I know, I know…it’s NOT Friday anymore. So you might be thinking, “Jimmy, how can you do a ‘Fun-Filled Friday’ blog post on Saturday?” Well, lemme tell you. When you run out of time on Friday to do it after an extremely busy week, the next best thing is on Saturday. Welcome to this special belated better-late-than-never Saturday edition of my “Fun-Filled Friday” post and there’s just a ton of stuff going on right now that it’s been dizzying trying to keep up with it all. From recovering from my trip to Baltimore last weekend for the Nutrition & Metabolism Society Symposium hearing all the latest in the low-carb science to being the midst of an embryo adoption process with my wife Christine to planning for the upcoming Low-Carb Cruise in just a couple of weeks from now, life is all a bit hectic right now. But that’s okay–BUSY IS GOOD! I always say it helps keep me out of trouble and that’s never a bad thing. Because there’s so much going on, I’ve got a lot of stuff to share. But we’ve got the whole weekend to ruminate over this stuff, so let’s get started shall we?
Something else I decided to try this week of all times was to do a one-week fast with no food whatsoever. Since last Sunday afternoon around 4:30PM when I met up with some awesome low-carb peeps in Baltimore, Maryland for a meetup (or should I say MEAT-up!), I haven’t consumed a single bite of food at all. It’s been all non-caloric liquids only and what an experience this has been. As of writing this, I am in Day 6 with just one more day to go to hit a week! I’ve been documenting it on video all at my “Low-Carb Menus” blog all week, but here are the videos from the first five days to give you an idea of how this has gone for me:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A00A6F99D882F892
I can’t wait to share my commentary about this fasting experiment–and it’ll have very little to do with no eating and MUCH more to do with the reaction I’ve gotten to doing it. Stay tuned! Something else happening in my life as I alluded to above is my wife Christine and I are attempting to have a baby with an embryo adoption. We hit a snag of sorts in this process because Christine’s estrogen levels were too high–so we’re moved back to late May now before the transfer takes place. We’ve waited nearly 16 years for this, so what’s an extra month, right? We are hoping and praying for the best. Here are the videos we’ve made documenting this experience:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E8E3D45CBA64CB61
THANK YOU for your thoughts and prayers for us through this journey. I’m still beaming with pride from all the information I gathered about healthy low-carb living last weekend in Baltimore because there’s so much good information coming out of the scientific community about this way of eating. One of the low-carb leaders in Canada is Dr. Jay Wortman who is a Type 2 diabetic promoting carbohydrate-restriction to his patients. You might recall he was the man behind the hit CBC-TV documentary My Big Fat Diet in 2008 and you can hear him and the filmmaker talk about this film in my May 2008 podcast interview. Special thanks to my Swedish low-carb blogging buddy Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt from the “Diet Doctor” blog who just posted a fabulous 10-minute interview with Dr. Wortman:
I think it’s interesting how Dr. Wortman has little worries about a pregnant woman being on a ketogenic diet. If (and when) Christine gets pregnant, I’ll have no qualms about her eating low-carb. Ketones rock, baby! You know who else rocks is Dr. Mary Vernon from Innovative Metabolic Solutions who is arguably the most enthusiastic practitioner using low-carb diets with her patients in the world today. She’s working hard to share the science and patient results with as many medical professionals as she can to convince them that they don’t need to continue prescribing medications that never really treat the root problem of most chronic diseases (listen to her share more about this in her recent appearance on Dr. Robert Su’s “Carbohydrates Can Kill” podcast). She’s a fascinating person I am honored to call my friend. I can’t wait to share her with the people coming on the Low-Carb Cruise coming up on May 1-7, 2011. Here’s a recent lecture she gave at her home turf in Kansas:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=060B700B7A838704
If you ever get a chance to meet Dr. Vernon in person, I HIGHLY recommend you do it. Anyone who is wavering about whether low-carb is the right diet for them just needs to be exposed to the infectiousness of this remarkable woman. If you live in the Denver, Colorado area (which is where the Nutrition & Metabolism Society Symposium will be held in 2012 by the way), then no doubt you’ve already heard of “Denver’s Diet Doctor” Dr. Jeffry Gerber. He too is an champion of low-carb living for his patients and regularly lectures about this way of eating wherever and whenever he is given a platform for doing so. Here’s his lecture on “The Science Of Obesity” presented on April 5, 2011 at the Littleton Hospital:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4A6B654091D86239
We’re gonna see a lot more physicians like Dr. Wortman, Dr. Vernon, and Dr. Gerber popping up in the coming years carrying the torch for limiting carbohydrate consumption for the health of patients, so let these testimonies from real medical practitioners encourage you in your own low-carb walk. The late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins would be so proud of how low-carb living has carried on many years after his death. I found this old video from 2004 of his widow Veronica Atkins on NBC’s Today Show sharing about low-carb nutrition. We need more of this kind of enthusiasm and advocacy anytime we’re given the opportunity for media exposure! Now let’s take a look at some of the latest low-carb and health headlines from the past couple of weeks:
- Gary Taubes has done it again! If you missed his New York Times Magazine column this week entitled “Is Sugar Toxic?” then you need to go check it out now and share it with as many people as you can (listen to this interview he did with a London, Ontario Canada radio show the day after his column was published–the male interviewer was just a bit too “radio voice” enthusiastic for me, but you’ll recognize the female interviewer Pam Killeen who was on my podcast in January). Just as his “What If It’s All Been A Big Fat Lie?” column nearly a decade ago reignited the low-carb revolution, this new piece has the potential to put sugar in the crosshairs of health experts far and wide. At least we hope so. Speaking of Taubes, Paleo Village has an interesting comic depicting him and Dr. Mehmet Oz in an arm-wrestling contest inspired by their recent duel on The Dr. Oz Show. Too funny! And a psychology professor from UC-Riverside named Sonja Lyubomirsky said in an interview that Good Calories Bad Calories is the book that has influenced her the most. COOL!
