What's up with the "low-carb is bad" hype?

I'm doing low carbs and minimal fat, high protein and I'm doing well.

Yeah, it's a critique that comes up quite frequently with all sorts of claims about thyroid dysfunction, adrenal burnout, vitamin deficiencies, constipation and the dreaded "unbalanced" epithet. Personally, I think the only people throwing around criticisms are people who can't stick to the diet {miaow}.

My other favourite lines "is I tried it but it didn't work" - you can almost guarantee the person made up their own version without even reading a book or doing anything but minimal research. Like carbsane and her 4 Lindor balls a day version of low carb.

PaulinaB said:

Hi all

I don't mean to start a row, I'm just looking for opinions and facts here. Since I started on low carb diet, I've been hearing comments that "it's bad". I understand that there's a lot of "fat-phobia" going around, but some people are concerned that eating very low amounts of carbs can cause problems? I'm very happy on <10g of carbs per day myself...

Similar comments heard regarding the Atkins diet, which I'm not exactly familiar with. From what I understand it states specific amounts of carbs/fat you have to eat each day, which sounds kind of weird to me, as everyone is different...

Please share your thoughts.

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I blame the fat phobia. And we don't need carbs as such and certainly not grains. There is however some research on lack of resistant starch in very low carb diets. Resistant starch seems to be of importance for the gut flora. Research on gut flora is only beginning but will probably be much talked of in the coming years. I for example have found that butterbeans and chick peas will raise my BG short time but lower morning levels.

Although I'm still a 'work in progress' I'm eating a low carb, full fat diet which has reduced my weight and BG levels and I've not felt any ill-effects except perhaps in the first week or so. It works for me so I'm happy to continue this way.

Ever since diagnosis I found more opinion than science in the management of my diet and sugar levels. Much of it seems to be urban myths and other bits are from vested interests. I have seen the fat makes you fat, cholesterol gives you heart attacks, recommended blood glucose levels out of thin air. Amused to read that the Chairman of Tate and Lyle once spread the rumour that John Yudkin was a grammar school teacher and no-one should listen to him.

In my case the answer to all this is simple. My nurse told me to keep my blood glucose low and she takes my Hba1c to check that I do. She also sent me to a dietitian who told me to eat carbs with every meal. So what did I do? I bought a meter which indicated I should eat less of foods containing carbs and I shut out all the other cobblers.

"As hunter-gatherers, we ate some combination of the following: land mammals (including organs, fat and marrow), cooked tubers, seafood (fish, mammals, shellfish, seaweed), eggs, nuts, fruit, honey, "vegetables" (stems, leaves, etc.), mushrooms, assorted land animals, birds and insects." - looks to me much like a LCHF diet.

In the last ~10,000 years we've started eating grains and more recently processed sugary foods.

I guess we can't prove one way or another if diabetes is a recent 'thing' but we can have a good guess.

http://www.bakersfederation.org.uk/the-bread-industry/history-of-bread.html

Interesting info regarding bread. From what I have read, many do really well on a low carb diet ( whatever their intake is) but it's probably the words 'high fat' that causes the problems.

I can only speak from my personal experience of low carb/high fat. (under 50g) Quite apart from lower BS levels and losing all my excess weight, my lipid profile has improved significantly and continues to improve (even from a time when I was taking statins), my liver/kidney functions are perfectly normal, my bone calcium is normal, my FBC is within the standard, I have no symptoms of any mineral or vitamin deficiencies, I have no bowel issues, never get headaches, heart rhythms normal, BP around 117/70, normal energy levels, sleep well for 8 hours, no fatigue. I could go on. I guess I have managed to get the balance right. Or maybe I'm just lucky.

PaulinaB said:

Hi all

I don't mean to start a row, I'm just looking for opinions and facts here. Since I started on low carb diet, I've been hearing comments that "it's bad".

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The brilliant Christopher Hitches summed up all you need to know about this when he said; "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."

If someone says low-carbing 'is bad' you need to ask what exactly do they mean? If it's just an opinion then that's nice; here's another one, low carbing 'is good'. If it is with reference to something specific then let's have a look at the evidence and we can discuss.

A lot of dietary advice seems to have just been invented and people get VERY CROSS when you point that out to them, especially if they are involved with giving this advice.

