A Second Opinion
Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 02:57PM 
My father’s cardiologist needs to have his face forcibly rearranged. I’m not one to bang heads, but I’d love to walk into that guy’s office and knock him around a little bit.
Two weeks ago, Dad had a massive coronary. Three stents and a stay in the ICU later, he received the worst piece of advice I’ve ever heard, courtesy of a man who should know better. With no hint of irony, the cardiologist told him to limit his fat intake.
The last thing my favorite four-heart-attack survivor needs is to stop eating fat. Quite the contrary, he needs to swerve his runaway diet directly toward lipids. A few fat calories would serve to displace a portion of his rampant carbohydrate consumption, regulating his blood sugar levels and mitigating his fortress-like insulin resistance.
Unfortunately, there was no mention of carbohydrates in their discussion. My dad will avoid fat like the plague, continuing his steady diet of egg noodles, bread, potatoes, and skim milk. He’ll be eating the very stuff that’s been killing him for the last sixty years.
Even worse, his highly educated, stethoscope-toting Specialist will sleep well at night, thinking he did everything he could to save Dad’s life. In reality, he put him on track for heart attack number five, albeit with a bit more metal in his chest and a newfound appreciation for the freedom of hospital apparel.
Perhaps a little less textbook and a bit more common sense would’ve done the trick. A simple lifestyle examination shows that my father’s diet is carbohydrate-based, his protein consumption is deficient, and the sum total of his daily exercise consists of getting in and out of his truck. Furthermore, his stress levels are off the charts.
These behavioral patterns haven’t changed a lick during the twenty-seven years I’ve had the pleasure of being my father’s son. Given the long duration of this lifestyle and the very unpleasant result, you would think that Captain Cardiologist’s advice would’ve turned Dad’s daily routine on its head. It didn’t. It just politely asked him to consume 80% less hamburger.
After I finish the Doctor’s impromptu facelift, I’m going to sit down with Dad. We’re going to cut the sugar from his diet, replace those calories with lean protein and unsaturated fats, and then we’re going to exercise with as much intensity as we can without blowing his ticker. If he has a fifth heart attack, it’ll be during a PR attempt.
I’ll be damned if he’s going to go while eating a grilled cheese sandwich made with low-fat cheddar and a dollop of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”, staring vacantly at the ceiling while his no-fat diet drops him into an early grave.
Picture courtesy of dartmed.dartmouth.edu, the fine Ivy-League Institution responsible for my father's care.
Reader Comments (11)
Lowfat can work, if it's in the context of a high nutrient diet, which your father's agreeably is not.
Pick up this book in the library and both read it cover to cover.
Eat to Live
http://books.google.com/books?id=CX8huSU0n8AC&dq=eat+to+live&pg=PP1&ots=ub57hYQd1S&sig=JK-s0UaJc3gYS9J31TqWiv9g3XI&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?q=eat+to+live&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail
Jon
I suggest beating Doctor Carb with a copy of Enter the Zone just to add a touch of irony. Let me know if you need a hand. Paying for ignorant advice makes me fighting mad too.
Wow! That Eat to Live book is a bunch of nonsense. Start reading from page 100 where the author starts attacking the Zone Diet and starts claiming that insulin levels have nothing to do with weight gain or disease. For a book that actually has science and evidence to back it up, you should read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.
Sam and I sat down with Mom and Dad today. Our conversation ended with us throwing out the potato chips, bread, crackers, and a shitload of candy, along with an agreement to eat lean protein and vegetables almost exclusively.
We're going to go ahead and regulate the everliving hell out of his insulin (even if some crackhead author doesn't think it impacts disease).
I tried to read the Taubes tome, and found my eyes sagging from boredom about ten pages in. I have no doubt that the guy is a godsend, but he sure could make better use of white space and the occasional witty remark!
Best,
Jon
Wow. He took your advice over a cardiologist's? Your father must trust you a lot.
I wish him many more happy years.
I was as surprised as you are Derek, but my father is a very reasonable man, and you can't argue with logic. Thanks for your kind words!
Best,
Jon
Jon,
I'm glad to hear you've gotten your father on the right track. Could you now confront my entire family and set them straight? Seriously though, nice work, I hope your Dad is doing well.
Best,
Danny V
North Shore
Jon,
Very interesting article in light of recent diet advice my wife has been receiving. One of her girlfriends is following weight watchers & my sister is a full fledge vegan. Can you imagine the advice she gets???
We have several of the Zone books but your line about lean meats, vegetables sums things up pretty well.
Thanks,
I lost my dad from doctor oversight, so I definitely feel your rage bro.
Very happy to see you got dad to listen before it's too late. Hope all works out!
I am a vascular surgeon/crossfitter/"Zone-r" and have changed my dietary recommendations for my patients in-line with the agreement that the 'low'-fat diet is promulgated on poor science and little basis in true outcomes. Sadly I am somewhat of a pariah among my peers/dieticians/etc. who are so ingrained with the "AHA/ADA/USDA" pseudo-facts that they think I am 'nuts'. Oh well, I will continue to recommend what I scientifically believe to be right with the hope that my patients will trust in me and achieve wellness through this.
Stephen,
That's wonderful news. For the sake of everyone involved, please be vocal when you hear dietary misinformation making the rounds.
Without a doubt, you are in a very strong position to make a difference. If I can do anything for you, please let me know.
Best,
Jon