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Popular Diet Shows Promise for Epilepsy

By On · Add Comment · In anti-convulsant drugs, Atkins Diet, calories, carbohydrates, diets, epileptics, John's Hopkins School of Medicine, low-carb diet, remedy, seizures, sugar, weight loss

Strange thing, diets. What’s touted as a cutting-edge weight loss remedy may actually have benefits extending beyond a slim trim. New reports show that a modified Atkins-like diet may actually decrease the amount of seizures suffered by epileptics. Very interesting, yes…

A study performed at the John’s Hopkins School of Medicine fed 30 epileptic subjects a diet restricted to 15 grams of carbohydrate a day. The rest of their calories came from fats such as eggs, meats, oils and heavy cream. In addition, the subjects were free to eat as much protein and no-carb drinks as they wanted. After one month on the diet, half of the subjects (15) experienced 50% less seizures. Remarkable!

Right now scientist are unsure of exactly what causes the reduction in seizures, but it is good news particularly for epileptics who respond poorly to anti-convulsant drugs. The subjects in the study all had unsuccessfully tried two medications in the past, and were having ten seizures per week on average. The low-carb diet has already been established as a valuable seizure control in children, but researchers wanted to see if the benefits extended to adults as well.

The one negative of the study is that only two-thirds of the participants stuck with the diet for longer than three months, finding it simply “too restrictive”. This is not surprising coming from a culture where carbohydrates make up a large portion of its calorie intake. Putting things into perspective, 15 grams of carbohydrate are:

  • one slice of bread
  • half a round pita bread
  • one small apple, pear, peach, plum, orange, or ½ banana, or ½ grapefruit
  • 2.5 ounces of peanuts (approximately a package)
  • 3 cups of popcorn

And they could only have one of the above…per day! I know, I know–to prevent seizures most everybody would say they’d do anything. But if you’ve never tried to eat that little carbohydrate, you don’t know how hard it can be. Without a doubt, it’s still way worth the effort; but I’m sympathizing anyway–I’ve changed enough habits to understand the challenge. I guess it just comes down to prioritizing one’s values.

I think the most important thing we can all pull out of this is to remind ourselves how carbohydrate-heavy (read: sugar) our western diet is. If you want to get the most from your health, start cutting down the carbs and sugar now, while you’re still healthy. And definitely don’t start the habit with your children. These eating patterns are learned behaviors; they can certainly be unlearned, but much easier to not learn them in the first place. We all need carbs, no doubt; but we definitely don’t need them to the excess that many of us consume. So be smart–chill on the carbs a bit; you’ll do wonders for your health as a result.

Fiber-Netics

By On · Add Comment · In Atkins Diet, fiber, grains, pancreatic cancer
Researchers in San Francisco have found that eating fiber-rich foods can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer significantly. By increasing the amount of grains one eats, one can lower the chances of developing this fatal cancer by 40%. Just another knock against long-term Atkins dieting.

Pancreatic cancer is no joke, as few people survive it. This cancer is more common in men, especially smokers, but it can also be caused by long-standing periodontal disease (floss, people, floss). Knowing this, doesn’t it stand to reason that adding a couple of apples to your daily diet might be sound?

Fiber is the undigestible part of grains and vegetables–like broccoli, brown rice, carrots, lentils, millet, and quinoa to name just a few–which essentially scrape the walls of the digestive tract removing stuck-on food and debris (lay off the debris, rascals). It certainly doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out the benefits of eating this stuff.

Personally, I eat an apple a day. Boy, does it root the ol‘ roto. Since you probably aren’t interested in my expounding on this, suffice it to say that an apple a day rolls the debris away quite nicely, indeed.

Here’s the kicker, though: The benefits of fiber do NOT extend to many popular heated breakfast cereals, researchers found. In fact, eating a diet high in packaged hot cereals actually increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. You don’t say? Thus, eating Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, Quaker Instant Grits and other packaged crapola on a regular basis might actually be worse than eating no fiber at all. Hmm…interesting. I think I read something like that in The Six Keys To Optimal Health—great book, read it when you get a chance.

