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New Zealand Paleo, Primal, Hunter Gatherer diet people – I need your help
Hi all,
I am currently writing a paleo guidebook, with specific tips for New Zealanders following a paleo style diet.
It’s close to being finished. As well as how to information, it has a number of useful things like my omega 3, omega 6 charts, as well as protein and carb charts of paleo foods. There are tips for all situations, eating out, emergency food from gas stations, holidays, parties, etc.
I’m hoping the booklet will be a valuable addition to other paleo how-to books out there, but specifically useful for Kiwi paleo people.
(My last book – Zone tips for NZ was very successful, so I’m using this as a template for my paleo guide.)
Specific information that I would like you all to help me with is:
Very simple and yummy meal ideas, that are in line with Kiwi tastes, family favourites, meals that kids will eat too.
Lunch box ideas for children
Resources: Organic butchers, farmers markets, online shops etc, anywhere you can find food or items that fit in with a paleo lifestyle.
Paleo on a budget
Medical Doctors or other health practitioners that are paleo friendly – or who you have found to be very good and you’d like others to know about them.
Any tips that you think others will find useful to live a paleo lifestyle – eating, exercise, sleeping, avoiding toxins in your environment etc.
I will also add resources to this site, so they will be available to everyone.
Email me directly or post to the comments below.
You can email me direct here juliannetaylor@xtra.co.nz
Please pass this on to anyone that might be able to help.
Anyone that send me a tip will get a free PDF copy of my NZ paleo guidebook when I’ve finished it.
Thanks in anticipation!
Paleo – in one sentence?
My son, who is 13, a little dyslexic with a mind that is constantly whirring with ideas, likes to chat at bedtime. After reading another chapter of Steve Jobs biography last night, (I read aloud, we’re both enjoying the book) he was giving me a rundown of his thoughts and ideas from the day. (That’s him on the beach above, when he was little, pulling a load of sand ‘cannon balls’ back to his fort)
“Mum! I’ve just noticed something! Did you know that humans are the only animal on the planet that don’t eat food straight from their natural environment?
Wow, I should write a book, I wonder if anyone else has noticed this?”
Eat food straight from your environment
Could it get any simpler than this?
Study: Chocolate cake with breakfast leads to better weight loss than low carb diet over the long term
This study was in the news today, I just had to post it – because it is very interesting. Food for thought. Cake at breakfast with protein led to greater weight loss, significantly more over the long-term for clinically obese people, in a 32 week study. The difference was not in the short-term, but in the second half of the study; 16 – 32 weeks.
Is it the extra carbs at breakfast? (with the protein.)
Is it a bigger meal to start the day?
Is it being able to have food that is usually denied when on a ‘diet’?
Having a treat first thing in the morning leads to less desire for treat food later on?
Having a treat / or is it more carbs with one meal each day leads to greater fat loss in the long run?
Having carbohydrates with breakfast suppressed grehlin far more, is this a key to appetite control and eating less for the rest of the day?
Is this more evidence that having some carbs is better than very low carb?
Top Off Breakfast with — Chocolate Cake?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A full breakfast that includes a sweet dessert contributes to weight loss success, say TAU researchers
When it comes to diets, cookies and cake are off the menu. Now, in a surprising discovery, researchers from Tel Aviv University have found that dessert, as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight — and keep it off in the long run.
They key is to indulge in the morning, when the body’s metabolism is at its most active and we are better able to work off the extra calories throughout the day, say Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz, Dr. Julio Wainstein and Dr. Mona Boaz of Tel Aviv University‘s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Diabetes Unit at Wolfson Medical Center, and Prof. Oren Froy of Hebrew University Jerusalem.
Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term, explains Prof. Jakubowicz. Adding dessert items to breakfast can control cravings throughout the rest of the day. Over the course of a 32 week-long study, detailed in the journal Steroids, participants who added dessert to their breakfast — cookies, cake, or chocolate — lost an average of 40 lbs. more than a group that avoided such foods. What’s more, they kept off the pounds longer.
The scale tells the tale
A meal in the morning provides energy for the day’s tasks, aids in brain functioning, and kick-starts the body’s metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance. And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, explains Prof. Jakubowicz. While the level of ghrelin rises before every meal, it is suppressed most effectively at breakfast time.
Basing their study on this fact, the researchers hoped to determine whether meal time and composition impacted weight loss in the short and long term, says Prof. Jakubowicz, or if it was a simple matter of calorie count.
One hundred and ninety three clinically obese, non-diabetic adults were randomly assigned to one of two diet groups with identical caloric intake — the men consumed 1600 calories per day and the women 1400. However, the first group was given a low carbohydrate diet including a small 300 calorie breakfast, and the second was given a 600 calorie breakfast high in protein and carbohydrates, always including a dessert item (i.e. chocolate).
