The return of "best and worst diets!"


(Ethan) #1

It’s that time of year again! At the beginning of the year, everybody gets the idea to lose weight and get healthy. That’s when the nutrition industry teams up with the media to make sure we all follow a diet that leans as heavily as possible to vegetarianism and the so-called mediterranean diet by releasing articles and opinions on those articles citing the benefits for grains and making sure we don’t go keto.

It begins: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/02/health/mediterranean-best-diet-2019/index.html


(Todd Allen) #2

I don’t care what the “best” diet (for humans) is. It might be of value to know what is the best diet FOR ME, though I suspect the answer is ever changing. I’m getting better at evaluating how well my daily food choices are working and am content following what works for me caring less than ever what pundits spout.


(Bob M) #3

Anything written by or commented on by Katz is problematic. And when the “Mediterranean diet”, which no one can define, wins, you know you’re in trouble.


(Scott) #4

If I see High protein or extremely restrictive one more time I am going to lose it!


(Ethan) #5

I bet what you’ll lose is another 5 pounds


(Jane) #6

No surprises in that article. The only diet that can REVERSE diabetes isn’t even mentioned. Keto appeared once almost like an afterthought


#7

The fact that there’s so many diets out there, and that there’s an annual ranking like this says just about everything you could say about diets in general.

Also this bit:

We want to provide comprehensive, trustworthy information that highlights the diet standouts and those that don’t perform so well in an array of different categories.

If they really were ranking them on “performing well” (whatever characteristics they would use to indicate that), keto would surely be near the top, if not at the top. Instead keto is ranked low with this statement:

Those are diets that have few substantiated claims, are extremely restrictive, harder to follow, and they eliminate entire food groups, which is really not something that’s substantiated by science

  • Substantiated claims - Virta and just about everything else going on in the space for years
  • Extremely restrictive - does anyone eating keto feel restricted? See the ‘What did you keto today’ thread
  • Harder to follow - once a newcomer realises the importance of electrolytes, how is it hard to follow? Stay under 20g of carbs a day, everything else is easy magic
  • Eliminate entire food groups - you call that food?

Sadly, it works. I’ve had people I know who were very interested in keto because they’ve seen my results, but they then cite articles like these and no matter how much I try to persuade them – or at least guide them to where they can read things that show the opposite of these articles – I can’t keep them engaged. It starts to feel a bit like me calling out “fake news”.


#8

It’s funny how you just need to scratch the surface of these things to uncover people’s hidden agendas…

Here’s some info I found just from a few minutes searching on the net-

  • The top five diets of this survey are all primarily plant based, wholegrain diets.
  • Angela Haupt, assistant managing editor of health for US News and World Report, and the person who helped launch U.S. News’ annual Best Diets rankings in 2011, is an outspoken vegan and has written many articles pushing the vegan lifestyle.
  • Mortimer Zuckerman, the media mogul who privately owns US News, is a staunch vegan.
    Other people offering opinions in the article-
  • Dr. Sharon Bergquist- vegan
  • Lisa Drayer- vegan
  • The lowest-ranked overall diets were the Dukan diet, the Body Reset diet, the Whole30 diet and the popular keto diet, which all focus on high-protein or high-fat foods with minimal carbohydrates.

Coincidence?


(Marius the butter craving dude) #9

I must say that I recently watched a news story on the keto diet. If I was not into this boat, and not did my own digging in the science articles I would have thought this is the most dangerous and stupid diet.
The news went like this: Doctor one: “A ketogenic diet high in protein increases ketones in blood”. Then a cut to Doctor 2: “Ketones in blood and urine are dangerous because they lead to an acidic blood and death” News anchor conclusion: The diet can kill you or you may have diabetes…


(Sheri Knauer) #10

Major eye rolling going on here…:roll_eyes:


(Janet) #11

But this year, there are a half dozen sub-categories to make Everyone Happy.
The Best FAST weight loss diets are Keto #3, Atkins #2 and the HMR diet as #1 (what? …that’s the shakes and soup deal that costs $$$) https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-fast-weight-loss-diets
If you look at this page on-line the ADS for HRM surround the article. Hard to make money off JERF. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/how-us-news-ranks-best-diets


(Ethan) #12

https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diabetes-diets

:woman_facepalming:


(Ethan) #13

This one is a beauty


(Janet) #14

Panel of “Experts”…David Katz, Michael Greger and a bunch of “plant-based” RDs. It seems they hadn’t noticed that the ADA has added low carb diets as an option of treating diabetes. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:


(Ethan) #15

Oh, they noticed. This is the response.


(James) #16

Dr. Paul Saladino states he ingests over 300G of protein a day with no adverse effects on a carnivore diet. He publishes all his blood labs.


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #17

If you really want to be appalled:
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diabetes-diets

No carbohydrate restriction even made the TOP TEN diabetes control diets.

How’d they pick this stuff:
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/experts
Greger, Guyenet, Rimm representing Harvard/TH Chan, Susan FREAKING Roberts (who has a low far diet that she sells), and so on… only one Dukie, and I’m guessing she got out voted on everything.


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #18

I’d like to point out a logical fallacy some of us here are prone to. We criticize the authors of these studies by saying that they push a vegetarian/vegan agenda because they are vegan. Another, perhaps charitable, way to put it is that they practice what they truly believe in.

I agree that the advice is wrong and dangerous. And that for some a financial stake in the status quo causes willful ignorance.

Venting in here is fine, but isn’t a very convincing argument. For myself, I try to share with people the information that convinced me to change, both on the science side and revealing biases that lead to current nutritional guidelines. A sad fact a friend of mine liked to say: A person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

The power of reason is a skill that has to be developed.


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #19

I dunno… sure there is my understanding and my bias… but this makes no sense to me:
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/keto-diet/reviews

Managing or Preventing Diabetes
2.8 stars out of 5
The experts, on average, rated the Keto diet as “minimally effective” in preventing or controlling diabetes. “It is not safe for people with diabetes,” one expert said. Still, some research has shown that cutting carbs and avoiding obesity could keep the chronic disease at bay.
The Keto Diet is ranked #24 (tie) in Best Diabetes Diets.

What? I wish they would name the expert who said that. It would allow a consideration of their bias or their practice.


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #20

I agree.

My point is that explaining their biases and where they come from as well as why they are wrong is a more convincing argument than “They are wrong because they are vegan.” They shout. We shout back. I’m just advocating for having reasonable conversations with those willing to do so and not arguing with people who aren’t willing to reason. It is sometimes painful when you know the information you have is lifesaving. But it is the more effective path.