seems amiss to me for the media to portray this as a pro-Atkins study, really, since most of us consider Atkins to be meat-based, and shouldn't the media help us to better understand the science?

Best-selling health writer and nutrition guru Dr. Dean Ornish wrote a good explanation for Newsweek on why the reporting on this study was really quite misleading; he does his usual excellent job of really explaining what's so, as he did in the foreword (read it here) to his brilliant New York Times bestseller, Eat More, Weigh Less.

I am reminded of the fact that it's been three years since Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankruptcy. And if you're local grocery market is like mine, those once-omnipresent packaged foods with the "no-carb" labels are now harder and harder to find--with good reason, it seems to me.

While the South Beach Diet books and foods haven't gone away, probably because it gets some things right (i.e., it recommends less meat and cutting out simple carbs--both excellent pieces of advice), its popularity should wane as the scientific consensus grows that if you want to maintain a healthy weight and fight off disease, the best diet is a truly low-fat diet (more like 10-15 percent of calories from fat) based primarily on whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. The South Beach diet is certainly a big improvement on the standard American diet (rightly called SAD), but it's a half-measure, as Ornish and others are teaching us. Indeed, if food industry statistics, celebrity interest and the success of books like Skinny Bitch and (ok, here's a little self promotion!) my own Quantum Wellness are any indication, there's a growing shift toward healthy, plant-based diets, especially among people looking to lose weight and keep it off.

All of this is music to the ears of independent, qualified nutrition experts, who object to the "low-carb" diets. I'm not going to overload you with a tome of scientific evidence about why low-carb diets are bad for us. If you are looking for more in-depth info rmation on the topic, I highly recommend checking out http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/. Run by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the website documents the health consequences of diets high in animal flesh, eggs and dairy, and lists the long history of grave concerns raised by medical experts, including an American Dietetic Association spokesperson calling Atkins "a nightmare diet".

The experts' concerns are really basic commonsense if you ask me, but sometimes commonsense gets swept away by a combination of wishful thinking and impressive marketing. Basically, every reputable health agency knows that a mountain of evidence indicates that the saturated fat and cholesterol in animal flesh, eggs and milk clogs your arteries and increases your risk of heart disease, among an array of other problems.

Heart disease is of course just one meat-related health problem; eating animals also raises one's risk of cancer. For example, a massive Harvard study in 2006 found that people who frequently eat skinless chicken (often touted as the "healthy" way to cook chicken) had a whopping 52% higher rate of bladder cancer. The evidence that animal protein is carcinogenic is strong, and people who eat lots of it are raising their risk. Diabetes and high blood pressure are also linked to meat-heavy diets, and vegetarian diets are far outpacing those that include meat on an array of health-related issues, as I've discussed previously.

Yet another reason low-carb diets are going through tough times is that people are realizing that these diets do not work over the long run. As with any unhealthy, severely-limiting diets, you'll lose weight over the short term (if you eat just grapefruit, you'll also lose weight). But eventually the body objects to any unsound quick-fix and the weight creeps back, as Dr. Ornish explains so eloquently.

So what is someone who wants to lose weight supposed to do? The answer is fairly simple: Switch to a diet made up of a diverse selection of foods: vegetables, whole grains (we should skip the refined carbs-- South Beach gets that right, of course), beans, chickpeas, nuts, fruit, lentils, etc. A wide array of evidence shows that vegans are less likely to be overweight or obese than meat-eaters--because it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle transition. Because these foods are less calorie dense and lower in fat than animal products, and because all plant foods contain zero cholesterol, eating that way allows us to shed weight in a sustainable way.

And a well-rounded vegan diet will provide us with a healthy mixture of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats, as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber. Because most nutrition advice is aimed at meat-eaters, it's worth reading up a bit on how to maximize the health advantages of a vegan diet; I like the Optimal Vegan Nutrition web page. And of course we shouldn't think that our healthy new diet means giving up tasty food--web sites and cookbooks with thousands of delicious vegan recipes abound; eating should be a celebration--and we should do it joyfully, like the French and others in the Mediterranean do.

Comments

[rpr]

Why the hell is everybody always simplifying too much?

There's good fats and bad fats. There's good carbs and bad carbs. There's good protein and bad protein.

Fats: Trans fat=Really bad. Saturated: Generally not good, but small amounts are ok. Unsaturated fats: Some good, some essential (=required in your nutrition or you'll die.)

Carbohydrates: Complex (whole grains, lentils, most veggies): Good, the body's preferred energy source. Simple carbs (sugars. refined starches): Bad, except right before and after workouts to fuel high energy output and for muscle recovery.