- All the talk about low-carb diets isn’t just about humans anymore–it’s also about feeding your pets, too! This Cullman Times column says over one-third of cats in the Unites States are overweight or obese and that cats are “obligate carnivores” where their bodies THRIVE on an animal-based diet. SHHHHHH, nobody tell PETA! The story goes on to say that feeding cats a low-fat, high-carb diet with lots of fiber will sacrifice their lean body mass. Now if this is what’s happening to our feline friends, then what do you think that kind of diet is doing to people?
- The American Dietetic Association is running scared of alternative nutritional therapies being shared with patients and here’s evidence of it. They are attempting to have legislation passed in over 40 states that will require nutritionists to compete a dietitian program in order to provide nutritional therapy with patients. There’s even a movement to disallow the use of the term “nutritionist” and even “nutritional care” to anyone who isn’t a registered dietitian. This is really crazy to me and it is quite revealing the impact that we are having. If you live in a state where this is happening, then I urge you to contact your state representatives and make your voice heard.
- Would you like a little glue with that meat you’re eating? Watch this video to learn an industry-wide secret butchers don’t want you to know about. It seems they’re using this “meat glue” to stick together the meat scraps to create new steaks. It’s hard to believe stuff like this can happen, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the food manufacturers would attempt this kind of science experiment with their customers serving as the guinea pig. This is yet another reason why choosing meat from local farms is probably your best bet to avoid consuming “meat glue.” Find a farm in your area by visiting EatWild.com.
- One of the most outspoken advocates for a vegan lifestyle has got to be Harley Johnstone, aka Durianrider from “30 Bananas A Day.” He’s an interesting character from Australia who has made it his life’s mission to antagonize and ridicule anyone who chooses to eat a meat-based diet. One of the things he enjoys doing the most is highlighting Paleo/low-carb advocates and attempting to lampoon them for eating meat. Here’s his latest post where he states quite foolishly that Paleo peeps like Robb Wolf, Richard Nikoley, Gary Taubes and others (myself included) shouldn’t be talking about an animal-based diet because we’re all too fat. In fact, Harley was in a debate with Richard on Thursday night which you can read about on Richard’s “Free The Animal” blog. I’m always intrigued by how worked up some people get about how someone else chooses to eat. It’s never made any sense to me since I don’t care how someone chooses to eat if they make that decision for themselves and can be healthy doing it. FYI–mark your calendars for Thursday, July 14, 2011 when I air my interview with Durianrider on “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast. Should be fun!
- One of the leading voices for low-carb living in the UK is Dr. John Briffa and he’s just started a brand new podcast where he discusses all aspects of consuming a low-carb diet. In his April 8, 2011 episode, Dr. Briffa was extremely complimentary about me and the work I’m doing starting around the 36-minute mark if you’d like to hear what him and his co-host had to say. THANK YOU Dr. Briffa for all the very kind words you said about me and my podcast and I wish you well as you continue spreading the word about healthy low-carb living as well.
- Have you ever wanted to know when we got stuck on this whole grains nonsense? Dr. William Davis explains it all in his blog post, 1985: The Year of Whole Grains>“1985: The Year of Whole Grains.” Check out the disease correlation that has happened since grains started being pushed as “healthy” a quarter century ago! Coincidence? I think not. Look for Dr. Davis’ upcoming new book Wheat Belly coming later this year!
- Fitday wants to know “Which Is Better For You?” between a low-carb and a low-fat diet. It’s obviously skewed towards the low-fat diet and makes the laughable claim (for anyone who has tried and failed on that way of eating) that it “allows you to eat high amounts of food, so you won’t be hungry all day.” YEAH RIGHT! Even more absurd is their claim that since “a low carb diet will allow you to eat only small amounts of food, considering that fat and proteins have a high caloric intake…you are likely to be hungry when on a low carb diet.” Obviously the person who wrote that sentence has never tried livin’ la vida low-carb because you are NEVER hungry eating this way. What a dope!
