Total Pageviews

Thursday 27 January 2011

Low Carb Myths !


Low Carb Myths !
 
If you spend much time around diabetes forums, you can’t fail to notice the topics causing the most controversy, they are low carbing and dietary fat. So many myths, and so much misinformation, it’s easy to see why a newbie, to the world of diabetes, and some forums can be very easily confused.
Lowcarbers have been informed, by a (healthcare professional) can succumb to scurvy. Well, we expect almost any one, could go down with scurvy, if they had a dangerously low level of vitamin C intake. But if you check out the chart on this blog, comparing potatoes (a food usually dropped by low carbers) compared to broccoli, you will see scurvy is unlikely to be a problem to a green vegetable eater. Then we are told osteoporosis may come our way, again the broccoli blows that one out of the water. Another old chestnut that comes up time and time again, is constipation, again totally unfounded.

broccoli contains almost 5 times as much vitamin C as potato
broccoli contains 8 times as much calcium as potato
broccoli contains almost 2.5 as much dietary fibre as potato

 
The next old myth is low carbers are eating to much protein, and it will knock our kidneys out. The medical evidence, informs us protein will not damage healthy kidneys, although people with kidney problems, should seek advice from experts when considering protein intake. Why do anti low carbers assume low carbers are shovelling protein down their necks all day. Most low carbers we know, have ate the same amount of protein all their adult lives. There has certainly been no massive increase in the use of high protein foods.

Causing almost as much argument as carb levels, comes saturated fat, and the threat of heart disease. Again, the medical evidence suggests otherwise, in fact some studies have pointed to a low fat diet as causing heart disease, especially when accompanied by a high carb diet. It’s a fact, while the intake in dietary fat has gone down, and the intake of highly processed, high carb/sugar foods has gone up, obesity, type two diabetes and CV disease has also gone up. No doubt the misinformation mob will continue to confuse, no problem to us, but what damage is being done to the newly diagnosed or some forum newbie’s ?
 

No comments: