No Sugar, No Starch: Duke University Medical Center’s Answer

Sugar and starch are just not required in your diet. Choose healthy vegetables as the centerpiece.

So, What’s the Problem?

Since the ’90s I have been interested in the benefits of reducing carbohydrate intake in my diet. I read an early book that was written in the same era the Atkins diet was taking the world by storm. Really, the science made great sense to me because you were addressing a root problem: the over-production of insulin and the downward spiral that resulted (more insulin = more hunger for carbs = more insulin and so on).

I tried the diet and lost 15 pounds in about 3 months. Eventually, I lost touch with this diet and went from 175 pounds up to 235 pounds over the next 12 years. I have gone back to reducing carbohydrates in my diet and wiggled back to 190 pounds over a 3-year period while adding significant muscle mass simultaneously. I’ve slipped a little with the holidays and have missed my gym time recovering from a shoulder surgery…so now I am back at about 200 pounds.

Diet In a Nutshell

There are a number of resources out there that help put some meat on the bones regarding this topic, but in essence, my eating habits have changed and I will reinforce them going forward to:

• Eat the bulk of my diet in the form of vegetables, especially leafy vegetables;
• Consume meat to my own satisfaction, every day;
• Take in fat as much as I’d like, including from nuts, meats, oils, and butter;
• Eat nuts, but only those which have at least half of their carbohydrates in the form of fiber (almonds are a great example) and in moderation;
• Almost no grains, but high fiber grains such as flax seed, wild rice, and oat bran;
• Eat legumes occasionally;
• Eat no more than one serving of cheese, sour cream, or cottage cheese per day; and
• Tea, water, seltzer, a glass of red wine daily, coffee, naturally flavored beverages ;
• IMPORTANTLY…let hunger be the guide. Eat only when hungry, and learn to stop when no longer hungry. I will not count calories, but neither will I normally gorge myself. When I do “overeat” such as having a large steak, salad, and asparagus, I will remember to reap the benefits of a large enjoyable meal like that by using the much longer time period before my hunger signals the need for another meal.

What I will have to avoid, keeping in mind that in any given week having one or two servings of these “taboo” foods is no big deal at all:

• Potatoes;
• Wheat (beyond carbs, gluten needs to go);
• Poducts made from grain flours, and white rice;
• Milk and ice cream; and
• For the most part, I will avoid legumes, except in small weekly portions.

Research

The Duke Medical Center offers a very specific program, designed to bring dietary carbohydrates down to 20 grams per day. I believe this is a pretty darned good starting point; however, it is CRITICAL to your long-term health that you are able to permanently sustain a set of healthy eating habits. This is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change! With that in mind, I suggest to you that the Duke program is a good way to bring your weight down and get your life back together, but it might be difficult to maintain over your lifetime. It is likely also not a good idea to push yourself into a long-term or continuous state of ketosis, so moving back toward 50 to 100 grams per day of carbohydrates will make sense for most people.

I suggest that once you research the Duke protocol and consider following it for as long as it takes to get back to your ideal weight. Then, start bumping your carbohydrates back up to 40 for a two month period and observe your weight change (if any). Bump again to 60 for the next two months and observe whether you are gaining weight again. You can do this to 80 or maybe even 100 grams per month if you are able to maintain weight. The point is to craft a diet and lifestyle you are happy with and that achieves the intended results…maintain your target weight. Athletes might eat a little more than others, for instance.

With all of that said, I maintain that there is never a good reason to make wheat a significant part of your diet. You should avoid nearly all processed grains and carbohydrates. Can you splurge a few times per month and have a big meal of mashed potatoes, lasagna, French bread, followed by lemon meringue pie? I say “yes, as long as it doesn’t kick you out of your lifestyle plan”. You might find, like me, the yucky feelings that follow such a splurge start to make it less tempting.

There are more complex diets out there that invoke all of the above principles. For your own sanity I recommend you keep it very simple. You can find the Duke protocol at the link here.

Consider picking up a copy of Gary Taubes incredible book “Why We Get Fat”. This is a great book and a great reference for your library.

Also, the Duke doctor speaks in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNZsfluh0Uo

I can’t speak highly enough about the book “Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers” by David Perlmutter, which you can find by following its link (this book will slam your eyes wide open about carbohydrates, wheat, gluten, brain health, and supplements).

In essence, there is no scientifically verified need to eat grains or sugars. None. Not whole-grain, not enriched, not any. You might as well cut them out of your diet, as they aren’t doing you any good. One of the mega hormones in your body, insulin controls so many processes that are associated with poor health. Excess production of insulin can lead to insulin sensitivity, increased body fat, liver problems, heart and circulatory problems, diseases of the nervous system, and diabetes. All of these things can be largely controlled by eliminating most grains, all sugars, and most starches from your diet. On a plant-based diet low in starchy or sugary carbohydrates, with reasonable amounts of healthy proteins and fats, you can control insulin production and reap so many benefits.

A Diet, or Your Diet?

Please take home that this isn’t A diet, in must be YOUR diet. What I mean is this is something you will adopt as a habit for life. This, rather than a specific regimen to achieve a short-term goal and be discarded once the goal is reached. The best option is to permanently modify your diet to come from the outside aisles of the store. Produce department, meat and fish counter, and nuts and seeds, rather than from the guts of your supermarket where the chips, crackers, ice cream, candy, pasta, cakes, and donuts reside. Do this in a way that selects for whole foods over process foods. You will find a whole new world of truly healthy living out there. Look for colorful produce, grass-fed and organic meats. Choose good fats like avocado, coconut, almonds, and walnuts, and just generally stick with whole foods.

If you adopt a healthy core diet, there are big benefits. There will never be a week of your life where you must pass up that slice of pie or ice-cream sundae. By adopting a healthy diet, the treats and rare binge meals will be a welcomed and rich part of your life. No longer will you fear these treats. If you do this, you can maintain a healthy weight for life. This is how you prevent yo-yoing weight up and down on every fad diet that comes along. Now go out and eat whole foods and never look back!