Which One Is Better, Low Carb or Vegetarian Diet?
ahh yes, the messiahs of the nutrition world. You’ve heard them, right? They’ll preach to you all day and night about their diet of choice. Sometimes it’s something obviously nutty, like eating nothing but cabbage soup. Sometimes though, they seem to make sense. They’ll tell you to eat low carb like our primitive ancestors did or eat vegetarian to minimize your impact on the earth. Problem is, they seem to make sense. So of these two very popular lifestyle diets, which one is right? Should you be a meat eater like your stone age ancestors or a plant eater like your modern, environmentally aware friends?
The answer is, a little of both.
Trick Question
First of all, this is a bit of a trick question. Both diets can be healthy or unhealthy and both can be environmentally conscious. Sure, you can eat nothing but bacon wrapped steaks and claim to be low carb but that’s neither healthy nor good for the environment, especially if you’re eating factory produced beef. At the same time, you can munch on nothing but oreo’s and mountain dew and claim to be a vegetarian, but that diet is neither good for you nor the planet. So before we judge these diets, we have to define what a healthy version of each looks like.
Healthy Eating
Healthy Low Carb (Paleo) Diet
- Lean protein sources like fish and chicken
- A good amount of leafy vegetables like spinach
- Some other fruits and vegetables with a high nutrient load like tomatoes, oranges, apples and so on
- Healthy fats from things like nuts and avocados
- Some other protein sources like dairy and eggs in moderate amounts
- No processed foods
- Minimal amount of grains
- An emphasis on organic
And now, the healthy vegetarian diet
- A good amount of leafy vegetables like spinach
- Some other fruits and vegetables with a high nutrient load like tomatoes, oranges, apples and so on
- Healthy fats from things like nuts and avocados
- Some other protein sources like dairy, tofu and eggs in moderate amounts
- No processed foods
- Minimal amount of grains
- An emphasis on organic
Look at that, not that different. Really, the only difference is that the paleo diet adds in meat as an additional source of protein where as the vegetarian diet will get a bit less protein and most of that will come from dairy, eggs and things like tofu. Otherwise, both diets focus on healthy, organic sources of food with a lot of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Amazing!
The basic takeaway here is that the base of any healthy diet is essentially the same:
- A good amount of leafy vegetables like spinach
- Some other fruits and vegetables with a high nutrient load like tomatoes, oranges, apples and so on
- Healthy fats from things like nuts and avocados
- No processed foods
- Minimal amount of grains
- An emphasis on organic
Once you have these things, you can modify to suit your needs. You definitely need a source of protein here and you can get that from fish, chicken, tofu, dairy, eggs or other sources. By the way, there are certainly other healthy meats like venison, turkey, grass fed beef and so on. Just be careful of how much meat you eat since some meats are a bit high in fat.
So stop worrying about paleo vs. vegan. Just focus on the basics. If you get those right, you’re already ahead of the game.
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By the way, my diet is mostly vegetarian but I do occasionally eat meat. So am I a vegetarian or a paleo? Who cares!?! I’m healthy! 
Intermittent Fasting Results
As most of you know, I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting this month. I’ve been trying to spend at least one day a week with a low amount of calories, about 50% of my usual daily total, and another day a week with no calorie intake at all. Overall, my results have been positive, but I don’t think this is an experiment I will stick with, at least not in its current form.
Physical Results
I’ve lost three lbs this month, something I wasn’t really planning on. That’s good news for me since I’ve been stuck at a weight plateau for several months now. Unfortunately, I’m not expecting this change to last since I’m not going to stick to the fasting routine I was doing this month. Looks like I’ll need to find another solution to these last 15lbs.
I will say that I was surprised at how easy it was to not eat. When I first considered this experiment, I thought I would have serious difficulties with hunger during the fasts and with binge eating on the day after the fast. Neither one of these things happened and I actually found it very easy to not eat. I didn’t feel starved, either on the fast day or the on the next day.
At the same time, my workout performance has stayed the same. I was actually worried about this when I initially started this experiment. I was concerned about the effects of a very restricted calorie intake on my muscles and endurance. However, this proved to be unfounded, at least in the short term. My physical performance is just fine and I am capable of just as much running and weight lifting as I was at the beginning of this month.
Energy Levels
Here’s the odd thing. On the evening of a fast and on the morning after a fast day, I felt incredibly energetic. I was awake, I was attentive, I felt great! I thought I’d be feeling tired and weak from the lack of food, but instead I found myself feeling full of life and ready for anything that came my way. Mentally, I felt sharper and more capable plus I felt happier somehow. I don’t quite have the words to describe how I felt, but it was definitely good. This feeling would last right through the post fast day.
Social Issues
Here’s the problem, and the reason why I couldn’t keep this up. As I discovered through this experiment, food plays a huge part in my social life. No matter who I’m with or what we’re doing, eventually, people want to eat. When they eat, they don’t want me sitting there not eating. That would not be social and I suppose it would make them feel a bit weird. That means that on days where I want to fast, I cannot spend much time with other people. Unfortunately, that just won’t work for me.
I’m a very social person and I enjoy spending time with other people. There’s just no way that I’m going to give up this part of my life. Therefore, there’s no way that I can maintain this habit of intermittent fasting even though I like the health benefits. However, there is a way that I can adapt and retain some of this experiment.
Adaptation and Improvisation
As social as I am, I don’t go out every night. There are evenings when I stay home and do things like work on 60 in 3, read or do school work. This usually happens about once or twice a week. On these days, I plan on skipping dinner altogether and eating only a small lunch. That means that I’ll be doing one to two partial fast days a week, which sounds about right to me. I’m hoping that this is enough to gain the benefits of fasting without interfering too much with my life.
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What new thing are you trying out this month? For me, I’m trying out a whole new approach to the people around me, but that’s a topic for a different time and a different blog.
Kashi Post Update
On Monday I wrote a post about Kashi and similar health bars. The main point of this post was to tell readers that these “health” bars are NOT healthy. They are not a healthy snack alternative, nor are they a good way to maintain a healthy diet. I stand by that point. However, a user named Nathan made a good comment on that post which I would like to address. Actually, Nathan made two points, both of which are good.
It’s Not Just Kashi
The post title included Kashi, which is a specific company making these sorts of products. However, the truth is that this applies to all health bars, not just Kashi’s. I used the Kashi brand because it stood out in my mind due to their commercials, which I suppose is terstimony to the skill of their advertising firm. Kashi commercials are always so health oriented, featuring hiking, canoeing and beautiful nature scenes. They really try to convey a sense of natural, healthy food and as much as I enjoy the commercials, that’s simply not true. However, this applies to all companies equally, not just Kashi. So that’s the first thing I need to correct.
It’s Not Healthy but It Is HealthiER
Yes, health bars are not healthy, you’re much better off with a healthy, natural snack like an apple. However, health bars are healthier than some other things you could be eating. If you’re about to dig into a pile of pancakes for breakfast, a health bar is a better option. If you’re about to grab a candy bar as a snack, a health bar is a better option. If you’re about to down a can of soda and a bag of chips, a health bar is probably a better option. They may not be perfectly healthy, but they are far healthier than many other snack options out there. So yes, if you can’t be perfectly healthy, you can at least be a little healthier, and these bars can help with that.
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Thank You Nathan
Thanks Nathan for picking out some of the issues in my post. I don’t claim to be perfect and I appreciate the feedback. If anyone else has a problem with anything I post on 60 in 3, please don’t be afraid to post it in the comments. I welcome good feedback as it’s a way for me to learn.
Is Kashi Healthy?
Ahh, those wonderful Kashi commercials. Someone is hiking through a pristine wilderness. In the background they talk about how much they value health and fitness. Soft music is playing and then we cut over to show the wonderful manufacturers of Kashi bars dive into a waterfall, ski down a slope or whatever it is that people do in TV commercials when they want us to believe that they’re healthy.
But is this stuff really healthy? Should we be snacking on things like Kashi bars and their cousins, the various granola bars, energy bars, whole grain bars and such? Can you guess what I’m going to say?
NO!
Sorry, but most “health” bars are anything but. By the way, on a slightly related tangent, just go ahead and assume that anything a TV commercial is trying to convince you is healthy, really isn’t. Sure, you won’t always be right, but for the most part, you’re fine.
The problem with most health bars is that they’re grains, dried fruit and sugar. Now sure, I’m not some low carb fanatic who considers grains to be the devil’s work. However, I also believe that they should be enjoyed in moderation and not consumed en masse under some false belief in health just because they’re “whole”. Dried fruit are the same. They’re not bad in and off themselves, but if you take a fruit and remove the water, you’re going to be left with a really energy dense food. Which means low volume, high calories, the exact opposite of healthy. Finally, the sugar. Most of these bars have at least some sugar in them. It could be maple frosting, a few M&M’s or some chocolate. Whatever it is, you don’t need it.
