HealthBeat News

Category: Nutrition and Health

  • Low Carb Lies

    Low Carb Lies

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Hi All Fellow Low-Carb / Ketone Zone Dieters:

     

    It is the “dream” of most Ketone Zone dieters to replace high-carb foods like breads and pastas with low carb, or low effective carb, foods. Manufacturers know this and so they pander to our carb cravings.

    As a result, there are a number of fake and “pseudo low-carb” foods available. Low-carb dieters beware!

    []First, two important facts you should know:

    1.) The government (FDA) requires a “nutrition facts box” (label) on all foods. Such required labeling looks like the example to the right:

    2.) No government agency including the FDA verifies the accuracy of these nutrition labels.

    Does anyone see a problem with this besides me?

    Food producers must list a nutrition facts box but nobody checks the facts?

    That’s as crazy as depending on Big Pharma’s own studies, without independent (outside) verification before drugs are approved.

    Yet both are true.

    Low carb claims aren’t regulated by any government agency. There are many definitions of what counts as a carbohydrate for the purpose of a low-carb diet.

    There is “absolute carbs” (my term) which is the total number of carbs listed in the nutrition facts box.

    But some carbs, like psyllium, flax seed, etc. have a high indigestible fiber component. They don’t have much, if any, impact on blood sugar or insulin levels. So various diet authors have devised additional definitions of what constitutes a carbohydrate.

    The Dr. Myatt definition of carbs is “effective carbs” (as described above) which is total carbs (absolute carbs) minus fiber. ONLY fiber.

    There is the Atkins definition of “net carbs” (absolute carbs minus fiber, sugar alcohols and a bunch of other exceptions) and various other “how to count carbs” ideas. As such, you won’t find these numbers inside the nutrition facts box; they will be “outside the box” (all puns intended), elsewhere on the label.

    So… “net carbs” and other definitions are whatever the product manufacturer claims they are.

    Furthermore, even the Myatt definition (absolute carbs minus fiber, which is the most strict of the ways to count carbs that impact sugar levels definitions), is subject to error. That is because some manufacturers “claim” a fiber count that is felonious. Again, no government agency verifies or oversees the accuracy of these “facts boxes.”

    Many examples of so-called “low carb” products actually raise blood sugars in all of the patients I’ve seen and myself included FAR beyond what their “label claim” would lead one to believe. In addition to my own experiments and patient observations, I have also included links to others who have tested the “net carb” count with real-life experiments.

    Two examples of this effect (only two of many – I’m not picking on these two in particular!) are:

    Dreamfields pasta:
    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/dreamfields-president-mike-crowley-we-stand-behind-the-nutritional-claims-of-our-product/10785
    and
    Julian Bakery Bread:
    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moore’s-n1-experiments-julian-bakery-smartcarb-breads/10900
    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moore%E2%80%99s-n1-experiments-retesting-julian-bakery-smartcarb-breads-alone/11059

    What to do?

    1.) Use “real food” (not pre-packaged products, which often contain a bunch of chemicals anyway). “Real food” nutrition data is more highly verified than packaged product claims.

    2.) Use a website like www.nutritiondata.com to look up the nutrition data for any given food. These data are taken from USDA food tables and are much more accurate than manufacturer claims.

    3.) Verify. If you are on a low carb or ketogenic diet, test the effect of any questionable food by measuring your ketones and/or blood sugar levels.

    4.) Look for The Ketone Zone Diet Phase I: Super Fast, out in ebook form in a few days, if you want to jump-start your 2012 weight loss / health rejuvenation plans.

  • Putting Poison On Your Plate

    Do You Serve This Dangerous Food To Your Family With Each Meal?

     

    10 Dangers of Carbohydrates

     

    By Dr. Myatt

     

    The old US Food Pyramid advised us to eat 5-10 servings per day of carbohydrates, and the new “MyPlate” suggests about 30% grains (very high carbohydrate), 30% vegetables (also often high carbohydrate) and 20% fruits (very high carbohydrate).

    Unfortunately, high carbohydrate diets are one of the primary causes of our current overweight/obesity epidemic.

