Family worried eating too much meat and fats

[gm20]

My family keep sending me links related to how eating too much meat and eggs and fats leads to heart disease problems.

(Eg. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/opinion/the-myth-of-high-protein-diets.html)

And I'm not really sure how to field these because I don't really know enough behind it - are these studies all a lie? Do we really just have no idea what is going on in nutrition? Should I actually not be eating so much meat/eggs? It's very confusing trying to stay on track when those closest to you are just concerned that I'm apparently setting myself up for a heart attack or something.

Does anyone know how to address these problems?

[MeadowLily]

You may be really concerned but there are Moderators  who were former vegans/vegetarians who can address these concerns for you.   They can detail their former state of health vs. post Whole 30 lifestyles.   I think it's difficult to come from a vegetarian style background and throw all of that out the window.

 

If you mind your own Whole 30 and leave everyone else out of it, they won't oppress you nearly as much.  Some things are better left unsaid with family members.

 

I say...."Well, you're not the one who has to live in my body."

[jmcbn]

There's a thread here with a link to a recent article showing that the mindset regarding dietary fats & cholesterol is slowly changing.

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/25328-breaking-dietary-cholesterol-isnt-bad/

And another I came across a while back when an aunt tried to tell me my heart was probably in a worse state than hers <rolls eyes>

http://authoritynutrition.com/saturated-fat-good-or-bad/

There'll be a link to bust every link your family send you, and as time goes on more & more people will realise that it's sugar, not fat, that has been causing the rise in cardio vascular disease, high blood pressure & T2 diabetes.

Google:
'is saturated fat bad for me'

'is saturated fat good for me'

'is saturated fat bad for the heart'

etc etc etc, and you'll see for yourself..... and always pay particular attention to who has funded the research as many companies pay to have research articles released that serve only themselves....

Have faith in yourself & a belief in what you are doing.
 

[kirkor]

They are at least 10 years behind in terms of what science knows about this area of diet.  Are you eating in someone else's household?

Best I think is to thank them for their concern and change the subject.

[gm20]

Yes I am still living at home, so eating with my family - hence the concern. I know it is all coming from love, but I guess just have to wait and see and let the results speak for themselves. Thank you for your responses.

[MeadowLily]

Yes I am still living at home, so eating with my family - hence the concern. I know it is all coming from love, but I guess just have to wait and see and let the results speak for themselves. Thank you for your responses.

After all, it's only 30 days.   A Whole 30 does not cause hair loss, bone or teeth loss.  A Whole 30 does not cause heart attacks or strokes.  In 30 days time, you do not suddenly develop an illness or disease. Thirty days are a drop in the bucket. As a husband once told his wife, quit worrying...I can stand on my head for 30 days.  So don't let their concerns become your fear or you might talk yourself out of it before you ever begin.

 

Fear is contagious.

 

And I'm not really sure how to field these because I don't really know enough behind it - are these studies all a lie? Yes.

 

Do we really just have no idea what is going on in nutrition? Melissa and Dallas Hartwig know exactly what's going on.

 

Should I actually not be eating so much meat/eggs? We don't know how you were eating before but you need to follow the template for only 30 days to get the best results and benefits.

 

It's very confusing trying to stay on track when those closest to you are just concerned that I'm apparently setting myself up for a heart attack or something. If you're living at home, there's no risk of having a heart attack or stroke from 30 days of Whole 30 eating.  You're not in a care center...you're still young and very much alive.

 

Does anyone know how to address these problems? Yes.  All of these concerns can be found through a google search.  Ask any question and you'll find your answers.   Type....Whole 30 and your question in your own computer's search engine, Google Chrome or Firefox, etc.

 

So with your family's concerns tabled....what are your reasons for wanting to do a Whole 30?

[AmyS]

You can recommend that your family members joining you in reading It Starts With Food. We do not ask you to go on faith and belief - rather, we ask that you examine the science behind the Whole30 way of eating. The book It Starts With Food explains this in detail, and it includes an extensive reference list for those who want to read more.

[MrsStick]

For the bit about meat/eggs being bad, just point them to this MAINSTREAM article in Time magazine. You can have all the health-oriented studies to prove you right...but most people won't believe something until it's on a mainstream site. And what's more mainstream than Time, the very magazine that made us all stop eating red meat/cholesterol/saturated fats in the 1980s? Did rates of obesity/heart disease/stroke go down after that? NOPE. Time admitted they were wrong and published a whole article about how eating saturated fats won't cause you to have arterial disease (but sugar will!).

