Track Your Plaque: Naughty or nice?

24. December 2007 William Davis (6)


Among the many wonderful surprises we've had at Track Your Plaque this holiday season was a letter from Santa Claus himself!

It seems that Santa, like the rest of us, has been busy surfing the web for useful health information the last few months. He was struck with this curious discussion we've been having about "wheat belly" and all the unhealthy consequences of wheat products in our diet.

He writes:

"I wouldn't have believed it myself, except that my waist size has grown four inches in as many years. Sure, I'm known for my healthy girth, but now even Mrs. Claus calls me fat!

"I was open to new ideas when I came across this crazy discussion about eliminating wheat from your diet. So I said, "What have I got to lose?" Well, four weeks later and 12 lbs lighter, I'm convinced. Now comes the tough part: I've got to deliver all the toys and resist all those cookies the children put out for me. I wonder if wheat makes reindeer fat, too?

"Anyway, thanks to your program I'm back to my old weight again. Doc says my blood sugar and blood pressure are also back down to normal. Thanks, Track Your Plaque! (You'll find something extra special under the tree this year.)"

And so it goes. I'm tempted to put Santa's testimonial on our homepage, but I think that may be tooting our own horn a bit too much.

Have a wonderful holiday!
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Comments (6) -

  • Rich

    12/25/2007 3:57:00 AM |

    Thanks for the information Santa. I notice that you are drinking a Coke. You should lay off of that, too.

  • Anonymous

    12/25/2007 12:03:00 PM |

    Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to fellow TYPers!!!  Here is to a successful 2008, slim Santas and if anyone sees Rudolph and his bright red nose, you might mention to him that drinking alcohol to excess raises triglyceride levels.

  • mo79uk

    12/27/2007 11:28:00 PM |

    There isn't much vitamin D in the North Pole, is there? Rudolph's red nose could also be remedied...

  • Deborah

    12/28/2007 4:21:00 PM |

    But, Coke and cookies are soooo good!

    Love this post! Just thought I'd say HI! I found your blog via BlogRush!

    Deborah

  • Donner

    1/19/2008 4:30:00 AM |

    Hi, Santa!

    Thanks, as always, for your on-the-mark, pertinent information!

    However, Santa, with all due respect, Santa, Christmas is o-v-e-r, so please post a new blog, perhaps pertaining to the upcoming Valentine's Day, which would be perfectly appropriate, since that special day symbolizes "hearts".

  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 9:07:36 PM |

    And so it goes. I'm tempted to put Santa's testimonial on our homepage, but I think that may be tooting our own horn a bit too much.

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How good is the South Beach Diet?

How good is the South Beach Diet?

21. January 2007 William Davis (2)
I'm a fan of the South Beach Diet.

Though it is billed as a program for weight loss (for which it is very effective), it is really a program for health. The basic approach of South Beach involves:

Eat good fats — Choose good fats from olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, avocados, nuts, and fish. Omega-3 (fish oil) supplements are also fine.


Eat good carbs — Good carbs include high-fiber, nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

Eat lean protein — Good sources include eggs, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, skinless white-meat poultry, fish, shellfish, lean cuts of meat, and vegetarian options such as tofu.

(From The South Beach Diet, Dr. Arthur Agatston)


There's no doubt that South Beach can yield dramatic weight loss. In my experience, the success in weight loss depends on 1) how unhealthy your diet was in the first place, and 2) how long you can stick to Phase I, the inital phase during which weight loss is most dramatic. Some people have to periodically cycle back to Phase I to break a "plateau" or to lose faster.

But South Beach is also healthy. It has all the ingredients of a healthy eating program: Low saturated and hydrogenated fats, rich in monounsaturated fats, high fiber, low- to moderate- glycemic index, vegetables and fruits, lean proteins.

The Atkins' diet, in contrast, while very effective for weiglht loss, is an unhealthy process. I've seen lots of bladder infections, constipation, skin rashes, and kidney stones. That's just in the short term. If you stick to the "induction phase" (the no carbohydrate, low fiber, indiscriminate fat initial phase) for an extended period, I suspect that other adverse internal phenemena also develop that might not show for years, like cancer. But--it does work for weight loss!

South Beach's Phase I is also carbohydrate restricted, but steers you towards healthier foods, such as healthy oils from olive and canola, raw or dry roasted nuts, and lean proteins and vegetables.

What really makes South Beach special, however, are its clever recipes. Dr. Arthur Agatston (the author) involved chefs from the restaurants in the South Beach area of Miami to help create healthy yet delicious recipes. We've tried many of them and, while they are different from traditional fare, are delicious and satisfying for the most part.

Criticisms? None, really. But, when my patients choose South Beach (which I often encourage), I often have to impress on them that the Track Your Plaque program is not about weight loss. It is about seizing control of a potentially life-threatening disease. It is a far more important goal with greater implications. Weight loss is just one aspect of a coronary plaque control effort. For this reason, we sometimes have to make changes in the South Beach program to allow for correction of specific lipoprotein patterns.

The most common modification is in people with small LDL particles. This pattern often does indeed respond to weight loss and/or niacin. However, it occasionally persists despite these efforts. We then will ask the patient to continue to restrict the re-introduction of wheat products, though it is allowed after Phase I in South Beach. In other words, for this specific and sometimes difficult to control lipoprotein pattern, a spedific modification of the off-the-shelf South Beach program is sometimes necessary. Of course, the diet is created to suit everybody. Lipoprotein analysis permits detailed insight into your patterns and it's only to be expected that specific modifications might be needed.

But, as written, you can do quite well in your plaque control program by sticking to South Beach.
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Comments (2) -

  • Meredith Curry

    1/29/2007 2:05:00 AM |

    I am going to put your post about South Beach on my blog.  I think this is a great post and I like your review.

    I think the problem with Atkins for some is that they get so sucked up in the induction and losing weight rapidly that they can't stop eating steak with a side of cheese.  Forget the fact that you're really supposed to bump up those veggies according to Dr. Atkins.

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2010 12:45:01 PM |

    I was searching on ebay for a good book to help me get through my diet. In the end I googled it and found this site http://www.hungryforweightloss.com.

    They are giving away a free ebook called "365 tips for healthy living". I didn't expect it to be any good because it's free but it's actually brilliant so I thought i'd share it here Smile

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