Kris Gunnars Shows Major U.S. Diet Changes Over Last Century

Posted on April 27, 2014 | Comments Off on Kris Gunnars Shows Major U.S. Diet Changes Over Last Century

Alleged medical student Kris Gunnars has an article at Business Insider, of all places, that shows graphically many of the major U.S. dietary changes of the last hundred years or so. In this case, transmogrification may be a better term than mere  “changes.” I suspect much of the Western world has evolved in similar fashion.

You need to read the article and ponder the graphs if you question why we have so much obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and perhaps cancer. You’ll see dramatic increases in consumption of added sugars, industrial seed oils (esp. soybean), soda pop and fruit juice (added sugar!), total calories, and fast food. You’ll see how much we’ve increased dining away from home. Butter consumption is down drastically, but doesn’t seem to have done us much good, if any.

Sugar cane

Sugar cane

 

There’s fairly good evidence that coronary artery disease (CAD; the cause of most heart attacks) was very prominent between 1960 to 2000 or so, but it’s been tapering off in recent years and didn’t seem to be very common 100 years ago. Understand that you can have it for 20 years or more before you ever have symptoms (angina) or a heart attack from it. In fact, the disease probably starts in childhood. I’ve always wondered about the cause of the CAD prevalence trends, and wondered specifically how much of the long-term trend was related to trans-fat consumption. But I’ve never been able to find good data on trans-fat consumption. Kris came up with a chart of margarine consumption, which may be a good proxy for trans-fats. Another of his charts includes shortening, a rich source of trans-fats and probably also a good proxy. Shortening consumption increased dramatically from 1955 until dropping like a rock around 2000.

The timeline curves for trans-fat consumption (by proxy) and prevalence of coronary heart disease seem to match up fairly well, considering a 20 year lag. In the early 1990s, we started cutting back on trans-fats, and here we are now with lower mortality and morbidity from coronary artery disease. (CAD is very complex; lower rates of smoking surely explain some of the recent trend.)

Read the whole enchilada. Very impressive. Highly recommended.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Muscle-Bound Action Heroes: Is it Mother Nature, CGI, Genetics, or Juice?

Posted on April 27, 2014 | Comments Off on Muscle-Bound Action Heroes: Is it Mother Nature, CGI, Genetics, or Juice?
exercise for weight loss and management, dumbbells

This ain’t cuttin’ it, dude

Logan Hill has an interesting article in Men’s Journal on how actors get that muscled-up lean action hero body. He talks about how an impressive physique is almost a basic requirement to make it in Hollywood these days. It’s not like the good old days. Note the difference between the James Bond of Sean Connery and Daniel Craig (photo at the link). A quote:

Even the type of muscle has changed. “In the Eighties, it was the bigger, the better,” says director Tim Burton. “Think of that shot from Rambo of Sly holding the machine gun and the veins in his forearms bulging.” Actors rarely bulk up like that anymore; they’re all trying to be Tyler Durden.

Every trainer interviewed for this story cited Brad Pitt’s ripped physique in 1999’s Fight Club as an inspiration. Previously known for his lush, golden hair, the girls’ guy Pitt was reborn as Durden, a sinewy, predatory man’s man. “Brad Pitt in Fight Club is the reference for 300,” says Mark Twight, who trained the cast for 300. “Everyone thought he was huge, but he was, like, 155 pounds. If you strip away fat and get guys to 3, 4 percent body fat, they look huge without necessarily being huge.”

To get that hungry look, trainers stress calorie-conscious diets and exercises that pump up fat-burning metabolism. No actor can gain 10 pounds of muscle in a six-week period, but he can lean down to reveal the muscle underneath. Trainers talk about the “lean out” – the final, preshoot crash period when actors drop their BMI (body-mass index) to its bare minimum and unveil muscle definition.

You’ll read about insane commitment to exercise, high-protein diets, rapid weight loss and muscle definition, HGH, anabolic steroids, and even insulin. I imagine a $6 million paycheck is a good motivator.

Read the whole enchilada.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Update September 12, 2014: Mike at Danger and Play says the Logan Hill article is malarkey. You decide. When Mike refers to “gear,” think anabolic or androgenic steroids.

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Franziska Reviews Metabolic Syndrome

Posted on April 26, 2014 | Comments Off on Franziska Reviews Metabolic Syndrome

Dietitian Franziska Spritzler has a great article on metabolic syndrome, which affects one in six Americans. She mentions yours truly. Wherever you live, Franziska is available for consultations. Ain’t the innernet wonderful?