 

http://time.com/3705734/cholesterol-dietary-guidelines/

[Beets]

Just send them these recent NYT links and tell them it's ok to move past the 80s, especially when it comes to science.

 

My fave: ed Meat is Not the Enemy

Nutrition Panel Eases Fat and Cholesterol Restrictions

The Government's Bad Diet Advice

 

I saw the one about the myth of the high protein diet. The thing here is you aren't following Atkins. You should be eating a lot of veggies. The template calls for a palm-sized portion of protein and the rest of your plate filled with vegetables. 

 

Some people really have a hard time letting go of the low-fat thing. My in-laws eat low fat everything, skim milk, etc etc. When I eat at their place I walk away from the table starving. Of course they top off the meal with a giant bowl of low-fat ice cream. Blergh. But I don't even enter the food conversation with them. It would be too jarring to change their way of  thinking. 

[MeadowLily]

A just published study comparing the American diabetes association (ADA) diet with a hunter gatherer (paleolithic or paleo) diet, shows far better blood glucose control and improved insulin sensitivity on the paleo diet.

Metabolic and physiologic effects from consuming a hunter-gatherer (Paleolithic)-type diet in type 2 diabetes

Twenty-five patients with type 2 diabetes (50-69 years) were randomly assigned to the paleo (n=14) or ADA diet (n=10). They ate a ramp-up diet for 7 days then the test diet for 14 days.

The Paleo diet consisted of meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruit, vegetables, tree nuts, canola oil, mayonnaise and honey. Foods excluded were dairy products, legumes, cereals, grains, potatoes and products containing potassium chloride. Some foods were not typically hunter- gatherer food: mayonnaise, carrot juice and domestic meat, but contained the general nutritional characteristics of pre-agricultural foods. The diets were divided into three meals and three snacks, all prepared by the research centre kitchen staff.

The diets contained enough calories so patients lost no more than 3 lbs, if they did calories were increased.

The primary outcomes for this study were change in insulin sensitivity and improvements in lipid profiles (total cholesterol, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol). Blood pressure was also measured.

Here is the actual breakdown of diet eaten for the 14 day test period. What is interesting is the the diets were matched for calories and macro-nutrients. Notable is the carbohydrate content for both diets. Not at all low – carbs are around 400 grams per day. Previous studies of paleo diets compared to standard diets were naturally lower in carbohydrates, so this study adjusted for that.

Results: Table from paper

 

Lipids (cholesterol)

There were statistically significant reductions in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol on the Paleo diet . The total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol trended downward on the ADA diet, but only the decline in HDL cholesterol reached statistical significance. The triglycerides trended downward to a greater degree on the Paleo diet than on the ADA diet.

Changes in Insulin resistance

Fructosamine, a marker of blood glucose control reduced by 34umol/l in the paleo group and only 3umol/l in the ADA group. Insulin resistance (IR) improved more in the paleo group, and those with the worse IR at the start improved the most.

The diets were very similar except the source of carbohydrates in the paleo diet was different —from fruits, vegetables and honey. The ADA group  ate rice, bread and pasta as recommended. There was a significant difference in fibre content of the diets —about 35 g/2500 kcal in the paleo diet vs 12 g/2500 kcal in the ADA diet. It is possible the fibre slowed the post-prandial glucose rise and that this was the main driver improving overall glucose control.

There has been criticism that the ADA diet should have been high in whole grain carbohydrates with more fibre. However people following ADA diet recommendations would typically choose similar grains to those provided in this study. The paleo diet is naturally high in fibre when choosing the recommended fruit and vegetables.

Another reason the paleo diet may be more successful than the ADA diet is the type of carbohydrate; fruit and vegetables have starch contained in cells, as opposed to granular starch. This has a beneficial effect on gut bacteria, and recent studies show gut bacteria type is linked to type 2 diabetes.

Microbiota associated with type 2 diabetes and its related complications

Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates promote an inflammatory microbiota, and may be the primary dietary cause of leptin resistance and obesity

If you have type 2 diabetes, simply switching to a Whole 30  of meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruit, vegetables, tree nuts, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, and eating as many vegetables as you can manage is your best bet to manage it.

 

Yes, yes, yes.