    More than 66% of adult Americans are overweight and 33% of these are obese. Diets high in carbohydrates (grains, beans, root vegetables, sugary fruits— anything that quickly turns into sugar in the blood stream) are making Americans some of the fattest people on Earth.

    Here are 10 reasons why carbohydrates — “carbs” — are so dangerous.

     

    I.) Carbohydrates are not “essential” and high consumption displaces necessary nutrients. “Essential” means that a certain food is absolutely required by the body (like gas or diesel fuel is for a car), but is not manufactured by the body and so must be consumed in the diet.

    Have you ever heard of an “essential fatty acid”? (EFA)

    Right – Some types of fats — Omega 6’s and Omega 3’s — are absolutely required by the body.

    Have you heard of “essential amino acids”?

    Right again – Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are 8 amino acids that are “essential.” Without them, muscles, hormones and the heart (a muscle) cease to function properly. Muscles have a high protein requirement.

    Have you ever heard of an “essential carbohydrate”?

    I hope not, because there’s no such thing!

    Of the three calorie containing molecules — proteins, fats and carbohydrates — only certain fats and proteins are “essential.” When the diet is high in carbohydrates, it is often deficient in the necessary essential fats and proteins.

    Deficiencies of essential fats and proteins causes all manner of diseases, from mood disorders (neurotransmitters are made from essential fats and proteins) to muscle weakness (muscles have a high protein requirement), hormone imbalances, heart disease and premature aging.

    II.) Carbs cause overweight.

    What do we feed cows to fatten them up quickly? Carbohydrates, especially corn. “Corn fed beef” is wonderful — loaded with marbled fat. Cows don’t eat meat, so obviously the much-vilified eggs, butter and meat aren’t what is putting weight on these animals.

    And pigs? Although pigs are omnivores (like humans, they’ll eat most anything), they are fed carbohydrates including corn, soybeans and barley for maximum weight gain. A piglet can go from 60 pounds to 250 pounds in 3 months on a diet high in carbohydrates.

    III.) Carbs cause adult-onset diabetes and “syndrome X” (pre diabetes).

    Fats and proteins have very little effect on blood sugar. Carbs have a BIG effect on blood sugar, causing rapid spike in glucose followed by a rapid rise in insulin.

    In the near-absence of carbohydrates, nearly all “type II diabetics” will fully recover from this “disease” in under three months. (I put type II diabetes in parenthesis because I don’t consider it a disease so much as a dietary imbalance. When the diet is corrected, the diabetes goes away).

    IV.) Carbs cause high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.

    Look at the name of this molecule: carbo – “hydrate.” Hydrate means to combine with water. Each molecule of carbohydrate draws eight molecules of water to itself. This means that carbs cause water retention.

    Many cases of high blood pressure are caused by simple water retention. This is why one of the first drugs given for blood pressure is a diuretic — something that makes you urinate and hence, eliminate fluid.

    Congestive heart failure is caused by the body retaining too much water and literally “water logging” the heart, impeding it’s ability to beat. Eliminate the carbs and water retention goes away and blood pressure drops — often dramatically — in as little as a week.

    V.) Carbohydrates harbor deadly fungus and yeasts.

    Yeasts and fungus (which are really different forms of the same organism) feed on sugar. Many carbohydrate foods have a high propensity to become infected with fungus. What’s the danger of mold or fungus? Plenty! Please read Fungus, Yeasts and Molds: Hidden Cause of Many “Unexplained” Diseases.

    VI.) Carbohydrates cause nutrient deficiencies.

    Carbs require B complex vitamins for their utilization in the body. Unfortunately, it is the B vitamins that are removed during the processing of grains. Because refined grains are low in B vitamins and yet require high amounts of B vitamins for their utilization, they lead to B complex vitamin deficiencies.

    Problems associated with B vitamin deficiencies include depression, memory loss, heart disease, insomnia, cataracts, atherosclerosis, fatigue, muscle cramps, allergies and GI symptoms to name just a few.

    VII.) Carbs suppress the immune system.

    The immune system requires protein and certain fats to function normally. Sugar suppresses the immune system.