Halfway through the study, participants in both groups had lost an average of 33 lbs. per person. But in the second half of the study, results differed drastically. The participants in the low-carbohydrate group regained an average of 22 lbs. per person, but participants in the group with a larger breakfast lost another 15 lbs. each. At the end of the 32 weeks, those who had consumed a 600 calorie breakfast had lost an average of 40 lbs. more per person than their peers.
Fig. 2. Body weight by Diet Intervention Group. The p-value is for general linear model repeated measures comparisons. HCPb = energy-, carbohydrate- and protein-enriched breakfast diet group, white squares: □ LCb = low carbohydrate breakfast diet group, black squares: ■.
Fig. 3. Ghrelin suppression after breakfast meal challenge at baseline, Week 16 and Week 32 by diet intervention group. The p-values are for GLM repeated measures comparison by group. HCPb = energy-, carbohydrate- and protein-enriched breakfast diet group, white squares: □ LCb = low carbohydrate breakfast diet group, black squares: ■.
Realistic in the long run
One of the biggest challenges that people face is keeping weight off in the long-term, says Prof. Jakubowicz. Ingesting a higher proportion of our daily calories at breakfast makes sense. It’s not only good for body function, but it also alleviates cravings. Highly restrictive diets that forbid desserts and carbohydrates are initially effective, but often cause dieters to stray from their food plans as a result of withdrawal-like symptoms. They wind up regaining much of the weight they lost during the diet proper.
Though they consumed the same daily amount of calories, “the participants in the low carbohydrate diet group had less satisfaction, and felt that they were not full,” she says, noting that their cravings for sugars and carbohydrates were more intense and eventually caused them to cheat on the diet plan. “But the group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day.”
Ultimately, this shows that a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, Prof. Jakubowicz concludes.
Journal Reference:
- Daniela Jakubowicz, Oren Froy, Julio Wainstein, Mona Boaz. Meal timing and composition influence ghrelin levels, appetite scores and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults. Steroids, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2011.12.006
Abstract
Background
Although dietary restriction often results in initial weight loss, the majority of obese dieters fail to maintain their reduced weight. Diet-induced weight loss results in compensatory increase of hunger, craving and decreased ghrelin suppression that encourage weight regain. A high protein and carbohydrate breakfast may overcome these compensatory changes and prevent obesity relapse.
Methods
In this study 193 obese (BMI 32.2 ± 1.0 kg/m2), sedentary non diabetic adult men and women (47 ± 7 years) were randomized to a low carbohydrate breakfast (LCb) or an isocaloric diet with high carbohydrate and protein breakfast (HCPb). Anthropometric measures were assessed every 4 weeks. Fasting glucose, insulin, ghrelin, lipids, craving scores and breakfast meal challenge assessing hunger, satiety, insulin and ghrelin responses, were performed at baseline, after a Diet Intervention Period (Week 16) and after a Follow-up Period (Week 32).
Results
At Week 16, groups exhibited similar weight loss: 15.1 ± 1.9 kg in LCb group vs. 13.5 ± 2.3 kg in HCPb group, p = 0.11. From Week 16 to Week 32, LCb group regained 11.6 ± 2.6 kg, while the HCPb group lost additional 6.9 ± 1.7 kg. Ghrelin levels were reduced after breakfast by 45.2% and 29.5% following the HCPb and LCb, respectively. Satiety was significantly improved and hunger and craving scores significantly reduced in the HCPb group vs. the LCb group.
Conclusion
A high carbohydrate and protein breakfast may prevent weight regain by reducing diet-induced compensatory changes in hunger, cravings and ghrelin suppression. To achieve long-term weight loss, meal timing and macronutrient composition must counteract these compensatory mechanisms which encourage weight regain after weight loss.
Highlights
► Diet-induced weight loss results in compensatory changes that encourage weight regain. ► Breakfast composition may overcome the obesity-related defect in ghrelin suppression. ► Diet induced increase of ghrelin, appetite and cravings were prevented by enriched breakfast. ► Enriched breakfast may be a strategy to maintain weight loss and prevent weight regain over time.
For more diet and nutrition health news from Tel Aviv University, click here.
Keep up with the latest AFTAU news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AFTAUnews
Great post here go over and read it: ‘The winding path of paleo’
http://paleodietnews.com/4453/the-winding-path-of-paleo/
An accurate and humourous look at paleo dilemmas
A new experiment: Dr Wahls' super-nutrient paleo diet, 9 cups veggies a day
I’ve just finished reading “Minding My Mitochondria: How I overcame secondary progressive multiple sclerosis” By Terry Wahls, MD
If you haven’t already see the viral video of Dr Wahls talking about her reversal of Multiple Sclerosis, you must, it is inspiring.
As a result of watching her talk I couldn’t wait to read her book to get more detail on her diet and other therapies that she used to succesfully reverse her disease.
Dr Terry Wahls is a medical doctor who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2000. By 2003 it was reclassified as secondary progressive MS. This typically responds poorly to treatment. Dr Wahls had access to the very best care and drug treatments available, and continued to deteriorate. She was told that any function lost as the disease progressed would never return.
