Posted on 11/18/2002 5:32:27 PM PST by Paradox
Nov. 18 — Multitudes swear by the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, and now a carefully controlled study backs them up: Low-carb may actually take off more weight than low-fat and may be surprisingly better for cholesterol, too.
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Westman studied 120 overweight volunteers, who were randomly assigned to the Atkins diet or the heart association’s Step 1 diet, a widely used low-fat approach. On the Atkins diet, people limited their carbs to less than 20 grams a day, and 60 percent of their calories came from fat. “It was high fat, off the scale,” he said.
After six months, the people on the Atkins diet had lost 31 pounds, compared with 20 pounds on the AHA diet, and more people stuck with the Atkins regimen.
Clearly, how it is burned, under what conditions, have a lot to do with gaining weight. If youth is a factor, why not other things? It is a fact--you can eat more calories on this diet than other diets and lose weight more easily than on other diets.
A little butter on your broccoli will sure tame an appetite.
Dr. Erasmus has been the acknowledged expert in the field of oils and their affects on health for years (he has been studying oils for over two decades). He did not start marketing his own products until years after he was already a well respected expert in the field. He was dissatisfied with the way manufacturers were preparing EFAs for consumption and developed new methods and technologies for oil manufacturers.
There are definitely other suppliers of EFA oils, but Udo's Oil Blend is unique in it's ratios of oils and in the care taken during preparation. The oils that are blended are flax, sunflower, evening primrose, and a few other lesser oils. It is possible to buy other oils, but you would have to measure and mix the oils to maintain the ratio of 2 parts Omega 3 to 1 part Omega 6. Additionally, it can be hard to determine how the other oil suppliers prepare their oils. Because of the delicate nature of EFAs it is necessary to package them in a safe environment free of heat, light and oxygen. With Udo's oil, there is no doubt about the care being taken during preparation.
When I first came across the information by Udo I was extremely skeptical but as I was reading his book I realized that Erasmus knows his stuff. The more that I read both from his book and from other sources that confirmed what he had written the more I become convinced in trying an EFA oil supplementation in my diet. Before I read Udo's book, I was taking a softgel EFA supplement and ate fish frequently. I thought that I was getting an adequate amount of EFA in my diet. I was very wrong.
you made a lot of diet changes so its hard to attribute your improvements to just the UDO oil. Perhaps all of the other changes were what helped you the most.
Everything I did contributed to my betterment, no doubt about that, but the oils made the difference. I have dieted several times before using the same diet regimen, without the oil blend. I did get results, but they were slower and I didn't feel anywhere near as well as I did when my diet included the oils.
Additionally, my roommate (who was not dieting) also took the oil supplement. He too noticed a definite improvement in his health after just a few days, and just like myself he was skeptical of the product before using it.
Something else that I didn't mention earlier was my overall health and general well being. Prior to using EFAs in my diet I would get minor head colds/sore throat/general stuffiness every few weeks (a result of being around second hand smoke too often). After I started taking the oils I haven't so much as had a runny nose, and my energy levels went through the roof and have stayed there. My roommate has also noticed a similar effect in his health.
I will read up on it. I'm always a skeptic until things can be shown, so please don't take offense to my above comments.
Trust me, no offense taken. I was very skeptical of the benfits of taking the EFA supplements. The results from my small study of myself and my roommate have convinced me of the efficacy of EFAs in the quantities Udo recommends.
My take, and reading up further on this will help, is that while EFA's are necessary, the consumption of 2 or 3 servings of fish a week is sufficient to provide for good health. Of course a bit of supplemental oils won't hurt, but I don't know that a few tablespoons a day is necessary or productive.
The reason we need so much EFA in our diets is because of how much of it our body uses for building and maintaining itself. EFAs are needed and used in every cell, joint, organ, and tissue in our bodies. Any EFAs in your diet are better than none, but it is better to keep the body well supplied with them.
The indicator that Udo uses for gauging how much oil we need is our skin quality since our skin is the very last part of our body that gets supplied with EFAs. If you are getting enough EFAs in your diet, your skin will be soft, smooth, and velvety. Dry skin indicates a definite deficiency.
I never realized how dry my skin was until after I started taking Udo's oil blend. It took my skin about 4 or 5 days before I noticed the difference but it was remarkable when it did change. In addition, it also cleared up my chronic acne on my back. That was a major benefit for me.
If I slack off on taking my oil for a few days I notice the change. My energy levels will start declining and my skin tone will change. Like I've said, the differences are noticeable and well worth it.
Even Atkins' diet is sorely lacking in EFAs. Our bodies need a significant amount of EFAs for a lot of different functions. To start with, our bodies use EFAs in ever single cell, joint, tissue, organ, etc. They are a major nutrients and about 90-95 percent of people do not get adequate amounts of EFAs in their diets.
My original post cites the book Fats That Heal Fats That Kill. There are other sources besides that one, but it is well documented with references. Data. Info. Facts. They are there. Read them.
That is true today, but before the advent of hydrogenated vegetable oil, such was not the case. Look at a picture of today's pigs vs. pigs from 75 -100 years ago. Today's pigs are mostly lean meat---"yesterday's" pigs were a MUCH higher percentage of fat--BECAUSE IT WAS A VALUABLE PRODUCT--not a "byproduct" at all.
I dont see it as a sustainable diet. I was on a low fat low carb, low protien diet about 10 years ago - all fine and dandy - I lost 40# - but it wasnt sustainable - though the lasting effect to this day is I can eat any roughage, cabbage, apples - etc with no ill effects (if you know what I mean)- to the adkins I say - everything in moderation and excersize daily (at least walk)
Something not in the book that you might be interested in is the Danish Athlete Study which was done to see the effects of Udo's Oil Blend on athletic performance, general well being and cardiovascular risk factors.
The highlights of the study can be found here.
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