I spoke at a networking meeting yesterday on longevity. I presented two major causes of aging and what can be done to accelerate or decelerate the aging processes. Questions covered aging and other aspects of health and wellness. One question asked about fats.
The question was predicated on eating healthy fats and losing weight. I am an advocate of eating nutritionally balanced meals. There is a lot of press today about ketogenic diets – eating fewer carbohydrates and more healthy fats. Over time, our bodies switch from glucose to ketones as an energy source. As a result, we eat our own body fat and lose weight and inches.
I studied the Atkins Diet in the early 90’s. After reading five books about low carbohydrate dieting, I embarked on the diet. I lost a lot of weight very quickly. I was eating less than ten grams of carbohydrates daily for several years. I was happy eating lots of protein, dairy and fats and almost no carbohydrates.
I was working in Germany in the late 90’s. Periodically, I would travel to Italy for a weekend. I ate bread and pasta on those trips. I returned to Germany with an extra twelve pounds on the average. Two weeks later, the extra weight had disappeared. I indulged on the forbidden fruit (carbs) and went back to my normal lifestyle.
I retired from the Navy in 1999. I never had a bone density test in over thirty years of annual flight physicals. I had a done density test on an annual physical around 2001 and was found to have osteopenia. I was floored. How could that have happened? I had run and lifted weight for decades. I knew I had good, healthy, strong bones. But, I did not.
After further investigation, I found that it was not the Atkins Diet, but my choices of foods. I ended up in acidosis by eating more acidic foods than alkaline foods. Fruits and vegetables are alkaline. Dairy, proteins, carbohydrates and fats are acidic. The waste products of our metabolism are acidic. If we don’t eat more fruits and vegetables to balance the acid build up, our bodies become acidic.
I was on the highway to osteoporosis because I was living in a severely acidic lifestyle. My body was leeching calcium from my bones to balance the pH of my blood (7.35 to 7.45). I was not eating properly to keep the calcium exchange balanced.
I reviewed the Atkins Diet books (new and old) and found no mention of acidosis. However, it is a real problem. Balanced nutrition is required for good health. Balanced nutrition with caloric restriction (eating as few calories as possible with nutritional balance) leads to great health.
I chose recently to eat according to the Wahls Protocol. I eat nutritionally balanced meals and live in an alkaline world daily. I test my body’s pH morning and evening and rarely see it in an area of concern. We all have choices. Choose wisely.
Great advice. I’ve always wondered if there were downsides to the Atkins diet.