    Remember, carbohydrates turn into sugar in the body and just three ounces of sugar in any form  will suppress the activity of white blood cells for up to 5 hours. (Can you say “fruit juice” or “soda pop” or “sports drink”? It’s not just that bowl of “Sugar-Frosted Chocolate Bombs” or waffles and syrup that your kids had for breakfast!)

    VIII.) Many carbohydrate-containing foods are allergens.

    Although a person can be allergic to any type of protein or carbohydrate, grains and beans are some of the most allergenic of all foods.

    Subtle allergies to grains and carbs can cause GI problems (“tear up” and inflame the gut) and result in increased intestinal permeability, where toxins are allowed to leak into the bloodstream from the colon.

    IX.) Carbohydrates fuel cancer cells.

    Cancer cells use glucose — blood sugar — as their “food.” Unlike normal cells, they are not equipped to burn ketones (the product of fat breakdown) for fuel.

    Carbs suppress the immune system, making a person more susceptible to cancer. Then, the high blood sugar provides fuel for the cancer, like throwing gasoline on a fire. If you want to avoid cancer, limit your intake of carbohydrates.

    Want proof? Read Dr. Myatt’s medical white paper “Dietary Ketosis In The Treatment Of Solid Tissue Malignancy” – but be warned – this fully-referenced scientific paper is written for doctors and may be difficult for some lay people to absorb and understand.

    X.) Carbs are addictive.

    When you eat carbs, your blood sugar rapidly rises. You get a temporary “high” when your blood sugar is high. Next, a blast of insulin from the pancreas causes a precipitous drop in blood sugar. At this point, feelings of weakness, fatigue, shakiness and even anxiety set in. In order to feel good again, a person will “self medicate” by eating another blast of carbs.

    This vicious cycle is exactly what happens to drug addicts, who must continue to have repeated “fixes” of their drug in order to feel good. No such addiction occurs with fats and proteins.

    When a person is addicted to carbs, they repeatedly eat them. This results in overweight or obesity, decreased immunity, increased risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression to name just a few.

    Isn’t it time you “got hip” and switched to a luxurious, low carbohydrate, high-health diet?

    Lose weight and reclaim health fast with the Super Fast Diet!

  • Does Your Family Drink These Poisons?

     

    Does Your Family Drink These Poisons?

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Soda pop is slop. File this under “more good reasons to avoid soda pop.”

     

    Tooth decay, overweight, diabetes and osteoporosis are the lesser problems associated with soda pop consumption.

    But there is an even more sinister side to America’s favorite beverage.

    Benzene, a highly toxic compound that can cause liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease and accelerated aging — is found in many sodas.

    In my opinion, soda pop is one of the most harmful beverages a person can drink. Let’s review the evidence.

    Each 12-ounce can of soda pop contains between 10 and 12 teaspoons of sugar. The increase in soda pop consumption parallels our current epidemic of obesity, overweight and diabetes.

    Soda pop rots teeth, but it is not the sugar alone that causes this. The acidity of soda pop combined with high sugar levels form a tooth-destroying combination.

    Phosphates in soda pop, combined with the fact that soda often replaces calcium-containing drinks like milk, are associated with an increased risk of bone loss.

    And these are the “lesser problems” that soda causes:

    Most soda contains the chemical preservative sodium benzoate. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is another common additive. When sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid interact, the highly toxic chemical benzene is formed. Benzene is an aggressive carcinogen, even in minute amounts. Any drink which contains both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid can contain benzene.

    But now there is more evidence which suggests that sodium benzoate by itself can cause DNA damage. Research from Sheffield University in Britain shows that sodium benzoate, a common preservative in soda pop, pickles, sauces, and many other “food stuffs” has the ability to shut off vital parts of DNA known as the “mitochondria.”

    Mitochondria are the “power stations” inside the cell. According to lead researcher Piper, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: They knock it out altogether.”

    When the mitochondria are damaged, the cell begins to malfunction in a serious way. Conditions such as Parkinson’s, cirrhosis of the liver, and accelerated aging, can be linked to this type of cellular damage.

    Here’s the bottom line. We have no idea how many of these “harmless” artificial ingredients and chemical preservatives in our food can cause disease. Short-term effects are studied in the lab but long-term effects are unknown until the public acts as “guinea pigs” by consuming these chemicals for many years.

