Out of curiosity, how many different diets you know and can name? I was able to quickly come up with: High-fat, low-carb (and its varieties such as Atkins, Protein Power etc.) Low-carb, high-fat Vegetarian / Vegan Cyclical ketogenic diet The Zone Mediterranean diet Subway diet (!) WeightWatchers Paleo All claim to be better for your overall health, decrease risk of … [Read more...]

I am making this a rather short post, written quickly and prompted by an article I read late last night (courtesy of Dame Liberty and Robb Wolf on Twitter) on how the latest US government dietary guidelines recommend lowering sodium (read salt) intake. Merely a week after the recommendations were announced, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association argued that lowering sodium … [Read more...]

In the first part I talked about the shortcomings of conventional wisdom in what causes overweight and obesity. The second part was more focused on biochemistry and the reasons why carbohydrates and sugars are the most likely culprit. Now it’s time to put it all together and discuss what you can do to lose weight, gain better body composition, better health, and feel more energetic. I … [Read more...]

In the first part I talked about the problems of conventional wisdom, and the energy balance hypothesis in overweight and obesity. Now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty of how our bodies actually work when it comes to storage and use of nutrients. One thing missing from the conventional hypothesis (Change in weight = Calories IN - Calories OUT) is the arrow of causality. Even if we'd … [Read more...]