Best

Dillinger

I often hear "but you need carbs for energy!". Erm, no I don't - I have plenty of stored energy in my body in the form of adipose tissue, thank you very much Not to mention that since I've been on LC, I've had so much more energy, physical and mental, compared to the brain fog and lethargy that high carbs give me.

Whilst we are not all the same, and there will be some people in the world who can tolerate carbs better than me, there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate. The human body can make all the glucose it needs from other molecules, while it cannot manufacture certain fats and amino acids which we must get from food.

As someone who has to low, low carb and in ketosis all the time. My body, my energy and my health is something that I could never have dreamed of a couple of years ago.
All my life signs are normal, my function tests are normal. My heart is healthy and I feel fitter and better than ever.
When asked why? I say it because I'm allergic to all sugars and carbs.
They are the culprits that make me ill.
Why would I want to eat them?

I still don't get (in my opinion) why we have to eat carbs to live?
I don't!

PaulinaB said:

I'm very happy on <10g of carbs per day myself...

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I you are happy, we are happy for you!

James and I have just had our second low carb anniversary, we wouldn't do anything else now.
Sally

Never be convinced that there is 'good carbs' 'bad carbs' and complex carbs.
They are all carbs!

You cannot get entirely away from them, but the lower the better! (In my opinion!)

PaulinaB said:

It seems like there's a lot of "advice" that carbs are essential and you shouldn't go below 10g daily. I have no idea why, to be honest.

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I would imagine it is pretty well impossible to go below 10g a day. Even lettuce has carbs.

Bluetit1802 said:

I would imagine it is pretty well impossible to go below 10g a day. Even lettuce has carbs.

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My thoughts exactly... Even my salads with mackeral or salmon have 19g carbs!!! (At least!!).

I cannot survive on water!!

PaulinaB said:

Please share your thoughts.

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Well so far I can see that only those who advocate lchf have answered and there lies the truth if you care to look for it it, IMO those who follow this type of diet can only see the good in it and will disregard any evidence to the contrary, it has been reported many times on this and other forums that a lchf diet will increase insulin resistance and there are many posts here telling of lc'ers saying that the smallest amount of carbs sends their bg levels into orbit or words to that effect, I see this as being counter productive to a condition that is caused by insulin resistance, of course you must believe what you want to.

There have been studies that say that certain fats can cause insulin resistance but these are all rubbished by the lchf fraternity as far as I can see where as everything claimed on lc blogs and those who's living is made from selling diet books is immediately believed and becomes part of the lc folf lore, things like we only started eating grains 10,000 years ago which is not the case and was proven recently when an autopsy was performed on an early man that was discovered and found to have grains in his stomach clearly proving that man was eating grains for a much longer period. I dont have the dates but Im sure google will find it if you chose to disbelieve me.

Another lc myth is that we were designed to eat a diet high in fat but if that was true why would our bodies look for carbs to turn to glucose before fat? No one can deny that yet still the myth is repeated that a lchf diet is what we we should all be eating.

I could go on and on but it is highly unlikely that anyone who supports the lchf way of life will believe a word I post s whats the point which is why I no longer post much here any more despite being extremely well controlled and having lost weight and maintained that weight loss for over 6 years.

One other thing to bear in mind is that there are a lot of members here who advocate a lchf diet despite it not working for them in the short or long term, often these members will recommend lchf for weight loss while being unable to lose weight themselves!!

All the above is just my opinion yet I will be attacked for it both here and elsewhere, on that you can rely, any evidence or studies undertaken that lc is not the be and end all of diabetic control is always ignored by those who follow this way of life however any myth printed in a book or a blog is always believed.

I will yet again be labelled a hater and an anti yet it is the hard core lchf evangelists who are the real haters and antis as they are anti anything that is not lchf to the point of disbelieving that there is more than one way to control diabetes where as I dont attack those who follow a lchf diet I just dont agree with it especially the high fat and very low carb part as I believe it is counter productive to reducing insulin resistance, and having an opinion is not being anti or a hater that comes from those who cant hear a word spoken against what they see as an evangelistic campaign to promote their diet.

Personally I think that attitude is slightly ridiculous

Im doing LCHF but Im not going to attack you for your opinion. I was diagnosed with an Hb of 100 last year and my latest was 34 so Im happy as Im comfortable with how I am eating and I feel great. I really believe in ' to each their own' when dealing on the diet side of diabetes. Its a shame you no longer come on the forum as much as you used to.