    To protect yourself, just avoid soda pop, period. Eat more “real” (unprocessed) food. Look for “sodium benzoate” on food labels and when you see it (as they say on those old TV “Cop Shows”), set the drink down and back away slowly, and no one gets hurt.

     

    Product Acid
    (Low Number=BAD)

    Sugar per 12 oz
    Pure Water 7.00 (neutral)

    0.0
    Barq’s 4.61

    10.7 tsp.
    Diet Coke 3.39

    0.0
    Mountain Dew 3.22

    11.0 tsp.
    Gatorade 2.95

    3.3 tsp
    Coke Classic 2.63

    9.3 tsp.
    Pepsi 2.49

    9.8 tsp.
    Sprite 3.42

    9.0
    Diet 7-Up 3.67

    0.0
    Diet Dr. Pepper 3.41

    0.0
    Surge 3.02

    10.0
    Gatorade 2.95

    3.3
    Hawaiian Fruit Punch 2.82

    10.2
    Orange Minute Maid 2.80

    11.2
    Dr. Pepper 2.92

    9.5
    BATTERY ACID 1.00

    0.0
    Source:
    Minnesota Dental Association *

    The threshold pH for enamel dissolution is 5.5 (and lower)

    		  

     

    Nurse Mark Adds:

    You may be interested to know that our mighty, ever-vigilant, and ever-protective FDA (which we think really stands for “Fleece and Dope Americans”) sets no limits to benzene in any beverages sold in America except bottled water – this according to the FDA’s own website! Unbelievable, but true – the FDA is happy to let the soda pop industry “develop guidance” that it claims will “minimize” (not eliminate, just “minimize“) benzene in it’s products.

    Most (if not all) of the so-called “Sports Drinks” and “Energy Drinks” – especially those labeled as “Diet” and containing artificial sweeteners – are little more than a chemical soup of potential carcinogens and neurotoxins.

    Many of our patients have told us that one of the most difficult things that they have had to do in order to restore their health was to give up their favorite soda pop or other flavored drink. Dr. Myatt searched high and low to find a satisfying and healthy replacement and discovered a product called ZipFizz. This is a powdered drink mixture packaged in tough, convenient little single-serving tubes that add easily to a standard size bottle of water. ZipFizz is an excellent, healthy alternative to sugary sodas and “sports drinks” – perfect to take to work or the office for a healthy break or to send to school with the kids – stop allowing them to poison themselves with tooth-rotting, bone-leaching, cancer-causing junky soft drinks!

    References:

    1.) Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001;357:505–8.
    2.) Soft drink consumption among US children and adolescents: nutritional consequences. J Am Diet Assoc 1999;99:436–41.
    3.) Carbonated beverages, dietary calcium, the dietary calcium/phosphorus ratio, and bone fractures in girls and boys. J Adolescent Health 1994;15:210–5.
    4.) Consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid as a risk factor for the development of hypocalcemia in children: a case-control study. J Pediatr 1995;126:940–2.
    5.) Phosphates and caries. Lancet 1968;i:1431.[letter]
    6.) Beverage ingredients can form carcinogen. Consum Rep. 2006 Oct;71(10):7.
    7.) Benzene in beverages. FDA Consum. 2006 Sep-Oct;40(5):9-10.  http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/506_benzene.htm
    8.) Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health: Expert links additive to cell damage. The Independent, Sunday, 27 May 2007

  • The Bacon and Egg Cure for High Cholesterol

    The Bacon and Egg Cure for High Cholesterol

     

    Is your cholesterol level “too high”?

     

    By Dr. Myatt

     

    We get calls and letters literally every day with questions about how to lower high cholesterol. The self-treatment stories we hear almost always include “I only eat good carbohydrates,” or “I almost never eat eggs.” To which we reply, “well no wonder your cholesterol is high!”

    You see, what you have probably been told about how to lower cholesterol is completely backwards.

    If it was correct, you’d be seeing big results in as little as a month.

    If you’ve been on your cholesterol-avoidance diet for more than a month and haven’t seen dramatic improvements, then you have proof that you are on the wrong track.