- Have you heard what they’re doing in the Chicago public school system for lunch? This Chicago Tribune story notes that students there are forbidden to bring their lunch from home and are forced to consume the food served in the cafeteria. It’s all in an effort “to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.” Ummm, since when is it the role of the public school to tell kids how they should be eating? Has the nanny state really gotten to this point? UNBELIEVABLE! Parents there and anywhere else they attempt such draconian measures should rise up in protest and demand to grab back control of what their kids can eat for lunch while on school premises.
- National Public Radio (NPR) reported this week that “Egyptian Mummies Diagnosed With Clogged Arteries” because of their animal-based, fatty diet and slothfulness. Scientists discovered atheroschlerosis in ancient Egyptian mummies and blame the heart disease on meat consumption. But the story accurately notes the vast majority of their diet consisted “mostly of grains, fruits and vegetables.” Well, well, well, how about that? So much for all the usual suspects being the culprit of one of the most prevalent and deadly chronic diseases in modern society! At least NPR has a pretty good story you should check out called “How Western Diets Are Making The World Sick.”
- The ridiculous opposition to saturated fat continues on in columns like this one from Bryant Stamford in The Courier-Journal. He’s bee on the warpath against high-fat, low-carb diets for many years and I’ve blogged about his writings several times previously here, here and here. I’ve invited him to come on my podcast to talk about why he’s so militant against saturated fat, but he’s refused. Zealots like this only make themselves look even more ridiculous by continuing to hold on desperately to conventional wisdom.
- Here we go again! This WCTV news report says new research shows a low-carb, high-protein diet can raise the risk of colon cancer. Interestingly, there’s no sources for the “small British study of obese men” cited and that “it doesn’t conclusively prove high protein diet increase the risk of colon cancer.” Then why the heck report unabashedly that it DOES?! Sheez, this kind of stuff just gets my goat. And get it straight…low-carb living is about high-FAT, moderate-protein, and low-carb nutrition. *bangs head against the wall…again!*
- You know how I’ve told you about the paradigm shift happening in Sweden because of the rise in the LCHF (low-carb, high-fat) movement there over the past couple of years? Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, who will be appearing on my podcast on Monday, shared with me a pretty neat story about a college admission test that 70,000 Swedish high school students took recently that included five texts that the students would be questioned on their comprehension. Guess what the second topic on the test was about? Diabetes and how a low-carb diet can help improve it! Dr. Ravnskov said the text came from a paper he published in 2006 in a Swedish medical journal. THIS IS AMAZING! Could you imagine a college admission test in the United States including text from a published study by Dr. Jeff Volek about low-carb diets and exercise? WOW!
- I read a rather thought-provoking blog post recently that examined a statement made by Dr. Robert Lustig in my “Encore Week” 2011 podcast interview with him earlier this year where he insinuated that low insulin levels lead to low-carb diets. Read it for yourself and share what you think about the author’s conclusions.
- A new study out the University of Guelph in Ontaria, Canada claims consuming caffeine with saturated fat and caffeine leads to a ruthless combination where the body cannot clear sugar from the blood when sugar is ingested at a later time. Hmmmm, so why not ditch the sugary meal/beverage and simply consume more fat and caffeine instead? Why is this stuff so obvious to those of us who have educated ourselves?
- When is the phrase “locally grown” on a food not really local? Check out this USA Today column that explains how that phrase has become more of a marketing term than a statement of fact. Buyer beware!
Alrighty, I’ve done a lot of serious low-carb and health news stuff today, but how about some FUN stuff? Gee, I thought you’d never ask. Poor Misery Bear doesn’t really like his job does he:
HAHAHA! I think we’ve all been there with our jobs at some point or another. Have you seen the rap video with Snoop Dogg and Rico from the Air New Zealand commercials on a song called “Hello Sunshine”:
Crazy silly! Go Rico, go Rico, go Rico! So, do you have AAADD:
Hee hee! I think more of us are afflicted with this than we want to admit. Christine has been “forgetting” stuff lately too–man, she’s getting old! Not like youngsters Harry and Charlie from the UK who have the most viewed video on YouTube by a mile with over 300 million views and counting:
Cute! It’s funny what becomes popular on YouTube these days. Something that is well-deserving of the 5-million views it has received is a truly hilarious video featuring Bill Cosby on the television show “You Bet Your Life” interviewing a raucous woman named Marcia Brody. This is an instant classic:
Oh my gosh! If you’re ever feeling down in the dumps, just watch this video and that’ll change in a heartbeat! I couldn’t stop laughing my head off. Cosby is one of the funniest comedians of all-time and can make ANY situation rip-roaring funny. It helped to have such a straight-laced lady like Marcia to play along. And on that note, we’re gonna end this special extended Saturday edition of “Fun-Filled Friday.” I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and we’ll see you again soon! As always, if you have anything you’d like to share with me for a future “Fun-Filled Friday” post, then e-mail it to livinlowcarbman@charter.net anytime. THANK YOU for reading!
