Tag Archive for: ketogenic

Diet: It Just Doesn’t Matter

Long-time readers probably know I love using quotes from movies. One of my favorites is a Bill Murray line from the movie Meatballs. Although it’s part of a much longer rant, the key phrase is, “It just doesn’t matter!” That’s what I want you to remember from the study that examined the percentage of energy nutrients in the paleo diet. They found a significant difference in the range of nutrients, but the ranges are wide enough to incorporate the ketogenic diet as well as the Mediterranean diet.

Looking at the diets of hunter-gatherers in different parts of the world showed that the types of carbohydrates were dependent on what was available. In some cultures, digging up root vegetables and tubers was critical to the diet. But eventually, we learned to grow and process grains, and now we have an abundance of refined carbohydrates such as breads and pasta, often to our detriment.

What are the lessons?

Personalization

In one of the many commentaries I read on the merits and downfalls of the paleo diet, one researcher said this:

Ultimately, the best way to eat for your health is the change you can keep up with. Most people know what they need to do: limit calories, eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. The challenge is how to do it. There are lots of ways people can achieve this. The key is figuring out which is best for you as an individual that you can keep up with.

That uses a whole lot more words, but the message is the same as always: eat better.

When It Comes to Weight, It’s All About the Calories

Whichever way you decide to eat—and there are many ways to eat a healthy diet—losing weight is always going to be about how many calories you eat versus how many calories you expend. You can eat the carnivore diet, which is essentially all meat, although I wouldn’t recommend it. Or you can become a vegan. You can follow the DASH diet that I talked about a couple weeks ago, or you can eat the paleo diet. It just doesn’t matter. As long as you control the number of calories you eat, you can get to and maintain a normal body weight.

I believe you have to have vegetables and fruit as the foundation of your diet, but there’s a difference between maintaining a normal body weight and sustaining a healthy lifestyle. What we eat does matter. But quality aside, as always, it is and it will always be about the calories. Nothing else matters in controlling what you weigh. Eat less.

And if you can, eat better.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2022.12.003

The Keto Diet and Fiber

More and more people are trying the ketogenic diet. If you do, the directions recommend that you eat plenty of green leafy vegetables for the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and especially the fiber. The problem is that many people cut the carbs from all sources and that includes vegetables.

The simplest way to give yourself some insurance while doing the ketogenic diet is to get at least five or more grams of fiber per day from a fiber supplement. Remember, the grams of fiber do not count as carbohydrates because they’re not absorbed. Check out Your Fiber Insurance, a free Health Info on my website for more information on exactly how to get your fiber every day. Health Infos are posted in PDF format so they can be downloaded, printed, and shared with others.

But what if in spite of all you do, you get constipated? See Thursday’s Memo for the answer.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Bottom Line on the Saturated Fat Debate

Finishing up this look at saturated fat and the Dietary Guidelines, those who oppose the limit on saturated fat argue that saturated fat is not related to cardiovascular disease. They go on to argue that if fat is limited, carbohydrates will take their place—and high carbohydrate intake is the real cause of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Before I go any further, if you’re reading this at home, write down three of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines that you remember. How about two? One? Exactly. Unless you’ve just taken a course in healthier eating, you don . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.