By 2003 Dr Wahls needed a cane to walk and shortly after needed a wheelchair most of the time. At this point she started researching why her body was failing and what she could do about it.
She distinguished seven factors and their inteactions that are likely play a role in the development of MS:
1. DNA (Your genetic inheritance)
2. Infections
3. Toxin exposures (eaten, inhaled or absorbed through the skin)
4. Micronutritent intake
5. Hormonal balance
6. Allergies or sensitisation to food
7. Stress level (physical, psychological, and spiritual)
Of these only our DNA cannot be changed, and prior impact of infections may cause ongoing issues, however Dr Wahls looked at how she could impact all the other factors.
It is interesting how we put so much weight on DNA when as Dr Wahls noted – if you get the same seed and plant one in a nutrient rich soil and one in nutrient depleted, you get 2 completely different plants. We must put more weight on the nutrient content of our diet to support maximum health.
Dr Wahls researched what our diet might need for maximum support of both our mitochondria and brain cells, and what food we would need to eat to get those nutrients.
Looking after your mitochondria
Mitochondria are the tiny organelles inside our cells.
Numerous functions happen here – one of the main is producing adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) from the food we eat primarily fats and sugars. ATP is the energy unit that our body runs on, it drives the creation of new components like proteins and anti-bodies. It provides energy for all the cells in our body. Some cells have a high concentration of mitochondria because they require a lot of energy. These cells are the brain, retina, heart, tongue, liver and then muscles.
In order to convert glucose into ATP the mitochondria require many other substances to work as catalysts or co-factors to facilitate reactions in each step of the conversion process, for example vitamins riboflavin (B2), niacinamide (B3), and the mineral magnesium. Co-Q10 is required in the electron transfer chain. Antioxidants must be present to stabilise the reaction by-products (free radicals) otherwise they damage cellular tissue.
Where do we get these nutrients? From our food. You can imagine that if we have a nutrient deplete diet, our mitochondria simply cannot process glucose properly and the free radical by-products will cause ongoing damage to cells and proteins, causing ill health, accelerating the aging process, increasing the risk of cancers, auto-immune disease and other degenerative diseases.
The richest sources of anti-oxidants come from richly coloured fruit and vegetables. Different colours represent different types of anti-oxidants. The cabbage family are rich in B vitamins, needed to properly convert glucose to ATP.
Looking after your brain and nerve cells
We have around 1 billion brain cells. Brain cells require a lot of ATP for energy, and hense they contain many mitochondrion.
Part of the nerve cell that is damaged in people with MS is the myelin sheath, a fatty electrically insulating layer along the axon. Myelin is about 70% fatty acids and Omega 3 is a major building block.
Messages are passed from one nerve cell to another via neurotransmitters, which are made from building blocks such as amino acids.
Dr Wahls notes two proteins that cause problems for the nervous system. One is gluten which can sometimes cause severe neurological dysfunction. The other is glutamate, a neurotransmitter which in excess causes overstimulation. Glutamate is found in many food additives such as mono sodium glutamate (MSG)
A diet that supports mitochondria and brain cells is therefore rich in building blocks, protein (amino acids), essential fats – particularly long chain omega 3, a mass of micronutrients – vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants and polyphenols, and probably a whole lot of other nutrients not yet identified.
Dr Wahls outlines her search and what treatment factors made the most difference for her.
2003 she began the paleolithic diet, she eliminated grains, milk, and legumes. She continued to eat meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, including potatoes, fruit and eggs. over time she went back to eating a little rice and legumes. NOTE: Dr Wahls health continued to decline and in 2007 was in a wheelchair.
In summer 2007, she took a blood test for food allergies, which identified a marked allergy to eggs, pinto beans and milk. She elimintated these.
November 2007, she started a neuro-stim programme.
December 2007 Dr Wahls started an intensive diet, rich with a minimum of 9 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. 4 – 6 cups of cruciferous or onion family vegetables, 3 cups brightly coloured vegetables or fruits.
January 2009 she went back to a writing a food / symptom diary and began the elimination diet with a 4 day rotation of foods. In March 2009, she eliminated all sources of cereal grasses to further restrict gluten exposure.
How was Dr Wahls able to return to walking and cycling from being in a wheelchair?
Dr Wahls outlines what she sees as having made the most impact:
1. Neurostimulation – Nov 2007 – plus exercise, increased muscle strength and size and generated growth factors in the brain, which stimulates repair of myelin and grows new connections between brain cells. She says that prepared her brain to do repair work, and the food made it possible for the brain cells to use the growth factors.
2. Rigorous elimination of foods to which blood tests showed she was sensitive.
3. Greatly increased intake of B vitamins, co-enzyme Q, antioxidants, and organic sulphur with specific food choices. This resulted in a big boost of micronutrients.
