Taubes' school of dieting is based on a few principles, most notably the ideas that:
- energy expenditure, exercise, and the amount of calories you take in don't mean anything
- fat gain/loss is entirely predicated on keeping insulin levels as low as possible
- there shouldn't be any carbs in the diet other than green leafy vegetables, and the majority of the diet should be comprised of foods high in saturated fat (e.g. bacon, lard, fatty steak)
I agree with Taubes that controlling insulin is a HUGE factor for fat manipulation, but his whole approach is so fundamentally wrong on a number of levels. First, although I do whole-heartedly agree that the notion of calories in vs. calories out (we'll call it CICO) is relied on way too heavily by dieters--and realistically is only one of the many factors that control fat gain/loss--the fact that he totally disregards CICO/energy expenditure is ridiculous. I don't care how low your insulin is, if you're overeating based on your body's caloric needs and low levels of activity, you will get fat. You couldn't possibly try to convince me that if I ate 10,000 calories per day, albeit all low insulinogenic foods, I wouldn't get fat...I'd say you're clinically insane.
Next, cutting out carbs altogether isn't sustainable and it isn't healthy...look at Atkins. The body and mind need energy to function and perform well on a day-to-day basis--that energy comes primarily from carbs. Cut out refined/simple carbs altogether, but complex carbs and fruit are essential to a healthy lifestyle. It's just not practical or smart to stop eating carbs--your diet would be devoid of so many vital vitamins and minerals, not to mention fiber. I eat plenty of complex, slow digesting carbs and I seem to be doing just fine for myself.
Also, his theory that saturated fat doesn't impact health is completely wrong and has about a google's worth of scientific studies/published research to refute his claim. Everything he says about cholesterol in Part 3 is so idiotic and ludacris...it's complete BS. I agree that total cholesterol levels don't mean much, but the notion that LDL cholesterol doesn't mean anything is absurd. There's also something to be said for the fact that he has no clue at all about what his cholesterol levels are and doesn't want them checked...seriously!? How can you claim something works when you have no proof yourself. Just my 2 cents.
Check out the interviews, they're really interesting and worth watching:
Part 1: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/man-who-thinks-everything-dr-oz-says-wrong-pt-1
Part 2: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/man-who-thinks-everything-dr-oz-says-wrong-pt-2
Part 3: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/man-who-thinks-everything-dr-oz-says-wrong-pt-3
What's your view? Do you agree with me or Taubes, or somewhere else on the dietary spectrum?
I'm not sure who is right, but I want to pass on my story. For years my doctor said my cholesterol was getting too high. About ten years ago I switched to an almost vegetarian diet having a bit of meat occasionally. As my carbohydrates increased so did my weight. My cholesterol got worse and I started to have issues with sugar. Not clinically diabetic, but I had many of the symptoms. My doctor told me that a low carb diet would be bad for me. I stuck with the veg diet and reduced calories and exercised. I was able to stop gaining weight after hitting 280lb at 6'5" tall. I felt terrible. Three weeks ago I decided to try low carb despite my doctor's advice. This was long before I heard of Gary Taubes. My diet before was all fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs. No sugar of white bread as it made my IBS worse. I increased my meat intake and cut the bulk of the bread, pasta, cereal, and grains in general. I didn't go crazy eating fat, but if the meat has a little fat I ate it. The first week was hard, but I was encouraged because I lost 5lbs. The second week was much better and I wasn't really hungry as before. Week 2 I lost another 5 lbs. Week 3 was 5 lbs more, but there are other positive changes. My blood pressure is down 10 points. My heartrate is slightly lower. I'm beggining to get the feeling back in my feet. The general joint and muscle pain is going away. My IBS has disappeared after 35 years and I feel better than I have in years. Does this make Gary Taubes right? Probably not. But clearly in my case Dr. Oz wasn't right either. In the short term this one change is making a huge difference in my life. In two weeks I will go for blood work. It was done right before I started so I can compare. If the new numbers looks better I see no down side. I was doing everything right and heading to the grave. The low carb diet has turned my life around, maybe Gary Taubes isn't 100% right, but it appears he's clearly not 100% wrong.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, congrats on making such a drastic change for the better--that's really encouraging. You should be really proud!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that there are some aspects of both Dr. Oz' and Taubes philosophies that are valid, but neither one is completely right either. It's really important to take components of both, and construct a lifestyle that works best for you.
The one tricky thing about nutrition and dieting is that everyone's body reacts to certain foods and diets differently, so it's really hard to say what's universally "right." Some people can handle carbs and they react well to a diet that consists of fruit and complex carbs--that's me (although the majority of my carbs are from oats and veggies), and others may not--that's you.
I've actually experimented with a diet similar to what Taubes suggests a few years back, really low carbs and high protein/fat. I'm not gonna lie, I felt awful, unhealthy, and I ended up puking a few times. I lost a lot of muscle, my energy levels were really low, and my performance in the gym was straight up terrible. I tried it for a few weeks then threw it out...it didn't work at all for me.
I'd be curious to see how your cholesterol levels have responded to the new diet. Your increase in exercise also shouldn't be overlooked, the decrease in blood pressure/RHR is most likely a result of being more active more so than the change in diet.
Definitely don't take the article as a criticism of all of Gary Taubes' work and his theories on dieting/weight management, it's only based off of what I saw on the Dr. Oz show.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of his books, but I do think he does raise a few interesting points that I'd be really interested in exploring further. I'd have to fully understand his ideas/theories before I could actually give a justified opinion on his work as a whole.
I can see how the interview doesn't fully do Taubes justice, but I still have a really hard time believing a lot of what I heard in the short 15 minute segment. He doesn't believe in total cholesterol as a legitimate indicator of heart disease (which I tend to agree with), but he goes further by saying that LDL isn't an accurate risk factor either. There's something to be said for the fact that LDL is probably the single most widely used gauge of heart disease used by society and the medical community, and it has been for 40+ years.
I don't care if he doesn't believe in LDL, cholesterol or whatever else, and has all the science in the world to back it up...I want real life evidence confirming his ideas. In this case that's with cholesterol levels, LDL, and triglycerides. I'm not seeing it from his end in the interview.
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