Proteins: Processed meats: Very bad, don't eat. Red meat: bad (full of saturated fat, only eat low amounts.) Poultry: tolerable (fat on the outside, can be trimmed). Fish: Good, especially fatty cold water fish (full of essential fats, no saturated fat.) Soy: Questionable. Probably ok for females.

[DavidMG]

I hope vegan is not the new Atkins because Atkins was not a healthy diet in the long run. Vegan can be much better, but is hard to follow for some. A vegetarian diet with dairy and eggs from organic/humanly treated animals is a much better way to go – easy to follow, fun and very healthy. See “21 reasons to eat like a vegetarian” on HealthyHighways.com

[DavidMG]

In addition, a vegetarian diet is a traditional diet, that is, you can find societies that ate this way and so their/our bodies adapted in a "Darwinism" sense to this way of eating. I do not believe there is any historical data on vegan societies. If there are please post here.

[tinkaboutit]

there arent. Weston A Price demonstrated that all pre-food industrialization cultures ate animal protein of one form or another.

[rpr]

Our bodies adapted to dairy (developed lactose tolerance) within a few millennia. However, there are some basic requirements (certain amino acids, fatty acids, some minerals) that are hard to come by in vegan nutrition. That is why meat and fish (and even things like salt) are highly valued in societies that have a hard time getting them. Vegan nutrition is healthy if and only if you manage to work around this problem.

[consciousmom]

Groan....the "mountains of evidence" that natural foods like eggs, butter, and cheese cause heart disease -- the false "truism" that causes people to eat fake foods and become sicker and sicker. What we need to hear more about is that these REAL foods contain nutrients that are becoming less prevalent in the standard diet -- fat-soluble vitamins A and D, for example -- and which many of us are now deficient in because we've followed the low-fat diet dictums.
We've sacrificed delicious, natural foods, and become fatter, more unhappy, sicker, and self-righteous in the meanwhile. Let's get back to eating and enjoying delicious, satisfying foods and focus instead on rebelling against corporate food control. Look for clean, local sources of naturally raised and grown foods. Enjoy life. Eat real food.
Lisa
http://www.holistic-treatment-for-depression.com

[DavidMG]

No particular food cause these diseases. It is the quantity and mixture of foods that determine a healthy diet. See the intro to "American Wholefood Cuisine."

[rpr]

Yup, it's always the dosage. Even oxygen and water will kill you if you take in too much of it.
Some (little) saturated fat is okay. Too much will cause damage. The same applies to every other nutrient. Everybody knows that, so why the discussion? It is only valid to talk about the necessary or optimal amounts and how much is too much. It is not "thou shalt not eat eggs/butter/meat/whatever", it is "you should not eat more than X." And several cases of "Y is unnecessary in your nutrition, so it's a luxury/extravagance, not food. Think about why you should eat it at all. It's probably wasteful and/or empty calories. If you eat it for no good reason, stop it. If you have a reason, analyze it."

[Axolotl]

McCain thinks Vegans are space invaders.

[Americatortures]

There is no "NEW ATKINS" that leaves out rare prime rib on the bone!!! I've lost 37 pounds on Atkins-and have kept it off for a year--and never ate even ONE alfalfa sprout!! Nor will I ever eat one. Pass the cheeseburgers, please!!!

[demockracy]

You can lose weight by undergoing chemotherapy, too. It would damage your body -- as Atkins does -- but you would lose the weight. I have a fitness buff friend who tried to eat nothing but protein. He's now desperately trying to save his last kidney. There's more to this diet stuff than losing pounds.

And just focusing on pounds is crazy -- not that this is new, people are clinically insane about diet.

Personally, I was "lucky" enough to be lactose intolerant and experienced a dramatic upturn in health after going vegan. And believe me, I was a carnivore! The surprise: It was zero sacrifice to go vegan. With good salsa, you can eat tree bark -- and like it!

Anyway, successful diets change your tastes, so no sacrifice is necessary. Dr. Barnard's example of this describes going from whole to skim milk. When you start this process, the skim milk tastes too watery at first, but after a few weeks, the skim milk tastes right and whole milk tastes too thick. It's all about that change in tastes.

Here are links to short videos with Barnard and others:

www.vegsource.com/video/barnard.htm
www.vegsource.com/video/mcdougall.htm
www.vegsource.com/video/colin.htm
www.vegsource.com/video/ornish.htm
www.vegsource.com/video/ess.htm

[Idytme]

Having had this "high protein diet causes kidney problems" debate for ten years in the context of feeding dogs a diet based on evolution (bones and raw foods), I have yet to see anyone making this claim produce a study where anyone caused kidney problems by feeding a high protein diet. In fact, to the best of my knowledge no one who has tried it has been successful.
It is true that if you have kidney problems you should be on a lower protein diet. By the time problems show up in bloodwork, about 80% of the kidney is gone.
I have no idea if this story about your friend is true. If your friend did have congenital/genetic kidney problems that he did not know about, they could have shown up at the exact same time as this supposed diet (was the diet full of "protein powder" which is normally 100% soy powder/whey powder?).
I am sorry about your friend. But if you are going to insinuate that a high protein diet ruined his kidneys, please post some studies.

