Ever since Harvey and Marilyn Diamond first published "Fit for Life"
in 1985, there have been many criticisms of the concept that
carbohydrates and proteins or fats should not be eaten together. In
addition, there have been numerous revelations about the Diamonds
themselves. It's apparent that there is quite a bit of cause for
skepticism regarding "Fit for Life."
Here is a brief evaluation of the Diamonds' "Fit for Life" concept
from a Colorado State University Cooperative Extension publication on
weight loss diets:
"Fit for Life. 1985 - Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.
Characteristics: Based on the erroneous theory of "detoxification."
Toxic wastes build up and lead to obesity. Certain foods or food
combinations detoxify the body.
Weaknesses: Contains misinformation; nutritionally unbalanced; no
dairy; deficient in calcium, zinc, vitamin D and B-12; low protein.
Comments: Probably not dangerous but potentially unhealthy. Unsafe for
children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women. Will lead to
weight loss as food intake is restricted."
Colorado State University: Weight Loss Diets
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09364.html
An excellent article entitled "Fit for Life is a Fad Diet" appears on
Tina Juan's fitness site. Here are some excerpts, with a link to the
complete article.
"There is no truth to the concept that the 'wrong' combination of food
(protein and starch) will make you fat or will rot in your stomach. If
this were true, then millions of Japanese, Chinese, and other Asians
would be very overweight since their traditional diet consists of
rice, fish and vegetables or noodles, chicken/beef/pork, and
vegetables. Asians get fat just like any other group of human beings -
by eating too many calories. This is accomplished quite easily when
they adopt that great cultural contribution from the West -- junk food
and fast food.
People get fat because they eat too many calories -- no matter where
those calories come from. People also lose weight when they eat fewer
calories -- no matter where those calories come from.
Additionally, there are many foods that nature has created which have
both protein and starch. A good example is mongo. Wheat is also a
combination of both. Human breast milk is a combination of all three
-- starch, protein, and fat. If combining starch and protein were so
bad, why didn't nature invent breast milk to carry these nutrients
separately?"
Tina Juan's Fitness: "Fit for Life" is a Fad Diet
http://www.tinajuanfitness.com/articles/art120198.html
One of the best online sources for information about medical fads and
frauds in Quackwatch.com, where I found an article by Dr. James J.
Kenney called "Fit For Life: Some Notes on the Book and Its Roots."
Here is an excerpt:
"Diamond also explains how:
- Eating foods in the wrong combinations causes them to rot so they
cannot be assimilated.
- Combinations such as meat and potatoes, eggs and toast, bread and
cheese, or chicken and noodles are "a contributing factor to why
people in this country are dying at age 50."
- Some foods "cleanse" the body while others "clog" it.
- Eggs rot in the body.
- Refined sugars also ferment and produce acids even when consumed
alone because refining strips "every vestige of life" from the sugar,
- Fruits and vegetables, being high in water content can wash and
cleanse the body of toxins-but when fruit is eaten at the end of a
meal, its absorption is blocked and it ferments.
Actually, all sugars, whether refined or present in fruit, are almost
entirely absorbed in the small intestine. But Diamond declares that
"fruit should never be eaten with or immediately following anything"
-- a rule he calls "unquestionably the most important aspect of Fit
for Life." Actually, fruits contain pectin, which is fermented. If the
Diamonds' theory that fermentation products cause obesity were
correct, eating fruit would increase obesity rather than cure it!"
Quackwatch: Fit For Life: Some Notes on the Book and Its Roots
http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/fitforlife.html
In its "In Good Health" column, Tennis Life Magazine debunked the
concept that underlies "Fit for Life" and similar diets:
"Diet Myth Debunked
One of the more popular diet fads of the moment is founded on the
notion that carbs and proteins or fats should not be eaten together.
Similar to the old 'Fit for Life' program, self-appointed diet
'experts' like Suzanne Somers and Marilu Henner have appropriated this
idea and turned it into best-selling diet books. One theory suggests
that fats and carbs should be eaten separately because carbohydrates
promote an increase in the amount of fat stored in cells. Swiss
researchers handily debunk this dietary trend in a recent study. They
placed one group of obese people on a standard balanced, low-calorie
diet and another group on a similar calorie diet that did not allow
fats and carbohydrates to be eaten in the same meal. All participants
exercised for two hours each day and, at the end of six weeks,
individuals from both groups had lost the same amount of weight. In
addition, both groups experienced identical drops in blood sugar,
cholesterol and insulin levels. (Source: American Council on Exercise,
ACE.)"
Tennis Life Magazine, In Good Health: Diet Myth Debunked
http://www.tennislifemagazine.com/JanFeb/05_news_01.htm
On the Dietitian.com Web site, an article about fad diets discusses
the "Fit for Life" program, then makes this astute comment:
"I find it quite interesting when these theories on food or digestion
are passed around. Remember this body was designed millions of years
ago and we have the same genetic material. Basically, cave persons ate
when they found food and didn't eat when food wasn't available. Any
available food source was eaten when cave people found food. The cave
people who didn't eat, died and did not pass on their genes. Don't you
find it amazing that the human race has survived so long eating a
mixed food diet from available foods?"
Dietitian.com: Fad Diets
http://www.dietitian.com/faddiet.html
There are many, many other criticisms of the Diamonds and their
nutritional notions. A search on Google using the keywords "fad diets"
+ "harvey" + "marilyn" + "diamond" will give you a veritable feast of
debunking (and, of course, a few staunch defenders of "Fit for Life"
will be in there, too.)
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22fad+diets%22+harvey+marilyn+diamond
I hope this information has been useful to you. Before rating my
answer, please ask for clarification if it is needed.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
