The return of "best and worst diets!"

[ctviggen]

They aren’t wrong because they’re vegan, they’re wrong because they push a vegan agenda when plenty of evidence is against that agenda.

And their bias shows through the words they use:

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.

“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,” Bergquist said.

“What do all of these diets have in common? They require the use of minimally processed foods and focus on fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds”

Aren’t these diets “extremely restrictive” and don’t they “eliminate entire food groups” (note the complete lack of meat)? Aren’t these diets harder to follow? And yet they are the best and diets like low carb aren’t, solely because they believe in plants and don’t believe in meat.

This is vegan bias if I’ve ever seen it. It imbues their whole philosophy.

[Janie]

“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,” Bergquist said.

And vegans eliminate all animal protein and dairy and THAT doesn’t count as “extremely restrictive, harder to follow and eliminating entire food groups” ???

[LeCheffre]

And honey… don’t forget the exploitation of the beez.

[JohnH]

I actually get some value out of these types of lists. It is possible to sift through the biased “summary” information and look at the actual diets to see what does and does not work. Sometimes people cherry-pick individual benefits or drawbacks without looking at the individual picture.

For example, if there is a diet whose only failure is that it is “hard to follow,” but I don’t find it hard to follow, then that drawback is negated.

If there is a diet that recommends that I drink red wine in communal dining settings, and I don’t have a group of people I want to eat with and I don’t really want to drink that much wine, then that benefit is also negated.

I have found that many of the healthy diets seem to have a lot in common, and only differ on what they choose to emphasize or reduce/eliminate. That gives me at least 80% of something that no side argues about, so all I have to do is figure out what part of the other 20% fits me.

Any rejection of some diet that says “the only reason it works is blah blah blah…”, the important two words in that sentence to me are “it works.” If it works because it makes me naturally eat less, and not because of some other aspect - wow, that’s great, a diet that works where I naturally want to eat less!

I have a nebulous future plan, when I get to an intermediate goal, of experimenting with a shift along the spectrum towards a middle ground between LCHF and Mediterranean, and seeing what that does to me. I know I can always shift right back if it causes me to go off course. I will see when I get there - that’s about 50 pounds away.

[MavisArthur]

I’m in Vancouver, Canada - the left coast. It’s plant based diet, vegan heaven here. Yesterday CBC Radio aired a small segment on the best diets for 2019.

I expected the standard Michael Pollan type, Mediterranean Diet, balanced blah, blah and was surprised to hear the interviewee, Jill Schemelke, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, talking about low carb. She discussed the details and benefits of Keto and Paleo in a gentle, low-shock way. I could tell by the interviewer’s voice and further questions that she was also surprised and very skeptical.

I went to Jill Schemelke’s website and found that she IS indeed Keto and runs a full-on Keto business here in Vancouver.

This interview gives me hope that while it might be a while before we see broad acceptance of Keto, perhaps this is an early sign of the thin edge.

It was my family doctor who directed me to dietdoctor.com to treat my NAFLD. She is one of 2,500 Keto friendly doctors in Canada AND a follower of 2ketodudes.

KCKO 2019

[juice]

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.

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.

This is why you are one of my favourite thinkers.

[David_Stilley]

This one is a beauty

“To end this vicious cycle, it’s vitally important we stop demonising carbohydrates and provide people who’d like to lose weight with accurate information, alongside effective support for maintaining healthy, flexible and sustainable diets.”

OMG

[EZB]

The only fear I have for diabetics (t2) going keto is medication management. For that reason, it is not safe for many to eat keto; it becomes safe as they lower or discontinue their glucose-lowering medications.

[LeCheffre]

With a competent doctor, it remains the best treatment. Bolusing additional insulin as you chase carbs with carbs is a fast route to complications.

[Ruina]

you are one of my favourite thinkers.

Awe shucks!

[JEY100]

I don’t know Jill Schmelte but follow Joy Kidde’s blog https://www.lchf-rd.com Also in Vancouver and a member of Canadian group of LC healthcare practitioners.

[Molly]

More meat for us!I