4. Switched to eating entirely organic food.
5. She focussed on eating food of every colour each day.
6. Entirely eliminated white potatoes, grains etc., so the amount of insulin her body made each day is low.
7. Kept a food / symptom diary and followed a 4 day food rotation.
She is clear for herself that increasing the nutrient content of her diet had a huge impact on her health. For example she eats 700 – 1000 grams kale each day. She says she notices a decline in energy and mental clarity if she doesn’t eat kale for a few days, but not the same decline if she misses supplements.
Here is an abbreviated outline of foods Dr Wahl eats each day:
3 cups of cruciferous and dark greens
3 cups intensely coloured: 1 cup red vegetables / fruit, 1 cup blue black vegetables / fruits, 1 cup yellow/orange vegetable / fruits
3 cups others including: 1 cup mushrooms / onion family (for organic sulphur), and seaweed for iodine and trace minerals.
(Note: 1 cup = raw vegetables chopped = 1/2 cup cooked, an apple sized fruit, or 2 cups leafy greens)
Include spices and herbs.
Omega 3 rich foods, green leaves and animals fed green leaves, wild fish and seafood. And you could add fish oil.
Eat organ meats once per week
Regular bone broth
Fermented foods or a probiotic
What about supplements as well?
Dr Wahls has an outline of beneficial supplements – I suggest you pick up a copy of her book if you’d like more on these. Magnesium is one she recommends – 500 – 800mg per day.
My experiment: This is a brief outline only of some of her recommendations, however my new experiment is to make a point of eating 9 cups of vegetables per day, from the groups she recommends and see what impact if any it has. Note – my current diet is paleo, I do have a little wine and dairy and the occasional rice cracker and chocolate.
Anyone else like to join me? One other effect Dr Wahls noticed is that her doctor comments on how much younger she is looking! (I’d better head off to find some kale)
These videos are fantastic – I highly recommend you watch them: Dr Wahls talks about the diet she uses, and the science supporting it.
http://www.thewahlsfoundation.com/overcome-multiple-sclerosis-food-as-medicine/
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bEikq4x5Abc]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdirdfwWCxA&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-XAasTl6B0&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLW7T1yNbTQ&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJR3nn-KOVM&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pSzRGnrWrg&feature=related]
Okay Paleo people – Carbs do NOT Kill
This post is gonna be short and sweet. It was triggered by this:
Carbs are Killing You
Carbs are Killing You (full size)
And this: Paleo Diet Myth Testimonials
I’m not going to write a long post on this. It’s just something I need to get off my chest.
I just wanted to say that I am really tired of telling people on a paleo diet to eat more carbs. People suffering from what Paul Jaminet outlined as “ glucose or carbohydrate deficiency”
People who start off great on a low carb diet, then start suffering a few days or even months down the track, health starts to go backwards, sleep is poor, energy is low, low libido, recovery from exercise is slow, perhaps even hypothyroid symptoms.They might start to gain fat again, or stop losing weight and get sick easily.
There are numerous examples on other websites / blogs of people that have developed severe carb phobia, suffered from “very low carb is good and carbs can kill” mentality, had health that suffered, ate more carbs, then felt better, had health improvements and even started to lose weight. And there is also much debate about whether or not it is better to be very low carb or not – No I’m not going there.
I’ve always been a more moderate carb eater myself, and whenever I’ve gone very low carb, I’ve never felt my best. I dislike having a high fat diet needed to replace the carbs, and my appetite control is worse on very low carb.
But that’s me, and as I’ve come from the Zone camp to Paleo, and had the experience of seeing the Zone / moderate carb diet work for hundreds of people – short and long term, I guess you could say I’m biased.
Anyhow to re-phrase – this is how I view carbs:
Carbohydrates do not Kill – Excess carbohydrates and sugars from the wrong sources (grains, refined grains, fructose, sugar etc) can cause havoc for many people, especially when combined with other damaging food (industrial vegetable oils, excess omega 6), and lack of nutrients, and may lead / contribute to illness (diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer etc) that could eventually kill them.
Carbohydrates, eaten in the right amount, i.e. is appropriate to an individual’s metabolism and activity level, eaten in a way that does not spike blood glucose in a damaging way, that come from non damaging sources (for that person*), and are combined with a high nutrient diet, are very healthy!
*personally I do not eat rice or potato, but feel great and have stable weight eating other types of starches
Post updated: Feb 14
More carbohydrates and less protein, to kick start weight loss (this from a commenter on Robb Wolf’s paleo forum, who took the advice to up her carbs)
I am THRILLED to report that upping my carbs is the first thing that has helped in over 2 1/2 years! I made the changes I listed, but had up to 2 pieces of fruit a day, instead of the one I have listed. When I want a snack, I have been reaching for veggies or fruit instead of meat, and I am happy to report:
weight down after the weekend (instead of up)
less cravings/more calm hunger (not ravenous)
puffy face in morning gone
not freezing to death
more energy throughout the day and sleeping more soundly at night
hair loss is not better yet, but what do I expect after only 3 days!
