In today’s Health section of The New York Times, Dr. Abigail Zuger writes what is at first glance a review of Gary Taubes’ Why We Get Fat. Digging deeper, one realizes that Zuger has much more to say than a few comments on Taubes’ book, a shorter and more pointed follow-up to his earlier work, Good Calories Bad Calories. Zuger is crying out against the storm of contradicting nutritional information, which she likens to both a war and a cafeteria food-fight.
Low-carb vs. low fat, Atkins vs. Weight Watchers, it’s a familiar battle not only to those slogging through the literature, but to anyone who’s struggled to find sound advice on what to eat and lose weight. “At this point,” writes Zuger, “all eaters, fat or lean, could be forgiven for slamming the door on all expert dietary input, forever.”
Dr. Zuger goes on to discuss the arguments behind the low carb diet recommended by Why We Get Fat, prefacing the information by saying Taubes’ book is as much a “manifesto” as it a document of science journalism. She playfully worries that Taubes will soon introduce his own line of protein bars.
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Anthony Hopkins has slimmed down. Image via The Huffington Post.
You may have noticed that Sir Anthony Hopkins is looking slim these days. Apparently, he’s had to do some serious clothes shopping. “I can’t get back into my wardrobe,” says Hopkins. “I gave it all away to some mission. I tried tailoring the pants but they look ridiculous.”
Now in his 70s, the actor has started going to the gym almost every day—thanks to the encouragement of his wife, Stella Arroyave. “My wife’s no dictator, but she said I must stick to a regimen,” Hopkins told Cindy Adam’s of the New York Post. “So I’m in the gym six days a week, I power walk.”
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People have been low carbing it for years to try to slim down. Following the Atkins diet and cutting out breads and pastas can help with weight loss, but a new study released in the Annuals of Internal Medicine shows that it is even more important to be careful with how you replace those calories.
The objective of the study was to examine the association of low carbohydrate diets with mortality during 26 years of follow-up in women and 20 years in men. The participants included more than 85,000 women under the age of 60 and 44,000 men from the ages of 40 to 75 years. The participants were free from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The study found that the death rate among people who adhered most closely to a low carb regimen was 12 percent higher over 20 years than with those who consumed diets higher in carbohydrates.
What was interesting was that the rate of death varied based upon the foods the dieter chose to replace the missing carbohydrates with.Those who ate more beans and nuts were 20 percent less likely to die than those who ate a high-carbohydrate diet. But, low carb dieters who ingested the majority of their protein and fat from animal sources, like red and processed meats, were 14 percent more likely to die of heart disease and 28 percent more likely to die of cancer.
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John McGran, chief editor at Diet-to-Go, has been covering the fields of diet, fitness and health since 2000. He writes from the perspective of a dieter rather than a dietitian.
When it comes to slimming down, there are countless diet plans out there, so how does a consumer decide what’s a great diet for long-lasting weight loss?
Well, you don’t jump into the latest, greatest trendy fad diet. Baby food anyone? You also don’t opt for a weight loss plan that isn’t sustainable. Yo-yo dieting (the loss, then regain of weight) is extremely prevalent for a good reason. We try to totally change our eating habits, but end up right back where we started – overweight and unhappy.
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Pamela Ofstein is the Director of Nutrition Services at eDiets.com, a leading provider of weight loss services, information and products.
Snacking can be a great for weight loss and eating healthy. Snacking between meals helps stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep your energy and motivation high – extremely important when it comes to losing weight. For most of us, it’s hard to stay focused on activities when we have no energy!
If you’re looking for low-carb foods, there are so many great snack choices: non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cucumbers, celery, cauliflower, green beans), low-fat cheese or cottage cheese, nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews), or peanut butter are some options.
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