the atkins diet and the sheeples

[niyad]

there have been many attempts at explanations for why so many people adore, and continue to adore, the smirking chimp squatting in the oval office, and all of them have their valid points. I would like to toss one more possible explanation into the mix, because I certainly see a lot of it.

I have come to the conclusion that the atkins diet, and all of its imitators, ie, all the no-carb, low-carb diets, are, at least in part, responsible for there being so many bushitas. the human brain needs glycol in order to function, and the only real way to get glycol is through carbohydrates. without it, brain functioning becomes impaired. I would love it if somebody did a study on just how many rw's follow one of these diets.

another thing I noticed about the diets:
we all remember the media frenzy about the lone case of "mad-cow disease" several years ago, right? a friend of mine who comes from a ranching family, told me when that news came out that a number of ranchers had had to destroy their herds because of BSE, which didn't make the news. however, shortly after this, the no-carb/low-carb diets are suddenly all the rage, and WHO benefits from this? the cattle ranchers, correct? hmmmmmmmmm, just wondering.

okay, I will now remove the tinfoil hat.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

1. That's why I like the South Beach diet

[AlCzervik]

37. 8 months on south beach here, 70 pounds gone, 10 more to go!!!

easiest eating program i've ever done and my cholesterol level has gone from 222 to 180.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

43. My Doc suggested it for me...

(Cholesterol) I've lost 8 pounds in 2.5 weeks, I don't know what it has done for my nasty-ass cholesterol numbers yet.

[Critters2]

46. Interesting

My sister's doc told her to get off Atkins ASAP! Said it would destroy her kidneys. Even said he wouldn't treat her as long as she was doing it. Put her on the AHA diet, and her cholesterol, bp, and tri-g numbers all fell into the normal range.

I'm vegan. My bp is 90/50, cholesterol 150.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

47. The thing I like about South Beach is that it contains a wide

variety of foods.

Big emphasis on veggies and the types of veggies.

6 months ago, I doubled your BP.

[Blue_In_AK]

50. South Beach is a great diet.

I'm only a little overweight, but it's really hard for me to lose because I'm hypothyroid, but South Beach works every time. I had gained about 10 pounds last year, not really pigging out, but not being too careful either. Back on South Beach after New Year's and I've lost five pounds this month, no problem. It's so sensible.

[pitohui]

2. atkins diet is the diabetic diet

if you are lucky enough not to have a metabolic disorder maybe you could refrain from calling those who do and who have seen results "sheeple," they are smarter than you are

[niyad]

10. interesting that none of the diabetics I know use the atkins diet. and,

pray tell, what did diabetics use before atkins? just wondering.

[pitohui]

12. they used a low carb diet just as they do now

if you want to get hung up on the brand name, fine

[boobooday]

27. Actually, I've been diabetic for 27 years

The diabetic diet has always had carbs -- in balance -- with proteins and fats.

Diabetics who take insulin must eat carbs. The Atkins diet depends on pushing the body to the point of ketoacidosis, because if you starve your body of carbs, it will burn fat to make glucose for your blood. If uncontrolled, this is what often kills Type I diabetics.

Atkins is certainly an effective way to lose weight (as uncontrolled diabetics often do) but is not healthy for the body. In fact, it's damn traumatic.

As for whether it is more popular among the right, well, I don't know about that.

[calico1]

31. The Atkins diet does not recommend

ketoacidosis. Nowhere in the book does Dr. Atkins say that. In the first phase you are supposed to go into ketosis, not ketoacidosis, which is dangerous. And its a two week phase. One of the biggest misconceptions people have about the Atkins diet is that the two week initial strict phase IS the whole diet--forever. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Lean protein, fresh vegetables, some fruit, high quality fats, nuts and seeds, with no sugar or "white stuff" is not my idea of a dangerous diet.

[Zhade]

52. The Atkins Diet is the "he died at 245lbs with heart disease" diet.

In other words, a sucker bet.

[calico1]

55. Umm, wrong.

Dr. Atkins slipped on an icy sidewalk and went into a coma. The weight gain was due to bloating from water as a result of his brain injury. He also had no heart disease.

[saracat]

3. Umm . I don't think so! I do atkins and

no one hates Bush more than me! As a matter of fact the thinner I became, the more I hated him! LOL! Atkins was a necessity as Bushco drives people to compulsive eating! Bush is why Amerika is FAT!