    Clearly, it’s time to try a new approach. Cholesterol levels don’t take that long to change.

    I had a telephone follow-up with new patient Kim this week. She’s thrilled because the migraine headaches she originally contacted me about are gone.

    Not reduced, but completely gone, no drugs needed.

    As a side-effect, she’s lost 30 pounds and her once-high cholesterol levels have dropped like a rock, back into the normal range for the first time in many years.

    Her secret?

    She’s following my advice and having either a Super Shake or bacon and eggs on a slice of Myatt Bread for breakfast, and a Myatt Muffin for a snack, along with following the rest of The Myatt Diet.

    It wasn’t an easy “sell” to convince her to eat this way, but now she’s an absolute missionary for The Myatt Diet. (You’ll learn more about the New Myatt Diet in upcoming HealthBeat Newsletters).

    She also tells me that she’s amazed how her food cravings have completely disappeared, so she’s not missing her former junk food, including those “good carbs.”

    If you’ve bought into the prevalent but misguided idea that avoiding cholesterol will lower your cholesterol, here’s a hot “biochemical tidbit”:

    When you lower dietary cholesterol, your liver simply makes more.

    Cholesterol comprises 80% of the cell wall of every cell in your body, so it’s a very valuable commodity indeed – fortunately, your liver knows how to make cholesterol even when you don’t eat it.

    When you stop eating eggs, your liver detects a “cholesterol famine” and cranks out more of this life-giving fat. Your attempts to outsmart Mother Nature will fail. (You can’t get up early enough to fool Mama Nature)!

    Low Cholesterol diets rarely work to lower cholesterol. Eating only “good carbs” rarely works to lower cholesterol (or blood sugar). “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

    Stop struggling with your cholesterol levels and go have some bacon eggs for breakfast!

  • The Surprisingly High Risk Of This Too-Common Condition

    The Surprisingly High Risk of Belly Fat

     

    by Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Have you ever seen a man or woman with normal-sized legs and lower body but with a belly that sticks out like they’re nine months pregnant with triplets? Of course you have!

    I call this a “carbo belly” (some call it a beer belly), and it is the type of fat distribution that puts a person at MUCH higher risk for heart disease.

    It is even possible to be a normal weight for one’s height yet still have a waist diameter that increases heart-risk. In fact, how much belly fat you carry is more important than how fat you are overall.

    In a study done at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, researchers measured and followed the abdominal diameter of 101,765 men and women for nearly 12 years.

    Their study found that men with the biggest bellies had 42 percent higher rates of heart disease than men with smaller waist diameters. Women with the biggest bellies were at 44 percent higher risk. This risk was seen even in normal weight subjects with big bellies.

    The take-home message:

    If you carry excess fat in your gut, you’re at higher risk of heart disease than if you have, say, a big butt. (No extra charge for the rhyme).

    Fortunately, the cure for belly fat is simple: cut down – cut WAY down – on simple carbohydrate foods like breads, cereals, potatoes, rice, corn, and sweets, while you increase your intake of protein, Omega-3 fats and non-starchy veggies.

    A few days per week of The Super Fast Diet will jump-start your belly fat weight loss program and get you out of the heart-disease danger zone fast.

    Please Note:

    Dr. Myatt is an expert in the field of weight loss and treatment of metabolic and overweight-related conditions. For more information  please see her paper, written for medical doctors, called Dietary Ketosis in the Treatment of Overweight, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.

    Additional information about weight loss can be found at The Wellness Club: WEIGHT LOSS – The Skinny on Losing Weight for Good

     

    References:

    1.) Value of the sagittal abdominal diameter in coronary heart disease risk assessment: cohort study in a large, multiethnic population. Am J Epidemiol. 2006 Dec 15;164(12):1150-9. Epub 2006 Oct 13. Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, Oakland 94612, and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, CA, USA.
    2.) Carbohydrate restriction alters lipoprotein metabolism by modifying VLDL, LDL, and HDL subfraction distribution and size in overweight men. J Nutr. 2006 Feb;136(2):384-9. Summary: weight loss which resulted from reduced carbohydrate intake decreased risk for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.