Since the late 1970s/early 1980s, in the wake of the McGovern Commission’s findings, most physicians have recommended a low fat, high carbohydrate diet to the general public. Nevertheless, research dating back centuries (and continuing today) has shown time and again that fat in the diet – even saturated fat – is not the cause of obesity, heart disease, or other diseases of civilization. The real problem appears to be the sugars and carbohydrates in the diet, according to overwhelming scientific evidence.
As the debate between the low fat diet (LFD) and the low carb diet (LCD) rages, most Americans simply want to know how best to eat. Rather than attempt to reconcile the LCD and LFD theories, some weight loss specialists have recommended low fat low carb diets. This approach intends to “cover all bases,” but it leads to surprising problems.
Human Beings Need Significant Amounts of Dietary Fat and Cholesterol
Without enough of the so-called “essential fatty acids,” human beings will get sick and die in short order. Even the mainstream low fat diets, like Pritikin and Ornish, instruct people to consume a modicum of fat and cholesterol for cellular health, metabolism, and other key biological processes.
Curiously, there is no such thing as an “essential carbohydrate.” It is perfectly possible to live a long and thriving existence without consuming any sugar or even vegetable foods. Witness the experience of Owsley Stanley, the former financier of the Grateful Dead, who claims to have survived for more than half a century on a diet consisting of nothing more than protein and fat. Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson spent an entire year under observation at a hospital eating nothing but meat – and not only did he not suffer any ill effects, but he also lost weight and demonstrated vitality throughout the experiment.
Low Fat High Carb Diets can lead to Severe Side Effects
Consider the Kimkins Diet. As esteemed low carb blogger Jimmy Moore discusses in his latest book, 21 Lessons From Livin' La Vida Low-Carb, the Kimkins Diet (a low carb-low fat low calorie diet that consists of just a few hundred calories of essentially protein a day) apparently led to serious health problems for followers, and the creator is now under a legal cloud. Jimmy entertainingly details his Kimkins Diet experience in his book.
Protein-only Diets can Lead to Trouble
The clash between the low fat and low carb diets has roiled the medical communities for decades. To attempt to abide by both the LFD and LCD, some people have taken the extreme measure of adopting a low fat-low carb diet. But while this weight loss scheme may in theory play both ends against the middle, in practice, it can be hazardous for a variety of reasons.
Sources:
kimkims,com. *"What is Kimkins?" (accessed April 22, 2010).
about.com *"The Kimkins Diet Controversy" (accessed April 22, 2010).
Adam Kosloff - Adam Kosloff is a Yale University educated writer who is fascinated by counterintuitive theories about nature, life and the universe that ...