These may seem minor things, but they all affect my quality of life in small ways, and all are symptoms of hypothyroid. Mainly I just want to LGN, and losing hair instead of weight was definitely not moving me toward that goal 
. I’m convinced that the very low carb diet was preventing the conversion of T4 –> T3 in my case, and may be true for you too. I’ve been down the low carb rabbit hole — “If I’m not losing on 30 g, then I should go 20g. If I’m not losing on 20g, then I should try for 0 g. If I’m not losing on that, I need to cut calories — and there’s NO WAY I’m adding carbs back in.” I understand the fear of insulin spike and hunger, but there are other forms of metabolic derangement, and 2 1/2 years of unsuccessful dieting eventually became bigger and scarier to me than a grumbly belly. So, I gave the 50-100 g level a try. To be honest, though, I feel like my hunger got more under control after only 2 days of HIGHER carb, than on all of the nearly zero carb days. Go figure!
Anyway, I hope the info helps the low T3 crowd. Good luck!
___________________________________________________________
Fructose can Kill, might be the most appropriate statement:
Sugar blamed for 35 million deaths in the USA
(HT: that paleo guy)
Also a useful discussion from Paul Jaminet on Higher Carb Dieting: Pros and Cons, be sure to read the comments as well.
Is garlic a good remedy for colds and flu?
Harvesting Garlic, from the 15th century manuscript of Tacuinum Sanitatis Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
A recently published study confirms one of our oldest home remedies – garlic improves your immune response to colds and flus.
A long time ago, in my 20′s I lived in London and spent time travelling around Europe. I spent a day with a German woman in Spain, who at the time had a bad cold and ate several cloves of raw garlic between slices of bread. She told me it was a common remedy in Germany for colds. And my Scottish flatmate in London (room-mates for you in USA), used to boil up at least a dozen garlic bulbs and make a thick garlicky soup to treat her colds.
Aged garlic reduces cold and flu severity: RCT data
Supplements of an aged garlic extract may reduce the number of days a person suffers from cold and ‘flu by 61%, says data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Summary
Background & aims
Earlier studies show that dietary bioactive compounds can modify proliferation of γδ-T cells. Garlic contains numerous compounds that have this potential and, in addition, has been shown to influence NK cell function. Our primary aim was to demonstrate that aged garlic extract could modify these immune cells.
Methods
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel intervention study recruited 120 healthy subjects (60 per group) to determine the effect of aged garlic extract supplementation (2.56 g/d) on immune cell proliferation and cold and flu symptoms.
Results
After 45 d of consuming an encapsulated aged garlic extract, γδ-T cells (p = 0.039, n = 56) and NK cells (p = 0.043, n = 56) were shown to proliferate better compared to placebo. After 90 d of supplementation, illness diary entries showed that the incidence of colds and flu, a secondary outcome, were not statistically different; however, the group consuming the aged garlic extract appeared to have reduced severity as noted by a reduction in the number of symptoms reported (21% fewer, p < 0.001, z-test of proportions), a reduction in the number of days (61% fewer, p < 0.001, z-test) and incidences (58% fewer p < 0.001, z-test) where the subjects functioned sub-optimally and the number of work/school days missed due to illness (58% fewer, p = 0.035, z-test).
Conclusions
These results suggest that supplementation of the diet with aged garlic extract may enhance immune cell function and that this may be responsible, in part, for reduced severity of colds and flu.
More articles on garlic studies from Nutra Ingredients
- Meta-analysis supports garlic’s heart benefits
- Fermented garlic may boost heart health: Study
- Aged garlic shows blood pressure improvement benefits: Study
- Garlic and onion may boost mineral absorption
- Garlic oil may reverse diabetes linked heart disease
- Garlic may help protect against osteoarthritis: Study
Available from Shop online (NZ and Australia) Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract, 60 caps. $39.90
Yet another new study shows weight loss doubles on a higher protein diet.
A recent Australian Study found increasing protein to about 30% calories on a calorie reduced diet, resulted in greater weight loss and better appetite control. Sigh. I noticed this effect 16 years ago when I started the Zone diet, and have been teaching it for 14 years or so. Yep it does work, amazing that studies are carried out and publicised 10 or more years after people start to get individual results and talk about them.
I imagine in another 10 years time nutrition science will back the paleo diet a lot more soundly and the media will have articles saying how successful it is for health and fat loss.
The Study was carried out through Th eUniverstiy of Sydney by Dr Helen O’Connor, a dietitian. The Dietitians Society of Australia has done a media release on this study. It almost seems as if the fact that a dietitian carried out a study on high protein diet, and it was found successful, gives it validation. (Or am I just being a little cynical?)
Here then is the Dietitians Society of Australia press release validating a high protein diet as a tool to curb obesity:
Dietitians Society of Australia: Protein and professional advice help curb obesity.
A new Australian study has found the winning combination of regular dietitian sessions and higher protein diets to be effective in helping young women manage their weight.
The University of Sydney study looked at the effect of diet, exercise and behaviour change in overweight and obese women aged 18-25. This is one of the first weight management studies worldwide focussing on young women.
