Nutritional Fanaticism I: Extreme Low Carbers (part 2)

In the first part of the low carb series, we looked at the sensible vs. cultish low carb practitioners and examined some of the logical fallacies behind some of the extreme low carb arguments.

In this segment, we'll take a look at some specific sites that (in my opinion) are both sensible and those that are narrow-mindedly carbaphobic and/or fanatical in nature.

The following sites, in my opinion are very good, science-driven even-handed resources for not only low carbers but those who are interested in healthy living in general.

Carbsane: For my money the most scientifically complete blog on the planet when it comes to debunking the dogmatism of extreme low carb-dom. Very scienc-y but excellent insights and commentary.Mr. Low Body Fat: When Muata Kamdibe has something to say, he has my full attention - every time. He is someone who has been in the trenches - undergoing a very impressive transformation through a low carb approach who hasn't drunk the kool-aide.Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic: An alphabet-soup list of academic credentials and can probably lift more than you. I've always appreciated Cassandra's take on matters of nutrition and training.Anthony Colpo: AC is smarter than you are. The author of "The Great Cholesterol Con" and "The Fat Loss Bible", he is often criticized for his less-than-friendly demeanour but he backs up everything he says with airtight science.

The following sites, in my opinion are extremist and/or skewed/editorialized to fit an agenda or preconceived idea.

Livin' La Vida Low Carb: Jimmy Moore. Once a respectable site in my opinion, Jimmy (who by all accounts seems a very pleasant individual) and his site have spiralled into a delusional realm that is far more preoccupied with launching a low carb empire and spreading the gospel of extreme low carb than bringing about the balance of truth. While I respect that Jimmy has guests on his podcasts that don't fully conform to extreme low carb, any message that doesn't fall in line with the extremists is brushed aside and ridiculed by the followers. Fred Hahn's Slow Burn: A double-whammy of narrow-minded dietary and fitness information. Essentially if you're not into really low carb and really slow training, you don't know science. Avoid at all costs.Zoe Harcombe: While eating "real food" is a good idea, spreading nonsense and misinformation about why people gain and lose weight is not. Oh, and dissenting opinions will not be tolerated on her message boards. Weston Price Foundation: This site has "agenda-driven" written all over it. Cherry-picked information, mistruths and half truths abound and the cast majority of their articles are non causa pro causa fallcies. Active Low Carber Forums: You either subscribe to a very low carb philosophy, or face the wrath of the edgy low carbers. Prominent nutrition and exercise researcher James Krieger was unceramoniously booted off this site for no reason at all.Dr. Michael Eades: Eades was an individual I used to respect greatly. His blog is very thorough and his writing oozes with intellect. Read between the lines, however and it becomes evident (from my perspective) that he has the bias and ego to match the intelligence. He shows a condescending attitude towards those who disagree and will take on easy targets and ignore those who legitimately call him on his woo. Mark's Daily Apple Forum: Mark Sisson is a very smart and VERY fit guy with a massive following. His articles (although Paleo-centric) are well thought out and he doesn't have the demeanor of a cult leader . Visit his forums however and the Paleo-centricity is over-the-top and VERY cultish.

If you have a couple of spare weeks on your hands, here are some of the more compelling debates of the extreme low carb camps vs. the middle ground folks. I think the most important thing about these discussions is to see them as an opportunity to learn something.

Low carb can be a very safe and effective approach to fat loss and managing blood sugar. There is no need, however for most people to be overly restrictive of carbohydrates. Of course individual differences must be taken into account when choosing the best dietary approach and for some, lower carb (and even much lower carb) are both effective and palatable. There is no noticeable health or fat loss advantage to eating moderate carbs to very little carbs, however in longer term studies. In fact, eating a less restrictive diet is much better for long-term success.

Any thoughts as to which sites should be included/excluded to this list or additional suggestions?

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Nutritional Fanaticism II: The Vegan Extreme

If extreme low carbers rank #1 in dietary fervency, then call extreme Vegans a "1(a)".

As part of my preamble (stop me if you've heard this before) I am NOT painting any single group with the same broad stroke and this is no different for vegans.

For the purpose of this piece, I'm going to categorize vegetarians and vegans together - recognizing that just because one is more "strict" doesn't mean they are any more or less prone to fanatical behaviour.

The "cultish-ness" of a nutritional ideology isn't so much in the dietary pattern itself, but in the way it is practiced. If there were a distinct difference in terms of how vegan cults operate vs. the extreme low carb it would be the emotional/ethical investment.

Here are some criteria of what I find to be "sensible" and what I find to be "fanatical" in terms of vegan practitioners.

Decision to eschew animal products is grounded in personal ethics and not science.Practice in a "non-judgemental" way.Those who practice with little hypocrisy (wearing leather, feeding pets animal product, etc).Those who accept the idea that a healthy diet has NOTHING to do with the presence or absence of animal product.PETA followers/supportersThose who label anyone who eats animal products "unkind" Environmentally friendly elitism Those who believe that eating animal products (in any amount) has negative health implications.Those who use the "lipid theory" to validate veganism - namely that cholesterol or saturated fat is correlated with heart disease. Use The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as a scientific "authority".Too much protein will make your kidney's spontaneously combust. The China Study is infallible Soy and other vegetable protein is every bit as good as meat sources of protein.

Straw man: "It's better than that "stuff your face with steak and cheese Atkins diet".

Appeal to Authoriy: "Just read the China Study, Dr. Ornish says...,

Ideological Support/Appeal to emotions: "Eating animals is cruel..." "Eating meat is an environmental disaster."

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Fat Free Vegan
PETA

Likely a ton of them - although admittedly I haven't read many of them. Here are a couple of more prominent examples;

The China Study: An interesting observational account that is skewed heavily in favour of low meat diets. Again showing that some populations have survived and even thrived on plant-based diets. For a comprehensive rebuttal to T. Colin Campbell's tome, check out Denise Minger's piece.

Skinny Bitch (and Skinny Bastard): The foul-mouthed bestseller by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnoin is high on noise but low on evidence. Lauded for their "no-nonsense" and "in your face" approach, I guess they figured if they used enough shock value to get their point across, people would just simply forget that their book is a heap of ostrich poop. Here's a well thought-out critique of the book by Jamie Hale

I don't care for the scare and intimidation tactics used by militant vegan groups such as PETA nor do I have much tolerance for the skewed science of the PCRM. I support and to some degree admire those who have chosen to swear off meat for ethical reasons. Yes, you can be healthy and thrive on vegetarian and/or vegan diets. Those who paint a picture of vegans as weak or frail - I hope you never say that within earshot of UFC fighter Mac Danzig or (if you happen to be on ice) former hockey enforcer Georges Laraque.

In fact, I follow the work of some world-renown strength coaches who happen to be vegan such as; Mike Mahler , Jason Ferrugia and Robert Dos Remedios.

On the flipside, there is an abundance of heavily skewed information from agenda-driven vegan groups. One must tread carefully to seek out unbiased information on vegetarianism/veganism or meat eating in general. Also, some people just simply don't do well on meat-free diets. Nothing wrong with being a "flexitarian" in my books.

Anybody have suggestions for either sensible or cultish vegan/vegetarian sites?

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