[Clark2008]

21. There you go.

Just finished three weeks strict and I still hate Bush. The glycol loss hasn't lessed my hatred, but it lessened my waist line.

:hi:

[saracat]

25. I am in maintenance now but my hatred is growing!

My thinking seems much clearer. Do you think there is a relationship? The healthier we are , the more we hate Bush?

[Clark2008]

34. Healthy people hate Bush.

Could be a great new ad for liberals. The neocons will hate it so much, they'll eat fatty foods and grease and sugar and all that bad stuff and die of heart attacks so we inherit the earth!!

:rofl:

[pop goes the weasel]

4. judging from the beer and twinkies

I don't think right-wingers are in any danger of carb shortage. If eating carbs makes one smart, then Americans must be the most brilliant folks on earth. And how does one explain the pretzeldent? Pretzels are all-carb.

[SmokingJacket]

5. Veddy, veddy interesting.

It's true that a certain right-wing family member went crazy for Limbaugh and Atkins at the same time. I always thought it was because it was such a HE-MAN diet, unlike those ladylike, grapefruit-eating ones...

[CountAllVotes]

6. and that red meat you eat causes cancer!

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Tuesday they may have found a reason why eating too much red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

By studying cells from volunteers eating different diets, they discovered that red meat raises levels of compounds in the large bowel, which can alter DNA and increase the likelihood of cancer.

"It is the first definite link between red meat and the very first stage in cancer," said Professor Sheila Bingham, of the Medical Research Council Dunn Nutrition Unit in Cambridge, England.

In earlier research, Bingham and her team showed there was a strong correlation between eating red and processed meat and the risk of colon cancer.

The chance of developing colorectal cancer was a third higher in people who regularly ate more than two portions of red or processed meat a day compared to someone who ate less than one portion a week.

more here ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060201/hl_nm/scientists_colon_dc

[sproutster]

7. About Atkins

I am soooooooo f'ing heavy after it. The weight is flipping hard to lose. I've alway been able to play the 5-10 lb juggling act, but this is insane. :(

[RebelOne]

8. That's why I am glad I am a vegetarian.

[Critters2]

44. Me, too

And my blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides are all "perfect" (that's the word my doc used).
And I hate Bush.

[calico1]

9. I eat on the lower carb side because I

get all wacky feeling if I have too much flour, sugar, etc. I have a family history of diabetes. I do not do a strict version of Atkins but there are some benefits to low carb if you really understand it and not just go by what people say. I say this because a lot of the bad rap Atkins has is because of misunderstanding of the diet. When I was doing it more strictly I ate more vegetables than ever before in my life. I ate nuts, lean protein and good oil. Also berries, melons, peaches. I ate only fresh food. No canned or boxed anything. I felt great. A lot of people have the image of a typical Atkins follower as eating piles of greasy meat, topped with grease and no vegetables. I ate nothing like that. The funny thing is that some of my worst critics were people who ate lots of ho-ho's, processed foods, McDonald's, donuts, soda, etc. And I would be sitting there eating a salad, some turkey breast or something, maybe some spaghetti squash or other non starchy veggie and maybe some almonds as a snack. And I'd be getting a lecture from these people on how "dangerous" my diet was. I now eat more starchy carbs but I still have to be careful not to go too high or I feel bloated and just not well at all. Also, wheat does not agree with me too well so I try to avoid it most of the time. Same goes for sugar.

[pitohui]

15. for some people any fruit is apparently too much

someone close to me now is discovering that any fresh fruit, not just dried or canned or frozen, spikes the meter in his case

it is most frustrating

a stupid or impatient person cannot do a strict low carb, it is definitely for the disciplined

[calico1]

I can eat things like raspberries

which fortunatly grow in my yard in the summer. Now if I eat a banana or pineapple or something like that then my sugar spikes almost right away! I also will eat a little piece of cheese with the fruit to slow down the sugar.

[pitohui]

18. he hasn't even been able to tolerate citrus

i'm a little afraid to suggest berries but i think the strawberry season has opened here, so if there is a good cheese for strawberries maybe that would work

i like apple, blue cheese, and walnut, but i think he's a little scared of any fruit at the moment

[calico1]

24. I am pretty sure strawberries are the lowest.

I hope he can tolerate them. But definitely he should eat them with some cheese or other protein.

