Good Carbs are your friend

[Lady C]

Even bodybuilders could learn from this. Take note anyone asking for diet help NEVER eats enough veggies. Veggies (which are complex carbohydrates) are your friends!

Low-fat vegan diet may spur weight loss
Sep 26, 2005 — By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A diet free of animal products and low in fat may help trim the waistline without the task of strict calorie watching, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that of 64 postmenopausal, overweight women, those assigned to follow a low-fat vegan diet for 14 weeks lost an average of 13 pounds, compared with a weight loss of about 8 pounds among women who followed a standard low-cholesterol diet.

The weight loss came despite the fact that the women were given no limits on their portion sizes or daily calories — and despite the fact that the vegan diet boosted their carbohydrate intake.

"People imagine carbohydrates to be fattening, but they are not," said lead study author Dr. Neal D. Barnard, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

He is also president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group that advocates vegetarianism as part of preventive medicine.

The greater weight loss among women on the vegan diet may stem from specific metabolic effects, Barnard told Reuters Health.

He pointed out that the diet improved the women's sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that ushers sugar from the blood and into cells to be used for energy. This was also accompanied by an increase in what's known as the thermic effect of food — the amount of calories the body expends to process and store food.

The vegan diet improved women's insulin sensitivity to a greater a degree than the comparison diet did — though the difference was not statistically significant, meaning the finding could be due to chance.

Barnard and his colleagues at George Washington and Georgetown universities report the findings in the American Journal of Medicine.

Vegan diets eschew all animal products, including dairy and eggs, in favor of fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and beans. Although high-protein weight-loss regimens have painted carbohydrates as the enemy, a number of studies have found that vegetarians and vegans, who tend to eat a lot of fiber- and vitamin-rich carbohydrates, are much less likely to be overweight than meat-eaters.

Women in the current study found the vegan diet easy to follow, according to Barnard, because they were not asked to count calories or keep tabs on portion sizes. They were, however, told to avoid added oils, nuts and seeds to keep their fat intake down.

Women in the comparison group followed a diet based on National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, which meant restricting fat to less than 30 percent of calories and protein to about 15 percent of calories.

Participants, who ranged in age from 44 to 73, also attended weekly meetings that included nutrition and cooking lessons.

Based on dietary records the women kept, both groups ended up reducing their calorie intake by almost 400 calories per day, on average. But those on the vegan diet lost more weight.

Despite the restrictions of going vegan, Barnard maintained that it's easy to take on the lifestyle. "Just eat fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains," he said. "Everything you're eating is good for you."

It is wise, he noted, to take a multivitamin, particularly to get enough vitamin B12, which is found naturally only in animal products.

SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, September 2005.

[carcajou]

Indeed...it seems so obvious to me and many others yet so impossible to fathom to the 'mainstream'. On a side note...I have no problem maintaining bodyweight on a vegan diet either and in the past when I was 'adding weight' I never had any difficulty.

[Firehawk]

Vegans also tend to be quite a bit inferior in size and strength to meat eaters...they prolly failed to mention that one.

I know I know, there's probably some freak exception somewhere out there . Don't all run and post it all at once.

[CF-OC_gal]

I wonder how postmenopausal women who are overweight relate to the rest of the population. Are the results transferable?

I think it is pretty common sense that vegetables are your friends.

The thought of giving up 400 calories a day, red meat, eggs, and avoiding oils, nuts and seeds has me trembling. There is probably an appropriate segment of the population this will be good for.

[.V.]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

Vegans also tend to be quite a bit inferior in size and strength to meat eaters...they prolly failed to mention that one.

It may depend on exactly what they eat and if they get enough protein or not.

Ever saw a meat eating gorilla?
Or a small, weak one?

I can't believe that me the carnivore just posted that - hell I'm actually looking forward to hunting season so I can get some good, lean, high protein, venison.

Like I always said and Ted Nugent is fond of copying - You got to kill it to grill it. Maybe I've got that backwards, perhaps he said it first.

Seriously though, most of us don't get enough vegetables - except potatoes (most folks seem to get plenty of those). I didn't when I was so fat. Now, even though I'm only eating green veggies 3 times a day - each time is at least 2-3 servings. It is unquestionable that veggies are good for us, help us maintain less body fat, give us vitamins that we really need and are better coming from food than from a bottle.

[Firehawk]

No but generally the vegan dinosaurs were tame and weren't shredded with muscle like the Ty Rex was...and he ate meat .

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Brat

I wonder how postmenopausal women who are overweight relate to the rest of the population. Are the results transferable?

Ages 44-73 [NOTE:I edited the first post and bolded this statement] I don't know how overweight though.

[CF-OC_gal]

Perhaps the study should be called: "Eating high fibre low calorie food and giving up highly concentrated calorie foods may cause weight loss".

[.V.]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

No but generally the vegan dinosaurs were tame and weren't shredded with muscle like the Ty Rex was...and he ate meat .

Good point.

[vegan]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

Vegans also tend to be quite a bit inferior in size and strength to meat eaters...they prolly failed to mention that one.

I know I know, there's probably some freak exception somewhere out there . Don't all run and post it all at once.

Here are a couple vegan body building websites..

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/
http://www.veganbodybuilding.org/opening.htm

[vegan]

Originally Posted by carcajou

Indeed...it seems so obvious to me and many others yet so impossible to fathom to the 'mainstream'. On a side note...I have no problem maintaining bodyweight on a vegan diet either and in the past when I was 'adding weight' I never had any difficulty.

I had a long discussion with a woman at work today. She could not fathom how someone could survive on a vegan diet - yet it is a rather simple lifestyle to follow. The typical experience is that on a healthy vegan diet you settle into your 'natural' weight - either gaining or losing weight as appropriate.

[vegan]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Even bodybuilders could learn from this. Take note anyone asking for diet help NEVER eats enough veggies. Veggies (which are complex carbohydrates) are your friends!

You're right about that. No matter what else anyone consumes, eating more veggies correlates with better health. Pass the parsnips and collard greens (burp)!

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by vegan

Here are a couple vegan body building websites..

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/
http://www.veganbodybuilding.org/opening.htm

Like i said...they are inferior to meat eating bodybuilders. The guys on the site (i just glanced at it really) aren't big at all. In fact if they were about 15-20% bf you woudlnt' even be able to tell they worked out, well, maybe they worked out a little bit but not that much.

Just my opinion. It's not a put-down at all either. I'm just trying to state the likelyhood man.

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by vegan

You're right about that. No matter what else anyone consumes, eating more veggies correlates with better health. Pass the parsnips and collard greens (burp)!

Gotta agree with you on that one. HOWEVER, what Lady C said, while true, whenever i see people post diet questions, the response from the nutrition folk around here and the advice they give if followed would require you to have a full produce section in your kitchen!

It's easy for anyone to sit here and give advice on eating plenty of veggies, etc. But the reality of it is veggies go bad if you don't eat them, and alot of the time, advice given out around here, if followed, you'd be eating bundles and bundles of vegetables daily. I'd be at the grocery store every 3 days.

I agree though, people probably don't get the right amount of veggies in their diet in general.

[.V.]

Buy boxes of frozen vegetables in the freezer section. Not as good as fresh, but they'll keep longer and are better than skipping veggies. Quick, easy, can be steamed - improves your health.