Is broccoli low-carb? It depends . . . I haven't written many posts about vegetables over the years. Nuts, yes. Seeds, yes. Even fruits (avocado, blueberries, strawberries and tomatoes). Once in a while, I've put up a photo of a plate with, say, a few green beans and a big juicy steak. But the focus has not been on the beans. The lack of focus on veggies may give readers the false impression that I don't eat many. In fact, I do veggies. Not just lettuce, either, but real, honest-to-gosh, … [Read more...]
Big lunch can be dinner, too
It's funny how after you've been eating low-carb for a while, you look at food differently than you did before. Looking over the high-calorie entrees pictured in the Xtreme Eating Awards 2011 (PDF file) from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), I notice the carbs first, which come in the form of bread, buns and fries. There's also a pasta dish and a porterhouse steak accompanied by a big serving of mashed potatoes. The accompanying text from the CSPI focuses on the … [Read more...]
Junk food smack-down: pork rinds vs. potato chips
Pork rinds (also called pork skins or chicharrones) are another food I never ate before going low-carb. I considered including them in my "Great foods" series, but decided they aren't in the same nutritional class as foods like almonds, avocados and salmon. Still, pork rinds do fill a need many low-carbers have for a crunchy, salty snack that isn't a nut. Pork rinds are a specialty item in comparison to potato chips. The local market where I do most of my shopping carries two brands of … [Read more...]
Tip-toeing toward the truth
The big long-term weight gain study that the Harvard School of Public Health announced yesterday was officially published today in the New England Journal of Medicine (Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men); it has gotten widespread press attention. My first encounter with it was on ABC World News. As I wrote last night, the ABC team, led by Dr. Richard Besser, focused on carbohydrates as the main factor in weight gain, labeling various forms of potatoes … [Read more...]
Diet paradigm shift continues
Last week I reported on a study published in the journal Nutrition in Clinical Practice that suggested a paradigm shift toward low-carb dieting was underway. Tonight there is another piece of evidence in favor of such a paradigm shift. ABC News, in its flagship World News, presented a report about the foods most (and least) likely to be associated with weight gain, based on research by the Harvard School of Public Health. [Update] The broadcast report was present by Dr. Richard Besser, the … [Read more...]
Mind-sets
I call this site "Life after Carbs" because, of course, there were carbs in my diet at one time -- bucket-loads of carbs, for years on end -- and I'm sure that's true for everyone reading this. In our culture, and in the vast majority of cultures around the world, you don't start out eating a low-carb diet. Even the Inuit have flour and sugar, and diabetes and heart-disease. Like most Americans of my generation, I once believed that carbs were my friend and that saturated fat was my enemy. … [Read more...]