[Steeevyo]

People shall eat what they want. I want meat. BBQed meat. Mhmmmm.

[polycultural]

Ugh. Since when did vegan = low fat? I happily eat vegan food that is delicious and has plenty of healthy fat in the form of nuts, coconuts, and avocados. In fact, plenty of vegans eat high fat diets and are more healthy because of it. Do apes eat soy burgers, white sugar, and bread? Hell no. That stuff may be low fat, but it barely qualifies as food. Ancestral humans survived on diets with a wide variety of macronutrient profiles. Bushmen eat tons of fatty nuts and never suffer from heart disease. The thing these tribes have in common was that the food they ate was whole and unprocessed.

Vegans are never going to win converts if they insist on food that is low in fat and low in taste.

[missviv]

Amen! I don't even think vegan is even necessary as long as you can get natural ingredients into your diet. Raw fruits and veggies, nuts, beans, and grains are a great way to go and they don't require a drastic modification of your diet. But while we're on the subjects... vegans, please stop trying to make vegan cheese. You need milk, you just can't substitute it :(

[lizr]

I lost 12 lbs in the last month or so.

In my experience,High Stress is the best diet. Followed closely by grief.

Not much fun though.

[minapod]

Back in the 70s in Hawaii a trend developed of hippies living semi-communally. Vegetarian, and mostly vegan, we ate most meals together. These meals had lots of fruits and vegetables and tons of soy, mostly tofu, as a major source of protein, readily available and cheap - much cheaper than nuts and seeds that were eaten in smaller amounts. As the years passed it seemed the men became more lackadaisical, and the women more aggressive. The men preferred to stay at home gardening, watching the kids and getting high, while the women learned how to do plumbing, electrical, started doing construction and building - someone had to get the work done! Some wondered if it had anything to do with years of eating lots of soy, and/or being vegan. As more time passed many of the women paired off into lesbian couples, while others went to the other side of the island to meet up with meat eating men. True story!

[Idytme]

It is said that monks in China eat a lot of soy in order to keep their libidos low.

[Photofarm]

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. There is a whole lot of people that have problems with low fat diets. Low carb diets are the only answer for many with diabetes, and meat is still the best source of protein and nutrients.

It is bad carbs that is the main problem, and there are plenty of them all over the place.

[demockracy]

Not true. Diabetics profit by avoiding meat: See this, among many others: http://drmcdougall.com/stars/jason_wyrick.html

[Idytme]

This is a story of a guy who ended up in the hospital because of a vegetarian, high carb diet. His diabetic symptoms went away when he lost a lot of weight, which has been found as the best way to treat type II diabetes.
Carbohydrates raise blood sugar, and that increases insulin, which over time causes insulin resistance, and then type II diabetes. India, a mostly vegetarian country, has one of the highest rates of type II diabetes right now.
The only way your body produces insulin with meat is if you consume such high amounts that it would be impossible for me to eat that amount.
Fat causes no insulin spike at all.
I can list ten books written by MD's who specialize in diabetes who recommend a low carb diet as the best way to manage the disease. I can post stories of long time diabetics who only got off insulin once they turned to a hunter/gatherer diet (which does include carbs in vegetables and some fruits).

[Photofarm]

I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes last year, and to put it bluntly, you are full of crap.

I have lowered my levels with diet and exercise. Limiting carbs let me lose weight, as well as eating main meals 3 times a day with a morning and afternoon snack. Meat is a big part of my diet, always has been, and always will be.

[WatchIt]

I like meat, but I am not gonna go whole hog. Ok, that joke aside, vegan recipes are frankly delicious. Start with cole slaw, salads of all kinds, sprouts, nuts, berries, fruits of all kinds.... who could dispute that. However, as the Greeks say, moderation in all things. I am aware of the double bind between eating wild meat and fish or eating farmed meat and fish, neither is Earth friendly. So, again, just a little. To that add some wild grains, not highly processed, not GM either.

Check out the author Daniel Quinn (Ishmael) for some advice about how to moderate one's diet.