-Steve

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Coffee Might Lower Your Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

Posted on April 25, 2014 | Comments Off on Coffee Might Lower Your Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

NBC News has the story. I can’t see many folks starting a coffee habit or drinking more just for this potential benefit. Lower your T2 diabetes risk more reliably by keeping your weight under control, exercising regularly, and it may help to limit concentrated sugars and refined grain products. 

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How to Make a Super Salad

Posted on April 25, 2014 | Comments Off on How to Make a Super Salad
diabetic diet, Paleobetic diet, diabetes,

You won’t be able to eat this in one sitting if you’re small or sedentary

This huge salad is a full meal. It fills a 10-inch plate (25 cm). Since it contains five vegetables, you should feel virtuous eating it.

Ingredients:

8 oz (230 g) raw chicken breast tenderloin (it cooks down to 5 oz)

1/4 cup (60 ml) canned mandarin orange wedges (6-7 wedges) (if you can only find these packed in syrup or light syrup, add 3 g to the digestible carb count below)

1/4 tsp (1.2 ml) lemon pepper seasoning

4 oz (110 g) hearts of romaine lettuce

1 oz (30 g) baby spinach

2.5 oz (1/4 cucumber or 70 g) cucumber, peeled and sliced into discs

2 oz (60 g) California avocado, peeled and seeded, cut into wedges (1/2 of standard-sized avocado)

3 oz (85 g) fresh tomato (a typical roma or small tomato)

1 oz (30 g) walnuts

6 tbsp (90 ml) extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) vinegar (we used balsamic)

1/4 tsp (1.2 ml) salt

1/4 tsp (1.2 ml) fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp (1.2 ml) crushed dried rosemary

diabetic diet, Paleobetic diet, low-carb, seasoning

Like Deborah on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” my wife often makes “lemon chicken.” Have you seen the cost of steak lately? Jeez…for what the supermarket’s asking, it’d be cheaper to go to a steakhouse!

Instructions:

First cook the chicken breast over medium heat in a skillet. If you think the meat will stick to the pan, add a smidgen (1/2 tsp or 2.5 ml) of olive oil to the pan. Don’t overcook or the meat will get tough. It’ll take five or 10 minutes.

While that’s cooking, prepare your vinaigrette. In a jar with a lid, place the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary, then shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Not 21 or you’ll ruin it. You’re done.

If you use a commercial vinaigrette instead, use one that has no more than 2 g of carbohydrate per 2 tbsp. You may have trouble finding that since so many of the commercial guys add sugar.

Place the lettuce and spinach on a plate then add the cucumber, avocado, tomato, cooked chicken, walnuts, and mandarin orange wedges on top. Drizzle two or three tbsp of the vinaigrette over it (nutritional analysis assumes three). Enjoy.

You could easily substitute steak, turkey, cooked salmon, or canned tuna for the chicken.

Servings: 1

(Actually, you’ll have enough vinaigrette left over for one or two more salads or vegetable servings. Save it in the refrigerator.)

Nutritional Analysis:

57 % fat

12 % carbohydrate

31 % protein

710 calories

25 g carbohydrate

10 g fiber

15 g digestible carb

990 mg sodium

1,570 mg potassium

Prominent features: Rich in protein, vitamin A, B6, C, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, pantothenic acid, selenium, and phosphorus.

low-carb diet, diabetic diet, Paleobetic diet, balsamic vinaigrette,

I like this and use it. The lower left corner says “with EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.” In order, the listed ingredients are water, balsamic vinegar, soybean oil and extra virgin olive oil, SUGAR, etc. Which oil would you guess predominates? Two tbsp has 3 g of carb.  BTW, balsamic has the most carbs of all the vinegars.

 

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QOTD: George Carlin on Stupidity

Posted on April 21, 2014 | 1 comment

“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”

—George Carlin

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QOTD: Rippetoe on Squats

Posted on April 17, 2014 | Comments Off on QOTD: Rippetoe on Squats

The below-parallel squat is the best exercise in the entire catalog for whole-body strength, power, balance, coordination, bone density, joint integrity, and mental toughness — good things to develop if you don’t have them.