[RB TexLa]

11. I eat nothing but meat and vegetables

Don't think that effects my ability to think at all.

[upi402]

26. no Cheezy Puffs?

c'mon.....

[Wind Dancer]

13. The low carb diet has been instrumental in improving my health.

I'm allergic to wheat and only eat "free range, organically fed" beef and chicken.

I can assure you that the Atkins Diet does NOT turn people into RWers.

;)

[pitohui]

16. yeah i was just going to post abt wheat allergy

it isn't rare and it seems a bit unfair to tar all victims as sheeple

[calico1]

19. Some nutritionists are saying now that the rise in

wheat allergies is due in part to the high increase in wheat consumption which started in the early 80's when low fat became all the rage and people started replacing protein and fats with more carbs.

[Wind Dancer]

28. Many people can't tolerate any wheat products.

I normally ignore the posts that link everybody into the same group but I had to comment on this silly one.

Don't let these comments get to you, it's just another day on DU, lol.

[pitohui]

32. it's so frustrating

the diet is not easy to begin w. and then everybody has to put their two cents in about how they know better than the glucose meter

[Wind Dancer]

39. Exactly, it's frustrating and demanding.

I found out through trial and error what works for my body and Atkins is safe and healthy. Fortunately, I had a wonderful doc that understood the significance of chronic illness and diet. It's hard to eliminate wheat and most carbs from your life, extremely hard.

[GRLMGC]

14. My mom loves lowcarb and she instilled

all my liberal values

[Cats Against Frist]

17. Low-carb diets are brilliant, and there's nothing "fad" about them

Eating around 60 carbs a day is doctor-recommended treatment for helping diabetics. I have no doubt that this diet, too, is healthy for people who have the kind of body that stores fat, has high insulin, or is at risk for adult-onset diabetes.

I eat low-carb, and I've never felt better. Of course, I eat tons of nuts, seeds, cultured milk products, vegetables, fruit, a few grains, and some cheese, meat and eggs. I feel like a million goddamned dollars, have lost weight -- and I don't think I'm getting any more stupid.

[txindy]

22. Absolutely right

On all points. :toast:

[TexasProgresive]

20. Your liver can manufacture all the carbs your wee brain needs.

[calico1]

23. Good point. There is no such thing as an

"essential" carb and there is a reason for that. You will die without any protein or fat but you won't die from not eating any carbs.

[LoKnLoD]

29. I went on the Atkins Diet

and all I got was gout.

:evilgrin:

[LeftyMom]

30. I don't think that's it, but both are marketed to people who want easy

solutions that don't require much thinking. Neither one works, both are horrible for the enviornment. There's definitely an overlap.

[pitohui]

33. if you think it's easy, try it

low carb is not easy but the glucose meter does not lie

[LeftyMom]

35. Fuck no.

I love the planet, animals and my own health to much to fill my colon up with dead flesh.

[Cats Against Frist]

38. I was wondering when this thread would turn into an anti-meat crusade

[Critters2]

45. What's not easy

about a diet made up of meat, eggs, dairy and pork rinds? Most people like it precisely because it's what they want to eat in the first place. None of those silly veggies. Just lots of dead animals and their by-products.

Of course, for me there's more toa diet than losing weight. There's a little thing called ethics. Atkins violates my ethics all over the place. No animal should suffer because I think I'm too fat.

Me, I'm vegan, and I'm in perfect health.

[saracat]

49. Atkins requires tons of veggies. You are parroting a misconception!

[calico1]

53. What diet are you referring to?

Because I am not familiar with any diet where you only eat meat, eggs and pork rinds. The two week phase at the beginning of Atkins is very strict, but that is two weeks. It is not THE DIET. It amazes me how people continue to just keep repeating the misinformation spread around about low carb diets. Inform yourself. I eat tons of veggies. More than ever in my life. I don't eat lots of flour or flour related products and I don't do sugar. And no, I don't eat slabs and slabs of meat or whole chickens in one sitting. How ridiculous.