Here’s a great webpage that ranks the best and worst of hot breakfast cereals. I think if you’re going to eat a hot cereal, make it yourself from fresh, whole ingredients. All health food stores sell oats and other cereal grains in bulk, as well as natural honey, and nuts and other good stuff. I’m sure that once you get the hang of making the real deal, you won’t go back to the other junk. Check out how this chick, Vanessa, cooks hers up. Yum. Enjoy your fiber.

Smart Food

By On · Add Comment · In Atkins Diet, carbohydrates, cognitive function, diet, high carb, lose weight, low carb, mood, South Beach Diet

Which diet is better? A low carb, high protein diet like Atkins or South Beach? Or a high carb, low fat diet–the type pushed by the sponsors of the food pyramid? Well as far as weight loss is concerned, you know my opinion–calories are calories. So, either way, you’ll gain weight if your calorie intake is greater than what you burn.

But one thing we know for certain: Diets that are higher in carbohydrates seem to fare better for those involved in intense mental activity. And now we’ve got further evidence. Recent research shows that, although both low carb, low fat and high carb, low fat diets help people lose weight, the latter will actually help increase cognitive processing. That is, high carb diets help the brain work faster.

Yup, you all knew that right? Glucose–a carbohydrate–is the only fuel suitable for the brain; therefore, carbohydrate is essential. In the study, overweight and obese men and women were fed either a high carb or low carb diet for eight weeks. The researchers then looked at mood and cognitive function (through intelligence and reasoning tests). Mood was not affected by the amount of carbohydrate consumed, but those eating more carbs solved problems faster.

I find this important information because I am often asked what I think about the low carb diet. My standard answer: Eat everything in balanced moderation, and increase carb or protein depending on your activities. Working hard at the office? Increase your carbs a little. Fruits are best, but grains are good too; just don’t make Pringles your carb of choice (well, OK, have a few). Working out a lot? Increase your protein intake. Try nuts, cheese, turkey meatballs, chocolate milk (yes, it’s good too…in moderation), or whatever floats your boat. All this information, and more, is in my soon to be released book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health. Just follow basic principles and forget the fads, man. Fads come and go (remember food combining and Fit for Life?), but principles are forever. So be smart and eat well. It doesn’t have to be rocket science.

 

Which One Is The One?

By On · Add Comment · In Atkins Diet, burn, calories, diet, exercise, fitness, Jenny Craig, South Beach, supplements, The President's Council on Physical Fitness, The Zone, weight loss, Weight Watchers

Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig – which diet is the best? Well, if you listen to the latest flavor-of-the-month diet guru, then their diet is the best. Want to know one of the quickest ways to riches – write a diet book, open a weight loss clinic, or market your trim slim miracle supplements to a desperate culture. That’s it – instant millionaire.

Just ask Dr. Phil. Or Kevin Trudeau. Ask them about the biggest scam “they don’t want you to know about”. Yup, Dr. Phil discontinued his weight loss program – guess he wanted to keep some sort of credibility. The other guy? He doesn’t care. Trust me – he doesn’t care. To quote Mr. Trudeau, “It’s always about the money.” Uh huh, yeah, whatever.

Here’s the skinny: To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. To gain weight, you need to take in more calories than you burn. To break even, your calorie intake must equal exactly what you burn. Simple mathematics.

Yes, some diets work for some people. But no diet works for all people. And according to a recent study, many diets work about the same – which is, not very well. Never thought I’d do it, but if I’ve got to endorse a diet, it would be Weight Watchers. Their protocol is to control, or watch, the amount of calories one takes in on a daily basis. Duh! Makes sense to me. And…they offer coaching and support, something I think is absolutely essential.

You can’t do it without exercise either. There are metabolic reasons for this – you can read about them in detail in my upcoming book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health -but suffice it to say that without a fitness routine to help you burn calories, you won’t find success by dieting alone.

See what the The President’s Council on Physical Fitness has to say about it.

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