Latest / Fork U with Dr. Terry Simpson / Common Carnivore/Low-Carb Myths

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Common Carnivore/Low-Carb Myths · Fork U with Dr. Terry Simpson

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  >> Dr. Terry Simpson: Today we're going to debunk some popular keto and low
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  carb misconceptions involving the Inuit diet,
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  longevity claims about Hong Kong dietary myths surrounding the
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  Maasai people, and unravel the French
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  paradox, highlighting ultimately why the
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  Mediterranean diet really deserves the crown.
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  I am your Chief Medical Explanationist, Dr. Terri Simpson, and
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  this is is Fork U Fork University,
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  where we make sense of the madness, bust a few myths,
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  and teach a little bit about food and medicine.
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  From a cultural and medical perspective, the Inuit diet
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  is as intriguing as it is
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  misunderstood. Traditionally, it's carnivorous,
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  featuring marine mammals like whales, seals and fish
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  with a side of nothing green during the winter months.
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  But come summer, Inuit diets traditionally get more
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  adventurous, adding berries, seaweed and tubers
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  to the menu. So much for the keto claims of pure
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  carnivory. It turns out even the Inuit had a
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  salad now and then. Ironically,
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  despite vitamin C from marine
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  delicacies like muktuk and seal liver,
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  archaeological evidence from Inuit
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  mummies reveal they still had vascular
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  disease. Proof that whale sushi may not be the
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  magical health potion some keto enthusiasts
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  suggest. I've even heard that the
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  keto enthusiasts say that proof
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  that you get enough vitamin C from animals is the
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  Inuits who never get scurvy. Completely ignoring that
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  their traditional marine diet, seals,
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  whales, have lots of vitamin C in them,
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  unlike beef, low carb. And
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  keto followers love oversimplifying the Inuit diet
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  as proof of their steak only regimen being
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  superior. But that's as misleading as my own attempts
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  at, uh, portion control at a buffet. Rigorous
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  studies like the Seven Country Study demonstrate that
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  balanced diet, rich in plants, lean proteins, healthy
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  fats and whole grains, AKA the Mediterranean
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  diet, deliver far better health results.
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  Sorry, keto fans, looks like carbs might
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  not be your mortal enemy after all.
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  Nowadays, the Inuit communities face disproportionately
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  high rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
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  strokes and cancers. Problems that
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  definitely were not helped by introducing processed,
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  sugary, fatty Western foods. If you're wondering
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  how we managed to export our worst dietary habits,
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  well, that's one American tradition we
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  nailed. Modern Inuit communities also
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  struggle with environmental toxins such as Mercury and
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  PCBs found in marine mammals. Sadly, it seems
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  that whale blubber isn't as pristine as Instagram keto
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  influencers would hope. Ancestral diets
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  may have worked well for centuries ago, but
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  today's environmental and lifestyle changes have
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  complicated that equation
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  significantly.
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  Next, we're going to go to the French paradox. The idea
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  that French people eat rich, buttery foods and still
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  maintain the lowest rates of heart
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  disease in Europe. But guess
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  what? It's actually not a
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  paradox. The French diet isn't all croissants
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  and cheese. It's also abundant in vegetables,
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  fruit and healthy fats from olive oil and
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  seafood. French dining traditions emphasized
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  smaller portions, savoring food and fewer
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  processed items. Importantly, France
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  wasn't excluded from the original seven countries study
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  due to dietary habits, but rather because of
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  insufficient funding. Remember, the study
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  didn't examine entire populations, it didn't examine
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  the entire country, but rather specific villages
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  in that area and how the people ate. So the
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  paradox isn't a paradox, it. It's just sensible
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  eating dressed up in a stylish
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  beret.
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  Switching gears to good science, let's talk about
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  epic the European Perspective
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  investigation into cancer and nutrition. This
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  massive study tracked over half a million people. And guess
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  what? Eating vegetables, fruits, whole
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  grains and legumes actually reduced
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  cancer risks dramatically.
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  Meanwhile, diets heavy on red meat and
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  processed foods didn't fare quite as well.
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  Shocking, I know. Who would have guessed that kale
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  beats bacon in a fight? The Lyon Heart Study
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  and the Mediterranean Diet give further proof about the
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  Mediterranean magic. Even folks who already
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  had heart disease benefited significantly from
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  switching to the Mediterranean style of eating, reducing
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  their risk of a second heart attack by as much as
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  75% the first year and 67%
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  over five years. So if you've
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  already had one health scare, don't double
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  down with a carnivore diet unless you're looking forward to seeing your
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  cardiologist more often than your own family.
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  Another favorite low carb trope is the Hong
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  Kong longevity myth, which claims that people
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  in Hong Kong live long because they have the highest
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  meat consumption in the world. The problem? The
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  old people in Hong Kong consume less meat, leaning
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  towards, you guessed it, a Mediterranean style
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  diet rich in vegetables, fruits and
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  fish, very low in red
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  meat. And in fact, the large red
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  meat consumption is occurring among the younger
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  men in Hong Kong, not in the
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  old people that made it that far.
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  Just another example of bending facts like me
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  bending dietary guidelines after midnight.
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  Historically, the Maasai were thought to
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  be immune from heart disease despite their
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  rich size saturated fat diet.
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  Modern research however, confirmed that there's significant
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  heart disease among the Maasai.
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  Turns out even warriors can't fend off cholesterol
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  forever. Saturated fats may be tasty, but the evidence
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  isn't flying, folks. Yes, they get
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  atherosclerosis and they are not known
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  for their longevity. The keto and
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  carnivore fans, using flawed epidemiologic
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  studies to justify dietary extremes. This
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  is like me trusting to skip dessert. It
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  rarely ends well. True health comes from dietary
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  balance, variety and scientifically
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  validated approaches like the Mediterranean diet.
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  Plus, your taste buds will thank you.
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  Remember, health is nuanced, eating
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  should be enjoyable, and science should always be your guide
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  to the plate. Until next time. Well, stay
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  curious and always leave room for dessert.
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  Do check out the website associated with this
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  blog@yourdoctorsorders.com and my substack,
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  which is tsimpson.substack.com While
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  I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. And before
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  changing your diet, please consult with your Western
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  trained board certified physician
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  and a registered dietitian, not with a
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  chiropractor or some Eastern trained person.
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  This podcast was researched by me. It's been
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  distributed by our good friends at Simpler Media and The pod God, Mr.
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  Evotera. Have a good week everybody.
• 7:01
  Hey Evo, have you ever tried seal oil?
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  It is rich in vitamin C and A and D,
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  but it tastes kind of like salmon that's been left
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  out on the counter for a week.
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  I think we're gonna keep the seals
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  off the menu when you guys come over.
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  >> Speaker B: Yeah, uh, sure. Thanks for that,
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  I guess. Um, also, let me know the next time I
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  need to have a rim shot queued up for all the jokes you
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  make in these episod.