Researcher Dr Helen O’Connor, an Accredited Practising Dietitian, said: ‘Young women are gaining weight at a faster rate than other Australians, and this can affect fertility and long-term health. But despite this, there’s been little research in this age group as to what works to shift that weight.’
Dr O’Connor and her colleagues tracked 71 overweight and obese women aged 18-25 years over 12 months.
‘We randomly placed the women on either a higher-protein or a higher-carbohydrate diet, making sure both diets provided a similar amount of kilojoules, saturated fat and fibre, and included lower glycaemic index foods,’ said Dr O’Connor.
She said all participants met with an Accredited Practising Dietitian at least monthly for dietary advice, and were prescribed an exercise program of 30 minutes daily walking.
‘After 12 months, significant drops in body weight were seen with both diets. Almost two-thirds lost more than five per cent of their starting weight, and 36 per cent lost more than 10 per cent of their baseline weight,’ said Dr O’Connor.
But according to Dr O’Connor, weight and fat loss on the higher-protein diet were close to double that of the higher-carbohydrate diet.
‘The women reported the higher-protein diet kept them fuller for longer and had a positive effect on self-esteem. They also had better iron levels, compared with the women on the higher-carbohydrate diet,’ said Dr O’Connor.
She said another key to the women’s success was getting sound nutrition advice and support from an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
The research comes as the nation’s dietitians launch Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (22-29 January). The idea for the 2012 campaign, an initiative of the Dietitians Association of Australia, is to motivate young Aussie women to kick-start healthy eating and exercise habits, one change at a time.
Some of the barriers Dr O’Connor found to losing weight in this age group include:
• Frequent dieting, including using quick-fix or fad diets
• Drinking too much alcohol and binge drinking
• Regularly eating out and eating take-away foods
• Being less active, often due to the time involved in working and studying.
Despite this, Dr O’Connor said her research proves young women can do well with weight loss.
‘Metabolic rate and ability to exercise tends to be higher in younger women, compared with middleaged and older women. So this is an ideal time to eat well and exercise to look and feel good and to set themselves up for a healthy life,’ said Dr O’Connor.
The latest statistics show one in five (21 per cent) 18-24 year old women are overweight and 15 per cent are obese.
Visit www.healthyweightweek.com.au for more information or to join the Australia’s Healthy Weight Week pledge campaign.
ENDS
For further information or to organise an interview with Helen O’Connor, contact Maree Garside, Dietitians Association of Australia, on 0408 482 581.
Note to Editors: The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is the professional body representing dietitians nationally. Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) is the only national credential recognised by the Australian Government, Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs and most private health funds as the quality standard for nutrition and dietetics services in Australia. For more information visit www.daa.asn.au
The Media Centre on the DAA website contains DAA’s Media Releases and positions on topical nutrition issues in the media.
Background:
About Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (22 to 29 January 2012):
• The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is hosting Australia’s Healthy Weight Week
from 22-29 January 2012. The idea for the 2012 campaign is simple: to motivate young
Aussie women to kick-start healthy eating and exercise habits, one change at a time. Rates of
weight gain in this group are higher than other Australians, and this is affecting fertility and
long-term health.
• AHWW encourages Australians to seek expert nutrition and weight loss advice from an
Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD). APDs work with people to develop personalised
eating plans and support and motivate them to make diet changes for life.
• Visit www.healthyweightweek.com.au for more information and to join the AHWW pledge
campaign.
And here is a short video from morning TV in Australia
Another take on the study that shows a high protein diet leads to more weight gain
Well this study [ Effect of Dietary Protein Content on Weight Gain, Energy Expenditure, and Body Composition During Overeating] has had a lot of press recently, mostly under headlines such as this:
Calories, not protein, matter most for fat gain
For the current study, researchers led by Dr. George Bray from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, recruited 25 young, healthy volunteers to live in their lab and eat a prescribed diet for two to three months.
During the first couple of weeks, the researchers tinkered with participants’ diets to determine exactly how many calories they needed to maintain their body weight.
Then, for eight weeks, they piled on about 1,000 extra calories to those daily diets. One-third of the participants were fed a standard diet with 15 percent of their calories coming from protein, while the others ate low- or high-protein diets with either five or 25 percent of calories from protein.
That worked out to volunteers eating an average of 47, 139 or 228 grams of protein per day.
Those diets made everyone gain weight, but not equally. The low-protein diet group put on about seven pounds per person, compared to 13 or 14 pounds in the normal- and high-protein groups.
But people in the low-protein group stored more than 90 percent of their extra calories as fat and lost body protein (muscle mass), while other participants gained both fat and healthier lean muscle, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. So the groups all gained a similar amount of total excess fat.
Many people interpreted this study in the following way:
If you eat less protein when you overeat – you will end up gaining less weight – which is a good thing. They make no distinction about the type of weight gained, nor do they make any point about the difference in fat gain, between the groups.
