This is not medical advice or a sales pitch for health care resources. I have no advice to give or sell. Everyone’s health and approach to health care are unique. These are my opinions and approach to my health care.
Keto, Atkins, low-carb, carnivore and paleo are variations of the same thing – cutting down on the consumption of specific types of simple and complex carbohydrates known as sugars and starches. Sugars and starches are NOT essential dietary requirements. There is NO evidence that they are a part of a “natural” human diet because there is NO evidence that humans evolved on diets containing significant amounts of sugars and starches. There is a plethora of evidence suggesting significant consumption of sugars and starches is a relatively modern phenomenon that human genetic evolution has not fully “caught up” to.
Two classic examples of diet-related variations in human evolution are ethanol and lactose intolerance. There are large populations of humans that have genes that allow them to process ethanol and lactose with relatively little or no harm. There are huge populations of humans (literally billions) that lack the genes to allow them to safely process lactose and ethanol. Alcoholism and lactose intolerance are very real and serious dietary diseases for billions of people that can be cured by simply not consuming alcohol and certain dairy products.
There are many types of dietary diseases. I am fortunate to not suffer from alcoholism, lactose intolerance, celiac disease, nut allergies or any of the many other types of metabolic and immunologic diseases related to diet. Unfortunately, I lost the genetic lottery for type 2 diabetes. My body cannot tolerate diets containing sugar or starches. I am fortunate that they are NOT essential nutrients. I am fortunate that, for me, there is a simple cure – not eating sugars and starches. I am fortunate there are NO risks and only benefits from not eating sugars and starches just as there are NO risks and only benefits to not consuming alcohol for alcoholics, gluten for celiac disease and so forth.
I am also fortunate that I tolerate a third type of carbohydrate called fiber. There are some unfortunate people that don’t. I am lucky. I can eat as much as I want of all the non-starchy and non-sugary plant products like broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, yummy avocados and some nuts and berries. This is in addition to all the delicious fat and protein rich animal products: fish, butter, cheese, Greek yogurt, chicken, pork, beef and eggs. I wish I had the genes that allowed me to enjoy pasta, pizza, bread, ice cream and bananas but there is absolutely NO risk and immense benefit to me not eating them.
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