[txindy]

56. It's easier on them to remain willfully ignorant

If they actually learned something about Atkins or low carb diets, it would take some sort of effort. Like the fundies and science. Learn a few words, stop reading/listening, and blast away at the subject with 'expertise' based on the few words learned. :eyes:

I agree with you. Atkins works. Weight, cholesterol, etc. are all reduced. The induction phase at the beginning is very strict, indeed, yet I somehow managed to keep the pork rinds at bay. :rofl:

[pitohui]

58. ignorance is bliss

my loved one's body is an animal too, he does not deserve to die on your cross of self-righteousness because you do not love the human species

the glucose meter don't lie and he is unable to get sufficient calories to sustain life on a vegan diet

one day if you over-indulge on the carbs it will happen to you or someone close to you and then you will know how difficult and challenging the journey is

my ethic is to respect reality and to respect nature, not to annoint myself god and decide i know better than mother nature what another should eat, many natives and even some of northern european culture will end as diabetics or metabolic syndrome on the vegan diet if they are not actually simply concealing anorexia as some i'm aware of personally have done, their "perfectly healthy" too often has proved to be dangerously underweight resulting in early heart disease or death

it bothers me when i see people making endless excuses not to eat, been down the path, seen others go to the point of no return down that path, it kills

[calico1]

36. Its far from easy.

That's why there will only be about 20% or so of dieters (or less) who will be successful with it and follow it correctly. Its not easy to do in an environment where grains, grains and more grains are constantly pushed as being healthy and wholesome despite the fact that for a lot of us grains are not good. Your comment is also interesting. Some of the biggest meat eaters I know are also carbaholics. They will chow down a steak or chicken , only they will also have fries with it. Yet those of us who don't eat a lot of bread or sugar are the ones polluting the earth. Do the fries, ho-ho's and donuts make the difference?

[LeftyMom]

41. I have a link for you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=187510&mesg_id=187510

[calico1]

54. Thanks but I can't tell you when the last time

was that I stepped into a fast food joint. I hate it. I eat fresh, mostly organically grown food and I eat organically raised meat and fowl. Most of my shopping is done in a nice health food store near me. Its more expensive but worth it. I also composte everything I can. And believe it or not, do not eat a whole side of beef in one sitting. Or 3 chickens. I eat tons of vegetables, no processed or packaged foods. My protein intake is about maybe 5 oz. daily. There are plenty of days when I don't even eat meat or fish at all because I like veggie burgers too and I also use a lot of whey protein to make shakes and make pancakes and waffles. I still stand by my earlier statement that the people getting the heat for polluting and being unethical, etc. are those of us who eat the veggies with our steak instead of the fries. You never see this anger directed at the people who eat the 18 oz porterhouse with the side of fries, rolls and pie for dessert. But God help you if you eat the 3 oz piece of meat or chicken with salad and veggies and no dessert. Then your are a piece of shit.

[LeftyMom]

59. Organic meat and dairy are still awful for the enviornment

They just get better feed before they die. :shrug:

"I still stand by my earlier statement that the people getting the heat for polluting and being unethical, etc. are those of us who eat the veggies with our steak instead of the fries. You never see this anger directed at the people who eat the 18 oz porterhouse with the side of fries, rolls and pie for dessert. But God help you if you eat the 3 oz piece of meat or chicken with salad and veggies and no dessert. Then your are a piece of shit." I don't know where you get that from. My problem isn't your side dishes, it's the slice of flesh at the center of your plate. As my link (and aproximately 3 billion of my past DU posts) explained, there's too much cruelty and damage to human health and the planet to justify flesh consumption.

[calico1]

60. I respect your opinions.

We will just have to leave it at that. :hi:

[Wind Dancer]

42. Well said.

Don't forget the GM foods that have become the norm in today's society. Fast foods and processed meals are hardly healthy but we get slammed for eating organic, go figure.

[Mr_Spock]

40. Oh, well if only people actually stuck to diets....

Most of the craze has faded and there are good points to mixing up ones diet from time to time...

[AZBlue]

48. I don't know - I like the Zone - & the skinnier I get the more energy I

have to kick some Republican ass! ;)

[enigmatic]

51. I've been doing the low-carb thing for 2+ years

And I've lost 35 pounds, gained a buch of energy I thought I'd lost forever, and feel better than I have since I was in my early 20's.

It worked for me, tenfold.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

57. Hmmmm...I don't think so. As I understand, feeding only carbs is one

way brainwashers are able to exert control over their subjects.

[Marie26]

Nah

I did the Atkins Diet & I still don't like Bush. The diet does make you very woozy & light-headed, though.

[Marie26]

61. Dupe - see? nt