Now many of us have taken a closer look at the study – including Dr John Briffa. I.e. looking not just at the total weight – but what makes up the weight gain. If we do that we see an entirely different picture.
[From Dr Briffa's post] Calorie breakdown of the different diets by percentage of protein, carbohydrate and fat were as follows:
- Low protein – 6:42:52
- Medium protein – 14:41:44
- High protein – 26:41:33
Essentially carbohydrate stayed the same, but the ratio of protein to carbohydrate changed.
Here are the actual changes in body composition on the 3 diets:
| weight change | lean mass change | fat mass change | |
| low protein | +3.61 | -0.70 | +3.66 |
| medium protein | +6.05 | +2.87 | +3.45 |
| high protein | +6.51 | +3.18 | +3.44 |
So as you can see – the group that put on the most body fat was the low protein group. This point is completely neglected in most headlines.
Headlines are indeed deceiving – with today’s focus on weight gain or loss, and the twisted headlines, now everyone thinks that it may be really bad eating a higher protein diet - when in fact the study showed you could gain significant muscle tissue, and less fat than a low protein diet.
Another headline in Medline Plus actually described the study in a different (and to my mind more accurate light)
Extra Calories, Low Protein Are Culprits in Weight Gain
…Those who ate low-protein diets gained less weight than the other groups, but the quality of the weight gained was worse, as it came from an increase in body fat. In contrast, the high-protein diets led to changes in lean body mass and helped participants burn calories.
“Most people are overeating and for those people who are, they need to pay attention to what they are putting into their mouths,” said study co-author Leanne Redman, an assistant professor of endocrinology at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. “If you overeat a high-fat, low-protein diet, you may gain weight at a lower rate, but you are gaining more fat and losing more muscle.“
…The make-up of the weight — lean muscle or fat — may be even more important than the number on the scale or body mass index, said Dr. David Heber, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of an editorial accompanying the new study. “Calories count,” he said. He encourages a high-protein, low-fat diet that is rich in colorful fruits and vegetables. “We are talking about lean protein such as white-meat chicken, ocean fish, turkey, egg whites and certain protein powders. Protein is more satiating, and helps reduce appetite,” he explained.
In my opinion the take home point of this study is – if you are going to overeat (to gain weight) eat lots of protein – at least then you’ll gain a decent amount of lean body mass along with the extra fat.
Even an NZ University professor got the message wrong.
Even a University Professor in New Zealand has stated in a National Publication that a low protein diet is better than a high protein one as people gain less weight on it! Yes this I was shocked to see.
Dr Kate Scott in a letter (which Jamie pointed out) to the editor in New Zealand Listener, which was in response to an excellent article by Nutritionist Jennifer Bowden, on the importance of protein intake for weight loss. Losing weight in 2012
You see like the others Dr Scott has not bothered to look at the actual amount of fat gain in the study. If she had bothered, she would have made an entirely different statement – perhaps “a low protein high calorie diet leads to more fat gain (and loss of muscle mass) compared to a high protein diet with the same calories.”
Kate Scott also used this study to ‘prove’ that higher protein diets stop you losing weight. You simply cannot use a study where people are deliberately overfed in order to gain weight, to prove a point about weight loss. She is simply wrong, study after study has shown that a higher protein diet used for weight loss, maintains lean mass, gives superior appetite control, and in this way helps those who are overweight eat less and lose it more easily.
I decided to email Ms Scott, and put it to her that she misrepresented the study she quoted, here is part of her reply to me:
“The study groups differ little in the amount of body fat they put on. Where they differ is in the fact that the two higher protein groups put on additional kilos in muscle. It is still extra weight. Recall that the Listener article was about whether eating more protein would lead to greater weight loss than eating less protein. Clearly, according to that study, it does not.”
But I’m distracted!
What I actually wanted to look at when I started writing this post was the amount of protein per kg per day that allowed people to gain a remarkable 3 kg of lean mass in just 8 weeks!
So I’ve added some further information into the table:
So if you were to eat 0.47 gram protein per kg per day – you lose muscle mass. At 2.33 grams per kg or 1 gram per pound – you gain mass on a high calorie diet. So the formula that many in the fitness world subscribe to of not less than 1.0 gram per lb, seems to be a good guideline if you want to gain mass. However, if you also want to lose fat, excess carb calories as in this study would not be a great idea. I’d suggest around 100 grams a day for most people. Less that this and you will likely use some of the protein to meet glucose requirements.
NZ Nutrition policy favours the food industry – not public health
This, just in yesterday’s news is rather sobering. In 2006, the NZ government asked for submissions for an inquiry into Obesity and Type 2 diabetes.The resulting policy changes (or lack of them) clearly favour the food industry rather than public health submissions.
How fat are we?
New Zealand like other countries is experiencing a rapid increase in both. 28% of adults are now obese, up from 18% in 1997. 21% of children are now overweight and 8% are obese. (Source) 142,000 people have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. (NZ Population 4.4 million) This is a 35% increase since 2001 for Type 2 diabetes. The Ministry of Health has estimated that 80,000 people have Type 2 diabetes who have not yet been diagnosed and a further 400,000 people are at risk. (Source)
So the government decided to hold an inquiry with a view to changing policy. However despite a mix of submissions from both food industry and public health groups the resulting policy changes heavily favour the food industry.
