The next food scare

I've not heard of a 'bloated syndrome'. I know whenever I feel bloated it's because of what might politely be called 'sluggish elimination'!

That to me is the biggest problem with a low-carb diet. I try rhubarb with flax seed and natural yoghurt, oat bran, lots of water, but still can't get as regular as I like. Someone suggested flax seed capsules, I think? I find red wine works well, too (why?) but I'm not supposed to be drinking that :lol:

Viv

My "sluggish elimination" was cured by upping my statins. I'm not recommending you go on them for that though. :shock: Mine were prescribed to reduce my cholesterol level. Just a happy side effect for a change.

The type of blaoting I mentioned is not due to constipation - pts say they feel bloated after say eating bread. Often they have eaten alot of food with the bread and it is then easy to blame bread!

Constipation is a problem for alot of low carbers - it is obvious why the fibre intake is low.

I'm really surprised that constipation is a problem for lo-carbers. My poops are extra healthy when I'm lo-carbing properly.

Let's not forget - when a lot of people try lo-carbing for the first, they are surprised at how much their appetite deminishes.

Less food = less poop. (Obviously!)

I sometimes have problems when I eat bread, whereby I get fierce hiccups! Explain that? :lol:

ally5555 said:

Often they have eaten alot of food with the bread and it is then easy to blame bread!

Click to expand...

I must admit that I use to suffer from bloating regularly and would revert to taking peppermint capsules to relieve the symptoms, since changing some foods in my diet 2 years ago together with eating smaller meals I have not felt bloated since (except Xmas day :wink: ).

Nigel

Patch - constipation is quite common in low carbers - seen enough in practice over the years. I dont know why you get hiccups but I sometimes get the same with whole meal bread - wierd - Maybe due to gulping more air when chewing it.

Nigel - you have just said the same - you are eating less food . Portion sizes have grown and grown !

I am just curious if you low carbed before why have you put it all back on - this is also what I find - sustaining low carbing? I am not trying to be provocative just curious! Studies and my own food diaries have shown that generally low carbing equates to a lower calorie intake - hence the rapid wt gain ! None of the studies seem to look at sustainability.
Allyx

The first time I 'did' Atkins (ie, low-carbed) I was self-employed. I was very successful on it for 18 months, eating well, walking the Wolfhound, preparing my own meals even for lunches out, and hardly drinking at all.

Then I moved house, didn't have a cooker for 4 weeks, microwaved and comfort ate and went back on the wine. Then had to re-home the dogs (2 by then). Then got a 'proper' job. Two months in and I was back on the carbs, stressed and miserable. The 5 stone that had come off in 18 months went back on in 4 years.

What happened, I think, was that I sort-of ate my low-carb diet but added in carbs (lunch time sandwiches) and alcohol. Fatal!. I just could NOT get back on the diet and stay on it.

Diet ('life-style choice') with me is more psychological than physical. I'm either punishing myself or treating myself - and both are bad for me! If I'm not in the right state of mind I can't sustain a diet. It's not a matter of will power, rather state of mind. I don't think anything like enough attention is paid to the mental side of 'dieting'. As I once said to my doctor - if I was as much underweight as I am overweight you'd really be doing something to help! (Actually I would have been dead!). I need support, not shouting at!

Now I have to do it - but also I'm retired, can please myself how much work I do, and have the diabetes as a motivation. It will be interesting to see what happens.

When I first did Atkins, I could not believe it could be good for me - so I counted the calories I was eating as well as my carbs, and it worked out at between 1500 and 1750 calories per day on the Induction, 20g of carb phase of the diet. I just kept on that; I like it. I also ate less frequently than I do on a 'normal' diet, and didn't graze all the time.

Viv

I've been dieting for more than 40 years, and all I've done in that time is double my weight. I should think I've lost at least 70 stone over the years. I'm surprised I'm as healthy as I am!

The Daily Mail (as reported by Jenny Hope) first had this same report but entitled her piece - "thank goodness red meat is now good for you" (or words to that effect). However after the Telegraph produced a report to the opposite effect, the Daily Mail brought forth another article, damming red meat again !

