Ornish on Tierney

http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/end-of-the-diet-wars/
Dr. Ornish responds to a question about "The Diet Wars."  Near the end he states: "Where are areas of agreement? Choose foods that are more dense in nutrients (such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and less dense in calories (all fat has 9 calories per gram versus only 4 calories/gram for protein and carbohydrates). Have some good fats such as fish oil containing omega 3 fatty acids each day. Eat less salt and drink more tea. Eat mindfully. Calories count. Quality over quantity. Also, most experts agree that moderate exercise and stress management techniques are also beneficial ... it’s not low-fat versus low-carb. It’s the right types of fats and carbs as well as the right amounts of these and other nutrients. The diet wars are almost over. It’s about time."


There's nothing nutrient dense about whole grains (and they actually have about the same metabolic impact as refined grains - not to mention I don't know a lot of folk who don't pile high carb taste enhancers on top of their otherwise boring whole grain fare), but the reality is that unless one is going to eat a lot of fat, we have to use grains (or one of the other high density carbs - potatoes, rice, corn) in the diet for calories.  If you take grains out of the food choices described above, but think you have to avoid fat, you'll be eating all day to get adequate caloric intake.  I think that's an important connection - they have to advocate 'whole grains' no matter the significant negative issues, because rejection of grains means de facto advocacy of a higher fat intake.

I'm a little stunned that anyone with an IQ greater than room temperature quotes the "fat has nine calories per gram" nonsense any more.  Are you eating food by weight?  Do you diet by eating fewer grams of food?  Do you have any idea at all how many grams of food you've eaten today?  Is there any evidence to support the idea that we actually affect body fat loss by avoiding fat?  I'd say the evidence is much stronger that by avoiding fat, we have reduced satiety and increased hunger - and that's before we consider what is used to replace the fat we should be eating (carbs - and thus insulin issues), the negative effect of low fat diets on fat soluable vitamins, and the necessity of fat for normal body functions (including and especially mental health).  And let's face it, unless you mix sugar with fat (EG Oreos), it's hard to overeat fat - ever see a person sitting around eating lard?  Ever know a depressed person pounding down the olive oil as comfort food?  Perhaps fat deprivation makes Dr. O see this differently.  I hate to even say that as I don't think badly of the Doc, but really - it's absurd to speak the way he does about fat and calories. 


I don't think the 'diet wars' are over, for what that is worth.  There's still every reason to believe that restricting carb intake to 100g/day or so is far better advice for most of us.  There's little reason to think eating more carbs than that will benefit us.


That said, I prefer the new Dr. Ornish, the Spectrum advocate, to the old Dr. O who so doggedly advocated the super-low fat diets that I think are nonsense.