Nutrition policy favours food industry – not public health
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
The national nutrition policy formulated by Labour and National-led Governments favours the food industry over public health according to new research from the University of Otago, Wellington.
The new findings result from a study of the 313 submissions to the Health Select Committee Inquiry into Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes held in 2006. This study compared the positions taken by submitters from the food industry and public health groups, such as the National Heart Foundation.
These positions were then compared with the 2007 Labour Government’s response to the committee’s recommendations and the resulting national nutrition policy.
The research focused on 19 recommendations in four areas of nutrition policy: the national obesity strategy; regulation of the food industry; regulation of marketing and advertising; and school environments.
The research found that the Labour Government supported the food industry position in 13 of the 19 recommendations, against 5 where they supported the public health position. Importantly, the Government sided with industry in rejecting key committee recommendations for front-of-pack labelling and restrictions on TV advertising of unhealthy food. Only in the area of school environments did the Labour Government agree with the public health position by requiring schools to sell and promote only healthy foods.
This school nutrition policy was subsequently overturned by the National-led Government, suggesting a strengthening of industry’s influence on our national nutrition policy, says study lead author Dr Gabrielle Jenkin.
“Allowing schools to profit from the sale of unhealthy foods to their students is personally concerning to me as a parent, and should send alarm bells to other parents,” says Dr Jenkin.
She says that the public needs to consider who benefits from the current epidemic in obesity.
“The continuing trend of policy favouring the food industry is dangerous as we’re now the third most obese country in the developed world according to the OECD, with 63% of adults either overweight or obese.”
Like many developed nations such as the USA, New Zealand has a multi-million dollar health problem with increasing type 2 diabetes, directly related to an energy-dense (high fat and high sugar) diet associated with highly processed and fast foods.
International research indicates that many governments support the commercial interests of major industrial sectors like the food industry, over strategies to improve public health. These industries are often large investors and employers, and in New Zealand, central to the economy.
However this does not take into account collateral damage, the huge future health costs for diabetes, and indirect costs due to lost productivity. The study notes that current policy tends to be based on industry self regulation, leaving the responsibility of good nutrition up to the individual, but in an environment which encourages obesity and weight gain (‘obesogenic’).
“It’s obvious this self-regulatory model is a failure. The food industry continues to make large profits on the back of deteriorating public health, with the subsequent burden on the taxpayer to fund the health system. An effective public health strategy to address the obesogenic environment is needed if we are to control the escalating health costs,” says Dr Jenkin.
The study concludes that solutions lie in regulating the food industry, regulating the advertising and marketing industries, and limiting the involvement of the food industry in policy making to ensure fair treatment of public health concerns.
This study has been published in the international journal Public Health Nutrition and was funded by the Health Research Council.
The organisation “Fight the Obesity Epidemic” outlined key areas where the food industry submissions differed from industry submissions. Here are some excerpts:
Health and business ‘poles apart’ on obesity prevention
Submissions from the food and advertising industries (‘Industry’) took opposing positions on obesity prevention to those from a wide range of professionals and groups from the health sector (‘Health’). In particular, industry believes the focus should be on educating consumers to make healthy choices. The health sector believes that this is less important than making changes to the environment that make healthy choices easier.
Issues on which the industry and health sectors differed markedly include:
Changing the obesogenic environment
Health says: Education and information provision have been shown to be ineffective as the primary means of improving public health. Environmental changes to make it easier for people to make healthy choices need to be the central focus for obesity prevention.
Industry says: Obesity prevention should focus on educating people and providing them with information that will enable them to make healthier choices.
Advertising of less healthy food
Health says: The Advertising Standards Authority codes are ineffective, and some form of government regulation of the advertising of less healthy food, particularly to children, is required.
Industry says: Current voluntary measures (the Advertising Standards Authority codes) are working effectively. Further measures are not required.
There is more here, but in a nutshell – industry says “No policy changes are needed” and health groups say that what we are doing is clearly not working and changes need to be implemented in public policy or the health of our nation will continue to get worse.
Not that we can really trust the public health groups either IMO. Diabetes New Zealand continue to push the message that starchy carbs should be included in all meals. (Although they do note starches turn to glucose and may be a problem for some diabetics) and the NZ National Heart Foundation, suggests we replace butter with margarine, and eat a low fat diet, because saturated fat leads to heart disease. Despite reviews into saturated fat showing the connection is weak.
Oh my. What a mess we are in.
Weight Watchers approved McDonald's meals
And if that isn’t enough we have WeightWatchers getting into bed with MacDonalds in New Zealand, and Fast Food companies increasingly sponsoring sports and charities. (Has any one noticed the player of the day certificates come with a voucher for a free MacDonald’s burger?)