berchman Loc: South Central PA

You're right; arguing about food is like arguing about religion. Even a superficial perusal of the internet will show raging debates among the adherents of various dietary regimens. As far as I know the only regimen that has actually shown regression of blocked and damaged blood vessels via cat scan and blood flow measurement has been the fanatical vegan ultra low fat regimen promoted by Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Ornish. Personally, I would have to have the crap scared out of me by a heart attack to adhere to that diet.

ncshutterbug

There are a zillion "healthy" diets around. I say pick one and stick with it! What works for one is a waste of time for another. I lost almost 100 lbs with hypnosis and low fat. My sister does Weight Watchers. You go guy!

berchman Loc: South Central PA

What's up with latest "Low-Carb High-Fat" diet recommendations from neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter?? Another doc recommending a high-fat, low-carb, gluten-free, meat, egg, sat-fat, & high cholesterol diet to "Save Your Brain". Really, Dr. Perlmutter? I don't think so.

I've been getting questions, specifically about a recent Psychology Today post, "Is Your Healthy Diet Killing You?"

I just answered one reader--& I'm posting my LONG RANTY-ish reply. Perlmutter will be on Dr. Oz on Monday--so I'm sure everyone will be asking the same question. Bottom Line: If you are already eating a high-nutrient dense plant-based diet low in saturated fats, sugar & refined carbs--Perlmutter's message is not for you! But, I'll give him some points! He's not wrong about everything. READ ON:
The Healthy Librarian

Look out! Everyone will likely be jumping onto this bandwagon (especially after Dr. Perlmutter appears on Dr. Oz) because it's a great excuse to load up on fats & meat. Bet he's going to be a BIG BEST-SELLER.

I happen to be eating plant-based no-added oil precisely to protect my brain from the same fate as my parents: strokes & dementia. No thank you, Dr. P. on your meat, oil, eggs, coconut oil, cholesterol, & sat-fat recommendations!

But, look, Dr. Perlmutter's audience is the more than 99.44% of Americans who are ALREADY eating loads of meat, saturated fat, eggs & cholesterol---along with loads of sugar, refined carbs, & restaurant meals--& if they do choose a "whole grain" it's likely to be "whole wheat" (like a big fat bagel) which is the LEAST nutrient-dense of the grains--& he's right, even "whole wheat" is high-glycemic.

Added to which grains should be eaten in their WHOLE INTACT form---not as ground up flour which does give a quick rise to the blood sugar.

CHOLESTEROL CONNECTION: As for cholesterol---our bodies make all the cholesterol we need without eating a speck of animal protein--as long as we aren't blocking that natural process by taking a statin.

Perlmutter is right--we do NEED some cholesterol for our brains & for hormone production---which is one good reason to let our bodies make what we need, without having to disable our natural cholesterol production by taken a statin.

There's balance of how much cholesterol we need. TOO MUCH IS BAD for our cardiovascular system--TOO LITTLE IS BAD FOR OUR BRAINS. Problem is: no one knows exactly what that "just right" amount is, according to Alzheimer expert Dr. Murali Doraiswamy.

Our brains need GLUCOSE--from carbohydrates to function!! Ever notice how crabby people are when they're on a low-carb Atkin's style diet?

WHY PLANT-BASED ROCKS! For those of us on a nutrient-dense plant-based diet--we are already getting all the anti-inflammatory high-fiber benefits we need from a diet extraordinarily high in vegetables & fruit. We don't need what Dr. Perlmutter is "serving up" with his anti-grain, high fat, high animal protein diet.

THE CANCER & ATHEROSCLEROSIS CONNECTION OF A HIGH ANIMAL PROTEIN DIET: Is he also forgetting about the "cancer connection" (especially prostate cancer) that goes along with a high-animal protein diet?

TMAO: And if you need more convincing--look at the recent research from Dr. Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic (N Engl J Med & Nature Medicine 2013 http://www.npr.org/2013/04/12/177029247/red-meats-heart-risk-goes-beyond-the-fat on how a diet high in meat (carnitine) & eggs (choline) causes the gut bacteria of meat/egg eaters to produce a gas known as TMAO that promotes atherosclerosis in the presence of cholesterol. (His test to measure TMAO as a predictor of the risk of death, heart attack & stroke just made the list of the Cleveland Clinic's "Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2014".

Further, take a look at the illustration in the N Engl J Med of what arteries look like on a high-protein, low-carb diet. http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2011/04/ornish.html

ORNISH ON "WHEAT BELLY": When Dr. Dean Ornish recently visited my hospital he was asked about books like "Wheat Belly" which is the same premise as "Grain Brain". His answer: "It's misguided. Refined carbohydrates are bad. Whole grains are great--on so many levels! There's a big difference between the two. It's always easy to demonize ONE FOOD--but, the "whole picture" is far more complicated than that."

Ornish has 30 years of success in preventing & reversing heart disease & early prostate cancer (& now in increasing telomeres), all with a low-fat, plant-based diet, exercise, & stress management. My money's with him.

OMEGA-3's: And yes, he recommends omega-3's. We can get plenty from chia, flax, & algal omega-3 supplements.

RENOWNED ALZHEIMER EXPERT, DR. MURALIY DORAISWAMY: 2 days ago I listened to one of the top Alzheimer specialists in the country, Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, on People's Pharmacy. He explains the connection of dementia & diabetes & the problem with high fat, sugar, refined carbs on the brain. He does NOT recommend coconut oil (its benefit is for people who's brains are so damaged, primarily from diabetes, that they can no long absorb glucose to function--"diabetes of the brain")--& he also happens to be a vegetarian.

GOOD GRAINS: Personally, I do agree with Dr. Joel Fuhrman---I don't avoid, but I don't go overboard with my intake of grains---not because they're unhealthy--but because other foods have more nutrients. I choose sweet or purple potatoes over big fat starchy white potatoes.

Steel-cut oats ROCK--& similar to other complex carbs like barley, they have both soluble & insoluble fiber, as do all the legumes (BEANS ROCK, TOO)--which feed the healthiest of gut bacteria--prevent insulin spiking, which is what harms the brain.

Dr. Murali Doraiswamy's interview: http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/09/28/919-avoiding-alzheimers-disease/

I also refer you to Dr. Neal Barnard's recent book presenting the case for a plant-based diet to protect the brain: "Power Foods for the Brain". His case is the polar opposite to Dr. Perlmutter's.

THE HIGH COST of MEAT IN $$$ & to the ENVIRONMENT +
THE SCARCITY OF TOXIN FREE WILD SALMON: Lastly, the grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs & poultry, & toxin-free wild salmon that Perlmutter glibly recommends doesn't come cheaply, doesn't exist in the quantities that can feed the majority of the population, & has an environmental price tag.

I'm sticking with my high-nutrient anti-inflammatory diet that minimizes sugar, refined carbs as much as possible--& even keeps to whole grains (except for oats & barley) to a small portion of what I eat. Emphasis is on greens, all vegetables, legumes, lower sugar fruits like berries, citrus, grapes, apples, pears & stone fruits. And I include EXERCISE (aerobic & muscle-building strength-training) as one more defense against DIABETES--a significant contributor to dementia.

Final parting thoughts. Take a look at the illustration & text of "The Save Your Brain Diet" that minimizes FAT, SUGAR, & High-Glycemic Refined Carbs. It tell a different story from Dr. Perlmutter's!