Re: Experiences with Atkins diet

From: Erik Sayle (lists@thecri.org)
Date: Sat Apr 26 2003 - 20:30:29 MDT

  • Next message: Mike Lorrey: "Re: Experiences with Atkins diet"

    Thought i would add another diet, or rather, less of a diet, and more of a
    common sense eating rules. Dr. Bob Arnot, who i think was actually
    broadcasting from Iraq recently, is actually a medical correspondent. He
    wrote 2 books I have read, both good. In particular his diet book really
    helped me ~4 years ago and ever since.

    In particular, he does not really advocate any radical answers, he just sort
    of puts together some common sense things that our grandparents probably
    knew, but that Marketing people and science journalists, have unprogrammed.

    Control your blood sugar level, keep it pretty level by NOT eating many
    carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc. Do eat legumes like beans (but
    not too quickly or flatulence!). Lots of fiber, especially soluble fiber.
    Eating the way they eat in some third world countries is good, processed
    food is bad. Unprocessed food is harder in general, you chew it longer, it
    fills you up more, it digests slower, staying in your digestive tract
    longer. Since it digests slowly, it does not make you blood sugar spike, and
    therefore your insulin does not kick in, so you feel energetis all the time.

    The beauty is that this is very do-able. It does not require really unique
    foods or crazy diets that make you crave things and feel hungry or weird. It
    is mostly common sense, once you read it, you understand why Americans are
    so obese, everything is processed and carbo loaded. I need to re read it
    again as I have forgot some of the things he says, but every time I eat, I
    try to make small adjustments. I add a little oat bran to cereals, I get
    cereals with fiber or add oat bran to them. I am not afraid of meat, in fact
    i love meat, and some fat too. These are not too bad. I eat more vegetables
    all the time. I add soybeans to my soups or other things. I have many frozen
    vegetables, which are very healthy as they are often frozen in the field,
    that I add to many things I cook.

    The only downside, and I alluded to it iearlier is beans. They are an
    important aspect of this diet. I turned my friend on to this book a few
    years ago. She read it, and ate a buncha beans everyday for a couple days
    then went on a 3 day yoga retreat. When she came back on Monday i saw her
    and she passed gas. BAD gas - noxious fumes for sure. evil. worst in the
    world. She said all weekend she was passing gas in yoga poses. Silent
    killers. It must have been brutal. I imagine being all relaxed and streched
    out and smelling those bombs. She has stinky gas for a couple months but in
    general it has gotten much better as she has bred the bacteria to digest
    that. There is also beano, a gas stopper you can take with meals if that is
    a problem. I laugh to myself all the time over that one.

    I think news media and science is to blame for much of this. My grandparents
    lived to 90+ years, they ate gruel, and knew it was good. Scientists said
    pasta is good for a runners diet, journalists publicized this. Everybody
    started eating pasta. Pasta does not exist in nautre! But anyways, that is
    another story.

    Another good book, by the way is Dr. Dean Edell's book Eat Drink and be
    Merry. He also advocates moderation and such. Dr. Dean should run for
    president, he has a radio show that is very good and pragmatic.

    I cannot say much about the Atkins diet, except i like meat and fat, it
    sates me for long periods of time. But i think too much meat is bad, we have
    flat molars designed for hard grains. And sharp teeth for ripping meat. But
    we do not have a little hole for spagetti!

    Erik Sayle

    Dr.Bob Arnot's Revolutionary Weight Control Program for Men and Women
    and
    Dr. Bob Arnot's Guide to Turning Back the Clock
    and
    Eat, Drink, & Be Merry : America's Doctor Tells You Why the Health Experts
    Are Wrong



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