I eat no processed meats, but do live on wild venison, pork and lamb, with a beef steak at least once a week - and shall continue to do so

janeislay said:

The Daily Mail (as reported by Jenny Hope) first had this same report but entitled her piece - "thank goodness red meat is now good for you" (or words to that effect). However after the Telegraph produced a report to the opposite effect, the Daily Mail brought forth another article, damming red meat again !

I eat no processed meats, but do live on wild venison, pork and lamb, with a beef steak at least once a week - and shall continue to do so

Click to expand...

There are conflicting reports each day and it can be bewildering knowing what is good for us and which isn't, I try to vary my diet and keep within the guidlines on foods I suspect may be harmful to health.

Nigel

viviennem said:

Whether or not we have totally evolved to eat some foods is an interesting discussion. As hunter-gatherers in the palaeolithic and mesolithic we would have eaten everything in season...

Click to expand...

A great post that Viv, thoroughly enjoyed reading it

janeislay" with a beef steak at least once a week - and shall continue to do so

Click to expand...

Me too.

I have a Sirloin Steak (plus a little of the fat) at least once a month and other meats such as skinless Chicken, Pork, Lamb etc at other times. All in moderation and quite often with a simple salad or one or two small new potatoes. No problems and very healthy......

Thanks for the kind words, Louise and Sid. It's nice to have it appreciated. I enjoyed writing it, too - amazing how much I remembered! - and ended up not going to bed until 02:30, so a bit shattered today :lol:

Viv

Hi Viv

Thanks for that explanation - I hope this time it is for good.

It is interesting if you look at the way we have explained to pts and clients about portions etc and food groups red meat, eggs etc have never been a no no. We have always said eat red meat around 4 times a week and if you think about 2 main meals a day that would mean 14 protein portions. If you had meat x4 and fish x4 and chicken x4 and maybe egg or cheese x2 you have the 14 meal / week covered. ( Hope that makes sense!)

Part of the problem is there are far to many "experts" with no nutritional training. It also goes beyond the science - dietitans and real nutritionists ( not the likes of Briffa, Holford etc ) also have cooking and catering and food science as part of their training.
You can tell in their dietary info they do not understand menus planning etc!!

Off soap box now!

I've never seen a dietician (sorry - my preferred spelling!) so I don't really understand about portion size, though I do understand food groups.

On my 'basic' Atkins-derived diet, I have a two-egg omelette almost every morning for breakfast; very occasionally a small amount of Lizi's granola instead;

a large mixed salad for lunch with either fish (mackerel; tuna; salmon or meat (usually poultry); sometimes an avocado. Mayonnaise.

Supper will be meat (red, poultry or good sausages) with veg (from: broccoli, cauli, leeks, courgettes, cabbage, a few carrots and so on; low-carb). Sometimes I make an enormous ratatouille and eat that as my veg over a few days. Butter and/or grated cheese on veg.

If I 'brunch' it will be the omelette with bacon or mushrooms or cheese.

Snacks (I don't snack every day) are mainly cheese, ham, rarely a few nuts, a few olives; and if I need a 'crunch', oatcakes.

If I have fruit, it will usually be berries; apples, plums, and apricots/nectarines in season. Ditto oranges. I don't eat fruit every day.

Cream or live yoghurt with fruit; milk in coffee (1 or 2 a day) and on the granola if I eat it. I have two pints delivered every week, and usually throw some of it away. I don't eat cheese every day, despite the above. I probably eat 1 pkt (half-pound) of butter a week. Oil is always cold-pressed extra virgin olive - I've just discovered it contains almost 16% saturated fat - nothing is simple, is it?

I don't stuff myself, but my portions would probably be considered on the large side! A chicken will last me 5 meals, for instance; a lamb shank, 2.

Some people might consider the above to be too restricted, but I don't have any problems with it.

Viv

ally5555 said:

Part of the problem is there are far to many "experts" with no nutritional training.

Click to expand...

The other part of the problem is far too many "experts" WITH nutritional training, not willing to entertain anything that is contradictory to that training.

The blind leading the (literally) blind.

Patch - we have to look at evidence - forums are anecdoatal.

The publication of guidelines today about allergies I am pleased about - maybe it will make people think twice about these useless allergy tests from quacks! I have sorted out alot of issues from pts caused by these people.