Low-Carb diets will lead to a Bush defeat?

CNN ^ | March 29, 2004 | CNN

[tdadams]

Jeff Greenfield, in his end of the show commentary on Inside Politics, surmised that Bush is in trouble come November thanks to Atkins dieters. How does he come to this improbable, and wishful, conclusion?

A study released last week showed that carbohydrate deprived dieters had low levels of serotonin, leading them to be grumpier. And grumpy people tend to vote incumbents out of office.

There are currently fifteen million people on the low-carb Atkins diet, therefore Bush will face the wrath of Grumpy Atkins dieters and be voted out of office in November, at least that's the way Jeff Greenfield see it.

[Liberty Tree Surgeon]

You hit the nail on the head. Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, but extreme diets can damage you quite a bit.

[muawiyah]

No, no, it's not that "red meat kills" ~ rather, it's "omega 6 from animals that kills". A diet rich in seafood ("omega 3"), nuts and lo-carb legumes is correct. Our natural range is in the estuaries and on the shorelines of oceans, lakes and great riers. That's where you find the good stuff.

The fact that about 47% of all human beings have some degree of an inherited allergy to seafood or fish should not discourage you from adopting our most natural diet.

In a few short generations, those people will be removed from the genepool, and we will all be like the Norwegians who have only a 2% inherited allergy to seafood.

(BTW, the PETA nutcases against catching fish or killing crabs are totally off the mark. They should learn to leave the sheep and chickens alone. Just quit playing with them anyway.)

[templar]

Losing 50 lbs in 3 months has made me ecstatic.

I tried it for four weeks. Lost exactly zero the first three, gained four pounds the fourth. Quit the Atkins and have managed to lose the four I gained in the last two weeks by returning to my normal eating habits. And I only wanted to lose 12 pounds to start with.

[muawiyah]

How do you get away with eating any carbohydrates at all? A single potato can kick my mg/dl count up around 328!

To keep it down in the low 120s I eat lots of cabbage, all the meat and fish I need, a handful of nuts every day and few fruits of any kind.

[DameAutour]

Have you tried steak and eggs for breakfast?

[NYC GOP Chick]

Losing 50 lbs in 3 months has made me ecstatic.

Be careful there! That's a lot to lose in a relatively short period of time.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Vegans and Vegetarians tend to be bleeding heart liberals, therefore I surmise that Atkins dieters tend to be more conservative voters......... ;^)

What about those of us who are non-Atkins carnivores? :)

[ladyinred]

All the more reason to go to McDonalds and pig out.

[Kewz1]

This just gave me the perfect excuse to go to Dairy Queen.


Bush/Cheney '04!!!!

[NYC GOP Chick]

After listening to people on a different Atkins thread here, I decided to try it. Lost 7 pounds in a week. But I couldn't stand eggs, eggs and more eggs, and couldn't stomach steak for breakfast, so yesterday I slipped into a carb binge and am wondering whether I can manage the egg thing again. Very hard not to have some kind of carb for breakfast. I can't even manage the two week induction period. Maybe if I read more of these threads for inspiration.

Look at other possibilities -- none is the be-all-and-end-all -- and find one that works for you. Take a look at South Beach (a sort of modified Atkins), the Zone and Weight Watchers, etc.

[BossLady]

You might want to take a gander at a great book called 'The Schwarzbein Principle' by Diana Schwarzbein M.D. (only $12.95) She is a cutting edge endocrinologist, has a wonderful clinic in Santa Barbara, CA and talks a lot about insulin resistance and adrenal burn-out as causes for people not losing the weight they want to lose. The Dr. also helps many women with sex hormone issues. Her website www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com has tons of information if you want to check it out.

(No, I do not work for Dr. Schwarzbein.....just know a lot of people who have been helped by her ;)

[Fiddlstix]

Whaaaat????????
Sumbody's gotta be kiddin'.....

Well! I Say...........

[Capt. Tom]

And grumpy people tend to vote incumbents out of office.

Probably $2+ a gallon for gasoline, is likely to make people grumpy. - Tom

[areafiftyone]

I eat Complex carbs. Oatmeal in the morning, salad with beans, chicken and veggies in the afternoon and meat and veggies at night. Sometimes I have two slices of low carb wheat bread. No potatoes or pasta allowed they only shoot up the sugar like a rocket. By complex I mean slow burners like whole wheat or whole grain. You have to read labels. Nothing with white flour in it. It's very tough to find stuff but Atkins has made it a heck of alot better. You have to read labels very carefully. The only fruit I eat is apples because of the fiber. But I also eat grapefruit which is supposed to be good for diabetics. NO bananas or watermelons or pineapple. They are full of sugar. GRAPES are a no-no! Berries are fine. Makes you nuts sometimes to have to deal with this. I also eat alot of nuts - unsalted mostly.

[Crawdad]

I'm going to use the Dennis Miller response to these people from now on: "Is that sh*t all you got?

[HungarianGypsy]

Isn't the Atkins diet really only a good thing up to about six months? If so, then anyone who starts now still has time to lose weight and be in a good mood come election time.

[muawiyah]

Do you get the feeling diabetes is telling a hard-core 2% of us that our inherited natural diet consists of what you can scrounge up in the North Woods?

It's the part about fruit that's getting to me. There's too much sugar in fruit, and, of course, there's no fruit of any kind growing up there on the North Coast of Eur-Asia.

There are nuts. There are fish. There are reindeer!

Maybe it's not a "disease" but simply a case of mistaken latitude. At the moment I've been trying to track down what kind of legume grows within sight of the Arctic Circle ~ gotta' be one, and no doubt it's nasty, without higher order sugars, and very little starch. When I find it, I'm going to start raising them. The bottom end of that glycemic index is pretty grim (although I've always loved cauliflower and celery).

[areafiftyone]

Berries are good. Do you have berries there? Strawberrys are good to eat. When they are in season of course. Fruit is hard I know. Makes you want to scream when you think about what to eat. That is why I like Atkins too because they look at the sugar intake too which is important. I eat all veggies except any kind of peas, corn and I am careful with carrots. I can eat them but not too many. No turnips which I love. No white potatoes but about half a sweet potatoe is okay for diabetics. Beans of course are excellent for diabetics. Good luck.

[muawiyah]

Lupinus arcticus is the scientific name of the member of the pea family that lives in the arctic.

10,000 year old seeds were successfully propagated. That's a record for any plant!

Ground squirrels and other rodents browse on these plants. They look edible, but what's the pea like when it ripens?

[Rightone]

BEEF. Definitely. It's what's for dinner. Re-elect GW.