Other Products
By the way, this applies to pretty much all products that TV commercials try to pass off as healthy. Cereals, pancakes, waffles or whatever they’re trying to sell you, it’s all unhealthy. Sure, it’s not as bad as deep fried bacon sausages, but that doesn’t make it healthy.
So What Is Healthy?
You want a healthy snack? Eat a piece of fruit, enjoy some vegetables, eat a small piece of cheese, grab a few almonds, snack on a handful of cashews. These are all wonderful snack options with a high amount of nutrients. Yes, some of them are a bit high in calories, but these aren’t empty calories of the types you’ll find in “health” bars.
Remember, the closer a food is to its natural state, the healthier it is. Health bars are very VERY far away from their natural state.
Five Super Foods You’re Eating Wrong!
After my little rant about Orange Juice, it occurred to me that there are quite a few other foods that can be very healthy but are being consumed in a way which makes them unhealthy. So rather than rant some more, I thought I would give you a short list of good foods that are eaten badly.
Apples - An apple a day will keep the doctor away, right? Well, not if you consume it the way most people do. First of all, you people who drink apple juice and think it’s healthy, you’re wrong. Turning an apple into juice takes away a lot of the health value and it concentrates the calorie value. In other words, you’ve turned a healthy treat into sugar water. Second, if you’re eating an apple whole but you’re peeling it before you eat, you’re also destroying a lot of the value. Many of the nutrients of an apple are in the peel. Remove that and you’re left with the high calorie, starchy interior. To get the most out of your apples, eat them as is, peel included.
Potatoes - What, you didn’t think the potato could be healthy? It absolutely can be just as long as you’re not deep frying it or covering it in sour cream. Potatoes, while a little high in calories, are actually good sources of nutrients and relatively low in calories as long as you prepare them correctly. Also, like an apple, you should be eating the skin since it includes many of the nutrients. Best way to eat a potatoe is baked (or microwaved for about 4 to 5 minutes if you’re in a hurry). Don’t drown it in sour cream and butter, you’re just adding unneeded fat. Instead, try a small bit of salt or perhaps a high water content vegetable like a tomato. By the way, this is one of my favorite snacks.
Berries - Acai Berries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, whatever your fancy, berries are an amazing source of nutrients in a relatively low calorie package. So what do we do? We add calories! We toss berries into a smoothie with cream, yogurt and sugar. We toss them into cakes. We cover them in whipped cream. We even dry them so we can too many of them. What the heck is wrong with berries that we need to mutilate them in all these fancy ways? Best way to eat berries is as is. Nothing added, no preparation. Just wash, eat and enjoy. And for you smoothie fanatics, most smoothies are a little bit of fruit with a lot of crap you don’t need. Forgo the crap and just eat the fruit!
Fish - What, didn’t think a vegetarian could have an opinion about meat? Didn’t think fish could be considered superfood? Wrong on both counts! Fish is one of the best sources of protein out there. It’s lean, it contains a good amount of nutrients and it’s usually free of the antibiotics and hormones which pollute most beef and chicken. The only problem is preparation. Once you deep fry and bread a fish, it’s no longer healthy. When you toss a fish into a pot full of rice, it’s no longer healthy. When you eat fish with loads and loads of creamy sauce, it’s no longer healthy. there are better ways. How about steaming your fish with a few spices? How about baking it with some vegetables? How about barbacuing it with a bit of lean BBQ sauce? How about frying it in a small amount of olive oil and then serve it up with a fresh salad? These are all methods of prepation that preserve the value of the fish while eliminating the unnecessary junk most people add to it. Best of all, they’re all tasty!
Eggs - Now that we know the cholesterol risk in eggs is minimal, we can go back to enjoying these wonderful packages of protein and nutrients. However, let’s go back to enjoying them the right way rather than the wrong way. Here are a few hints. If you’re eating your eggs on top of bread, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re eating your eggs smothered in rich, creamy sauces like hollandaise (eggs Benedict) or mayo (deviled eggs), you’re doing it wrong. If you’re scrambling your eggs with enough bacon and cheese to smother a small child, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re filling your omelet with enough sour cream or beans to qualify for a Mexican cookoff, you’re doing it wrong. Why not try a hard boiled egg? How about an egg over easy? How about scrambled eggs with some onions, mushrooms and fresh veggies served on the side? Eggs are just fine on their own, you don’t need to drown them in calories to make them taste good.
