Category: health

High Carb Diets?

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

Most people are familiar with low carb diets such at Atkins or (to an extent) The Zone, and now some people are trying a high carb diet called System S:

The System S Diet turns the high-fat, low-carbs ideal of Atkins on its head, promoting high carbs and sugar to ensure a low-fat diet.

Women are also likely to rejoice at the idea that having a little bit of what we like, such as chocolate and sugar, can equal sustained weight loss. […]

Sugar, especially that in carbohydrates, has fewer calories than fat and also makes you full.

Those on high-fat diets find it takes longer to get the information that they are full. […]

A diet with chocolate and sugar? Now I think I’ve heard everything <g>. And even though carbs might make you feel full more quickly, I found that they’re digested more quickly than protein or fat — which can result in recurring hunger sooner :-/. And corn syrup, in particular, has its own problems — unlike sugar, it doesn’t trigger the stomach hormone ghrelin which tells the body that it’s full.

Low Carb Chips?

Ashley Bischoff1 Comment

The good news: Randy Blaun appears to have invented a low carb chip.

Can there be such a thing as a healthy chip? Randy Blaun, a writer and self-proclaimed foodie living in New York, claims to have invented just that: french fries that have as many nutrients and as much fibre as a serving of broccoli.

Moreover — and this should be of profound interest to the millions following diets such as the high-protein, low-carbohydrate one proposed by Dr Robert Atkins — Ms Blaun’s chips are low in carbohydrates. They have six to eight milligrams of carbohydrates a serving [I presume that “milligrams” is a typo. — Alex], compared with 20-plus in a serving of regular chips. […]

The bad (or silly, depending on your point of view) news? The guy patented his recipe :-/.

Ms Blaun’s patent application, published in June, reveals her secret ingredient: cauliflower.

Cauliflower chips? Well, not just cauliflower. Also egg whites and calcium caseinate, which is derived from milk, and “just enough potato to make it potato-y”.

I’m not sure what to think of this, though I’ll believe it when I taste it. And if you're confused by someone named “Randy” being Ms Blaun, then that makes two of us :-/.

Low Carb Snacks

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

I setup a Google News Alert for “Atkins” and I discovered this Time magazine article on low carb snacks. I’m not on Atkins, as I find The Zone to be more well-rounded, but I’m still interested in upcoming lower-carb snacks.

Catering to adherents of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, foodmakers are filling out the $40 billion diet industry with alternative versions of their favorite sins, from marshmallows and margarita mix to biscotti and beer. And thanks to increasingly successful formulations of sugar substitutes, many members of this new generation of munchie killers are downright delicious. […]

The second page from the article also lists several low carbs products and how they comapre to their high-carb couterparts. For instance, Michelob Ultra has 2.6g carbs (compared with 13.3g in regular Michelob). But, Michelob Ultra isn't the tastiest of beers, either (it’s at the 0.1 percentile at RateBeer.com).

Trans Fat Labeling Coming by 2006

Ashley Bischoff1 Comment

The FDA has announced a rule that will require labeling of trans fat by 2006:

Trans fats are at least as bad as saturated fat — which is found in milk products, beef and pork — and some scientists think the trans fats are worse. Unlike any other fat, they not only raise the level of low density lipoproteins, bad cholesterol, they may also raise triglycerides and may lower the level of high density lipoproteins — good cholesterol. Last year the National Academy of Sciences said the level of trans fats in the diet should be as low as possible. Even as little as two or three grams of trans fat a day can increase the health risk. A glazed doughnut has four grams of trans fat. […]

That’s right — trans fat is even worse than saturated fat since it lowers “good cholesterol” while raising “bad cholesterol” (saturated fat “only” raises bad cholesterol).

If you’re looking for trans fat in your foods, check for partially hydrogenated ### on the label (trans fat is created when hydrogen is added to oil, solidifying it). Fortunately, many food labels will begin including trans fat prior to the January 1, 2006 deadline.

Marijuana Doesn’t Harm Brain Functions

Ashley Bischoff15 Comments

According to researchers at the University of California at San Diego, smoking marjuana doesn’t permanently harm brain functions. This meta-study of other studies covered 704 cannabis users and 484 nonusers.

The studies tested the mental functions of routine pot smokers, but not while they were actually high, Grant said.

The results, published in the July issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, show that marijuana has only a marginally harmful long-term effect on learning and memory.

No effect at all was seen on other functions, including reaction time, attention, language, reasoning ability, and perceptual and motor skills. […]

The findings weren’t particularly surprising to me, as they anecdotally coincide with what other people have told me. In other news, a drug based on marijuana may help curb brain damage (to be clear, Dexanabinol is a synthetic drug intended to treat traumatic brain injuries).