—Mark Rippetoe

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A New Toy at the Parker Compound: a Vitamix

Posted on April 7, 2014 | 6 comments
Our first creation with the Vitamix

Our first creation with the Vitamix

 

I call it a mixer; my wife calls it a food processor. We’ll be mixing up a storm and reporting at my various blogs. My wife’s been thinking about getting a contraption like this for months. She got excited and bit the bullet when she saw a live demonstration at Costco yesterday.

Almost immediately out of the box, my wife threw in a couple handfuls of ice, couple handfuls of frozen strawberries, and one and a half bananas. I thought this would be a fruit smoothie, but with the very thick consistency, “Italian ice” might be a better term.

One of our goals is to sneak more fiber, vegetables, and fruit into our kids diets. (Shhhh….don’t tell!)

It's a little noisy, but easily bearable

It’s a bit noisy, but easily bearable

$500 (USD) at Costco, so not cheap. It seems well-made and has a good SEVEN-year warranty!

$500 (USD) at Costco, so not cheap. It seems well-made and has a good SEVEN-year warranty!

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Vegetables and Fruits Once Again Linked to Longevity

Posted on April 3, 2014 | 1 comment

MedPageToday has some of the details.  A quote:

The largest benefits were seen in people who ate seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day compared with those who ate less than one serving, with the higher level of consumption associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.67; 95% CI 0.58-0.78), lead researcher Oyinlola Oyebode of University College London, and colleagues, reported online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Zucchini, roma tomatoes, and spaghetti squash

Zucchini, roma tomatoes, and spaghetti squash

The population under study was English. In addition to lower risk of death, the heavy fruit and vegetable consumers had lower rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Click for the actual research report.

If seven servings a day seems like a lot, note that a typical serving is only half a cup. You’ll get those on my Advanced Mediterranean Diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Recipe: BLT Avocado Wraps

Posted on April 2, 2014 | Comments Off on Recipe: BLT Avocado Wraps
paleobetic diet, paleo diet for diabetics

Ready to roll up and eat

BLT = bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Mmmmm, bacon!

Like other processed meats, bacon is often criticised as being a threat to our health. Might be linked to cancer, heart disease, premature death. But it’s difficult to prove and scientists will continue to debate it for decades. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy bacon in moderation, once or twice a week. If you want to be cautious with your health, don’t go hog-wild with bacon or other processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, and liverwurst.

Bacon is probably better for you—at least if you have diabetes—than many of our traditional breakfast foods like cereal with milk, pancakes, instant oatmeal, bagels, or donuts. Those could shoot your blood sugar up to the moon.

Avocados come in hundreds of varieties. In the U.S., we mainly have California avocados (aka Hass) and Florida avocados. Californians are by far the market leader. They reign at the Parker Compound.

paleobetic diet

California or Hass avocado

paleobetic diet, paleo diet for diabetes

Florida avocado

California avocados are the smaller dark green lumpy-skinned ones. Florida avocados are larger, smoother-skinned, and lighter green. Monica Reinagel has an article comparing the two, with notes on ripening and storage.

Oh, and by the way, avocados are fruits, not vegetables. But you knew that, you smartie.

Ingredients:

1 California (Hass) avocado, raw, medium size (about 4 x 2.5 inches or 10 x 6 cm), peeled and seeded, cut into long strips

6 bacon strips, medium thickness

4 oz (115 g) lettuce (e.g., iceberg, romaine, bibb, or broad-leaf lettuce you prefer)

4 oz (115 g) tomato, raw (this is about one-and-a half roma tomatoes or one medium regular tomato), cut into long strips

1 oz (30 g) pecans (option: substitute your favorite tree nut except for cashews—too many carbs)

Instructions:

Fry your bacon in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Next you’re going to build two wraps. Lay out about two oz (60 g) of lettuce and load it with three bacon strips, half your tomato, and half your avocado. Fold or wrap lettuce edges together and enjoy. Repeat with remaining ingredients. The pecans are for dessert.

paleobetic diet, paleo diet for diabetes

Parker Compound guard dogs waiting for bacon

Number of Servings: 1 (that’s 2 wraps plus nuts)

Nutritional Analysis:

74% fat

12% carbohydrate

14% protein

720 calories

24 g carbohydrate

15 g fiber

9 g digestible carbohydrate

1137 mg sodium

1507 mg potassium

Prominent features: Good source of fiber, sodium, protein, vitamin B6, niacin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, copper, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium.

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