Low-Carb Living

Lesson 4: Nutritional Myths

Protein, Fat, and Cholesterol

Protein. We need protein to build and repair the cells in our bodies. Proteins are composed of amino acids. Only animal foods contain all the amino acids that our bodies need, but cannot produce. Cereal grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes contain some of the amino acids that our bodies cannot produce. However, the proportions of the amino acids in these plant foods differ significantly from the proportions we need. To meat protein needs on a vegetarian diet, the necessary combining of plant protein sources could lead to a rather high-carbohydrate diet.

It is widely believed that protein consumption should be limited in a healthy diet. However, studies of our paleolithic ancestors and of contemporary hunter-gatherers show that diets high in protein (combined with fat and plant carbohydrates) produce healthy people free of the diseases of Syndrome X.

Our paleolithic ancestors consumed about half of their calories from animal foods. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as too much protein as long as you also eat plenty of healthy fat and fruits and vegetables. Adequate protein in your diet enhances your metabolism, reduces your appetite, and lowers your cholesterol level. We will talk later about the role of protein consumption in weight loss.

“While human cranial capacity tripled over the 2.5 million years after H. habilis first appeared, this trend has recently reversed. Since peaking among Cro Magnons and other humans living during the Late Paleolithic, cranial capacity has fallen off about 11%. (Ruff, 1997) This diminution has paralleled a decrease in consumption of animal foods and, consequently, a diminished dietary intake of preformed long chain PUFA, the building blocks necessary for formation of brain tissue.”–S. Boyd Eaton, MD and Stanley B. Eaton III.

Fat. Fats provide over twice as much energy as carbohydrates, yet current nutritional standards view carbohydrates as our primary source of energy. Excess fats and carbohydrates are both stored by our bodies as fat for energy. Fats contain many healthful properties and allow the metabolization of nutrients from other sources.

It is widely believed that diets must be low in fat to be healthy. However, just as all carbohydrates are not created equal, neither are all fats. There are healthy and less healthy types of fat. Mono-unsaturated fats are good for you. Poly-unsaturated fats, omega-6 and omega-3, are good for you when they are consumed in the appropriate ratio of 2:1, or close to that. Saturated fats are the least healthy. Our domesticated meats and grains contain grossly imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratios. Dairy products are largely saturated fat, and are some of the least healthy foods in our modern diet.

“Knowledge on fats has exploded over the last decade and there is a realization in mainstream nutrition that omega 3 fats are critical to good health. It is very important to ensure that you have an adequate intake of these. The low fat diet craze of the 90’s was well intentioned but many people "threw out the baby with the bath-water"– most people reduced omega 3 fat intake as well as other fats, and sometimes even increased omega 6 fats. There is now a realization that the low fat diet theory of the 90’s doesn’t often work (it has about a 6% success rate like most other diets) and that the vast majority of the Western population need to increase their omega 3 intake and decrease their omega 6 intake.”–Dr. Ben Balzer, family physician.

Cholesterol. It is falsely believed that a diet high in animal products will contribute to high cholesterol, which will in turn contribute to heart disease. Despite the claims, science has not proven that cholesterol intake contributes to the development of heart disease. Studies of contemporary hunter-gatherers and of our paleolithic ancestors show that these people whose diets are high in animal foods are free of high cholesterol and the diseases of Syndrome X.

“Evidence linking dietary fat to serum total cholesterol concentrations is incontrovertible: the prime agents are saturated and trans fatty acids. For ancestral humans the cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids constituted about 5% of total energy intake and trans fatty acid intake was almost negligible. For Americans, cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids approach 15% of dietary energy while hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils provide an unprecedented quantity of trans fats (Eaton, 1997).”–S. Boyd Eaton, MD and Stanley B. Eaton III.

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