Summary
Notice a common thread in all of these? People have an odd tendency to take something healthy and add crap to it. Stop! This is why your ass looks like a clump of dough even though you’re eating all those super foods people keep telling you about. It doesn’t matter how super a food is, it can still be made unhealthy with enough deep frying, breading, drying and additions. For a good healthy change, try to eat food the way it was intended to be eaten, as close to its natural form as possible.
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Hey, 60 in 3 now has 400 subscribers! Thank you all for supporting me in my quest for global blogging domination!
Seriously though, thank you for listening and I hope I have been helpful to you in quest for health and fitness. I know that your comments, suggestions and questions have really helped and inspired me.
FrankenFood!!
Are you all recovered from Thanksgiving or are there still some turkey leftovers in the fridge?
I wanted to post this before Thanksgiving but I had a few other things on my mind, so I’ll post this now. Usually I link to interesting articles on the weekend, but I thought this one deserved extra notice. It’s from Wired.com and it discusses how the traditional thanksgiving meal is not even remotely traditional or similar to what our ancestors ate.
Basically, everything that we consider “traditional” for thanksgiving has been modified so much by science that it’s nothing like what these foods used to be. Turkeys which are three times as big and unable to walk or reproduce by themselves, corn which contains more sugar and potatos which contain more starch. All in the name of “bigger and better” but all also leading to “worse for you and unhealthier”.
There is a better way folks. There are farmer’s markets, CSA’s, local organic farmers and any number of websites dedicated to helping you find healthy food. Many of them can even provide you with healthy turkeys. Check out Eat Wild or Local Harvest if you’re interested in healthy organic meat at very reasonable prices.
No, I am not against science or progress, nor do I advocate that we go back to the stone age and live like our long lost ancestors. However, what the food industry has done to our diets is not progress, nor is it beneficial science. It’s pure profit making at the expense of consumers and their health. Avoid their overly processed crap and eat healthy.
Mistakes of the Carb Diet
I’m in New York this week as part of my graduate degree program. A big part of this program is getting to know my fellow students, which means I’m eating out more often than usual. It also means some very spirited conversations on a variety of topics, some of them health related. One of the more interesting conversations I’ve had recently is with a few of my fellow students about the advantages and disadvantages of the high carb diet.
What Are Carb Diets?
For those unfamiliar with them, carb diets (also called Atkins style diets after Robert Atkins, the nutritionist who popularized it) emphasize restricted carbohydrate intake along with a very high protein and fat intake.
First, A Disclaimer
I don’t claim that carb diets are either good or bad. I think you can get good results with them if you do them right, but I also think you can get good results without them. So I am neither a strong opponent of proponent of these diets. That said, I do think people make some mistakes when it comes to these diets, something that became quite clear in my conversation last night.
Mistake 1: Carb Diets Allow Me To Eat An Unlimited Calories
Guess what, whether you eat a lot or a little carbs, you are still constrained by basic biology. That biology says if you eat more calories than your body uses, you’re going to store some as fat. It’s that simple. So no, eating a low carb diet does NOT mean you can eat an unlimited number of calories. While there are some studies that show low carb dieters burn more calories, there are also studies that show this is untrue and there are ZERO studies that show low carb dieters burn an unlimited number of calories.
Mistake 2: All Fat Is Good Fat
How many times have you heard someone say “I love my low carb diet, I can eat all the steak and bacon I want to”? Well, if it makes you happy, those people are dead wrong.
Carb diets tell us that protein and fat are good. Carb dieters mistake this to mean, ALL protein and fat is good. That’s simply not true. If you eat an unlimited quantity of lard, I can pretty much guarantee that your health is going to decline. Not all protein is good and not all fat is good. Even if you eat a low carb diet, you still want to make sure that your protein and fat sources are healthy.
Mistake 3: All Plant Matter Is Bad
I love this one and I heard it again last night. “I don’t need salads, I’m on a low carb diet.” Well, guess what, vegetables are still good for you even on the low carb diet. In fact, if people actually take the time to read the Atkins nutritional approach, they’ll see that vegetables have a very important place in it.
So Are Low Carb Diets A Fad Diet?
Low carb diets aren’t bad, but they can be easily misinterpreted. I wouldn’t go as far as calling them a fad diet, but I do think the way some people abused the notion of a low carb diet does go into fad diet territory. The minute someone tells you that you can eat as many calories as you want, eliminate all plants from your diet and still be healthy, you should be suspicious.
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Anyone out there on a low carb diet? I’d be interested in hearing about your experience and results.