[cruisepuppy7452a]

There is no magic bullet for weight loss. Its a matter of moderation, even light excercise, cutting back not out, on carbs, fat, sweets. You can still have them, just foreget the words super size me, Full portion in resteraunts, get the half, just as good, filling. I have been on weight watchers for 2 years. In that time, I didn't starve, ate what I wanted.....IN MODERATION. I walk, and the pounds are still coming off. Staying off too. Why? I am not on a crazy diet that makes you eat stuff that makes you starve. I eat, but I track it so I dont over do. Vegans and vegetarians can be some of the fattest people around, why? They assume no meat, no dairy, I can eat the carbs and sweets. WRONG. You have to have balance in the diet. Won't work long term folks if you don't.

[TheProverbialMan]

Damn it, this is ridiculous...on both sides.

Humans are omnivores, evolutionarily designed to eat whatever had the most nutritional value available. That's why you have canine teeth AND grinders. That's why you have a sense of smell and taste (evolution's answer for food safety) that's why you have full frontal stereoscopic vision (to hunt and kill). That's why food that is high in sugar and fat tastes so damn good, it was optimal nutrition in a time when food was not abundant.

The only real piece of of nutritional advice, is the same damn thing people have been saying forever...balanced diet. Not too much of anything, fruit, vegetables, fish, meats, grains, etc. Other than that, the only thing worth noting is staying away from processed food as much as possible. Processed sugar, flour and oil are some of the only things your body CAN'T handle properly, because there is no evolutionary equivalent.

[kreider204]

Please look up "naturalistic fallacy."

[nathananderson]

CARBS ARE GOOD FOR YOU! Any idiot knows that.

Stay away from refined, simple carbs - dounts, white bread, soda - they're some of the worst thing you could put in your body. BUT, carbs are necessary to fuel your body. If you are fat on a regular diet, than it means you probabally arent getting enough exercise.

There is no simple way to lose weight. A lot of diets, like Atkins, are for extremely lazy peoplewho arent willing to give up the steak, and can cause health problems down the road. It's sad.

The only real way to be HEALTHY (not necessarily skinny) is exercise for at least three hours a week, and a healthy diet low in saturated fat, refined calories/carbs / and HIGH in Fiber, Protein, Iron, Omega 3s and COMPLEX CARBS (whole grain, oats, potatoes, etc.)

[Idytme]

No, that is not the ONLY way to be healthy. Actually one of the healthiest populations on the planet are the Inuit who still eat a traditional diet. They eat over 60% fat, the rest protein and only eat vegetables in the summer. They also eat the entire animal, liver,kidneys eyes included.
Other very healthy populations but so rare now they cannot be studied are other hunter and gatherer populations. They eat fruit, veggies, meats and fats. No grains, no oats, no wheat, etc.
I can bore you with many links if you would like.
In all cases where a thriving hunter gatherer population was studied and compared to members who started eating a more western diet, including those COMPLEX CARBS - they had thicker waists, higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure and other cardiac indicators.
The nutritionist who I most respect, who works with diabetics, says to eat the proper amount of meat protein for your weight, eat your 3-5 servings of veggies, eat a couple of pieces of fruit - if your body can handle the sugar, and get all the rest of your calories from fat.

[mouselion]

Climate has a lot to do with what works for you. A high fat diet where winter is ten months out of the year and you have 65 below zero nights makes a whole lot more sense than if you live in southern California, Florida or equatorial rainforests. In those climes, you will want to eat a lot of fruits, grains and vegetables -- and protein sources consistent with the lifestyle activities in which you engage.

You should never plan your diet around losing weight -- unless you obese or for other health reasons. You diet should be based on the activities in your life, where you live and your body's needs. If you do that, your weight will self-regulate. There is no one diet for all people in all places.

[RuthHenriquez]

In 2006 the U.N. published a report on the amount of energy used to produce the world's supply of meat, taking into consideration everything from pumping water, growing the feed grains, transport, running the meat-packing plants, etc.
Their finding was that energy used for meat production world-wide is higher than that used in all transportation added up.
You can read about this report on the UN's agriculture site: http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html.
Yes, we may have evolved eating meat, but does that mean we shouldn't choose more sustainable ways of feeding ourselves now that there are over 6 billion of us?

[Idytme]

Did they do a study on grass fed animals, such as sheep and grass fed beef?
If they did a study on the energy use of grains, did they include all of the energy it takes to grind them into flour? to cook them? Did they include all the pesticides used to grow grain? How many animals (birds, mice, and all other animals- including all the fish in the "dead zones" created by fertilizers) killed in the creation of the farm land? The use of the pesticides? The petroleum products used to create fertilizers and the petroleum used in tractors etc?
I doubt if they did, compared to grass fed animals.

[leftcoastindy]

I doubt if you have a clue what they included, and anyone with half a brain knows it takes 10 times as much energy to create meat.

Do you also think the Sun is cauing AGW and the earth is flat?