Hi Everyone,

Sorry if this, my first conversation with the Low Carb group is a bit long. I've  been low-carbing for quite a long time now but I didn't think I'd ever find anyone in MN. But I didn't look on Gather. I'm really glad I found you! Today I listened to Midday when David Kessler, former FDA commissioner (under presidents Bush and Clinton) was interviewed about his new book, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite". I sent 2 emails and was on the phone for most of the conversation but didn't get a chance to comment. Did anyone else listen to this program?

I'm so embarrassed that people like Kessler represent us, the consumers of food. Of course I haven't read his book but his whole philosophy was loud and clear: we're fat because we're mindlessly eating too much. There was absolutely no discussion about the scientific evidence for his view that we should just cut calories. I doubt he knows anything about scientific evidence.

We're overweight sure. But it's because we're bambuzzled by the completely unsubstantiated  "Healthy Diet". The mythological low-fat-high-carb diet that's so ingrained in our society, with indoctrination by our government, physicians, nutritionists, pharmaceutical companies and the food industry. There's substantial evidence that lowering the amount of carb we eat and raising the amount of fat will cure people of their type 2 diabetes, and improve their blood panel, thereby lowering their heart problems etc, etc. Why do we have to listen to people with reputations like Kessler who just refuse to read books like Gary Taubes' "Good Calories Bad Calories" or evaluate the science themselves? He went on and on about sugar and grease but nothing about macronutrients or anything real. Fat is NOT the problem. Fat is ok as long as it's not trans fat of course, and as long as the person is eating low carb.

The other comment I wanted to make and have his reaction to was Calories. I wanted to say that our intestines digest food. They don't burn calories. The macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) are not used by the body as calories. Fat is used by the body for making hormones, cell membranes, myelin on nerve cells. In the absence of a lot of carbohydrate, fat is used to manufacture ketones which are used by the brain, liver, muscles for energy. High carbohydrate diets result in an increase of fat in fat cells. Release of insulin is stimulated. Glucose is used for energy and fat is stored as fat. Insulin is the only hormone that results in fat deposition into fat cells. Without the continuing spikes from high carbohydrate content in food, insulin doesn't spike and fat and protein are metabolized for energy. OK so I don't need to say this here but it's all so simple to understand - why is it so difficult for a physician to get this knowledge. Why is it too too much for a physician to read science.

Please forgive me. I'm a scientist and I made a decision yesterday to campaign against this endless mythological "Healthy Diet" program. Myths. Myths.....  Myths are what's making us fat. Not calories and not fat!  

Eventually when eating a low carb high fat diet diet the number of calories you eat decreases but it doesn't matter as long as you're eating low carbohydrate.

Salt is not a problem either.

It's the type of food we are eating. There is so much scientific evidence for this .