Book: "Life Without Bread"

Hi,

Still struggling with occasional high carb items. When I go through a time like that, one of the things I do to combat it, is to once again read a book that inspired me in the past.  "Life Without Bread" by Christian B. Allan, PhD., and Wolfgang Lutz, M.D. is one of those books.

LWB was what I wanted to read again, but I had to search my book cases to find it. Once I did find it I curled up and started to read. I had wanted to read this one because I remembered it as having a big impact on me when I first read it. That and Dr Atkins is where I got a lot of the information concerning low carb eating that I have believed for quite some time.

I found it interesting that in the first few pages it talked about things that I think I only skimmed over in my first reading so long ago. It made even better sense this second time through, because I'm more educated on the subject matter now. As I read I could see where the vegetarian community had really influenced me in a particular direction -- that of the raw veggies -- but this book is not about the raw veggies -- it is about the protein, I think.

It is written with both a more "scientific" format, and also an "anecdotal" form, too, which makes it a more lively read. It first focuses on people from the past who researched and reported on the fact that a low carb/high protein eating plan brings about health in people.

(If you would like to examine or purchase LWB it can be found at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Bread-Low-Carbohydrate-Diet/dp/0658001701/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330030311&sr=1-1 )

In fact, the number of pages that I've covered so far is about what you can read online at Amazon. I remember the only thing I did not like about their program is how they count their carbs. You have to do two calculations to keep things on track. The two doctors believe that a limit of 72 carbs per day will help a person lose weight and heal them of some of the modern chronic diseases (like both obesity and diabetes), including cancer.  They divide the 72 by 6 which gives you 6 "BU" (bread units). You can choose to simply remember that 12 usable carbs is a unit or you can use their BU plan. It is all the same in the end. I prefer the simpler approach which is one calculation rather than two. I have a hard time dividing and doing math in my head. On paper, I'm fine, but not so much without it.

They cover protein, fats, and carbohydrates as individual subjects.

Here are three statements from the first few pages that I found impactful:

1. "Saturated fatty acids are more resistant to oxidation"... (eating) "saturated fat alone can resist oxidation. Saturated fat does not require a secondary molecule, such as an antioxidant, to eliminate the negative effect of oxidation."

That alone is a mind blower because that is not the standard take in the media, as you well know!!  These two doctors say that eating saturated animal fat guards against oxidation in the human body. I've known for a while that saturated fat is good for you but I don't think about it specifically very often. This brings it all back home again.

2. "There are a few known carbohydrates that help eliminate toxins from the body"...  "Every carbohydrate your body needs can be made from either protein or fat"... "low-carbohydrate nutrition is very healthy and is the proper nutrition for humans."

That explains how the ancient Eskimos could survive on animal protein with very very few carbs and lived free from heart attacks and diabetes and all the other chronic diseases of civilization (with the exception, I believe, of arthritis). 

3. "To repeat this important point, when you eat any carbohydrate you are essentially eating sugar."

Carbohydrates are from the plant family: fruit, vegetables, and grains. Sugar comes from beets or cane plants. Bread is a starchy food made from flour whether finely ground or whole (wheat or other grains) -- also think about "corn starch." Starchy carbs are also potatoes, yams, and sweet potatoes. We've come to understand that these things turn to sugar very fast inside us. It is easy to understand that there is sugar in most fruits because we can taste it. Fruit juice is just "sugar faster."

But the thing we don't think much about is that we get sugar from vegetables, too. All carbohydrates turn to sugar inside us.  If the veggies are cooked it happens faster. If they are raw, it happens more slowly -- thus, to my thinking, eating them raw is better for our blood sugar.

We usually think of vegetables as our source of vitamins and minerals and that is true. I have actually tried, at various times in my life, and in this blog, to eat only vegetables, or to eat only protein. I do better with a mix of them. I've noticed that it is the protein that fills me up, but it is the vegetables that keep me balanced.

If I'm eating the right mix (which I'm beginning to believe may be 50/50) then I don't need antacids for my stomach. When I'm eating only one side of the plate for a period of time, then I begin to crave things such as starches and sugars. I do sometimes have a protein meal and sometimes I have a veggie meal -- but I get out of whack if I try to do either one repeatedly for more than a few meals.

I had thought that 80/20 in favor of the veggies was more healthy, but I'm beginning to think the 50/50 mix might be better. Maybe that will help me stay on track, too.

Going on with my reading.

Be back soon,

Marcia