Adapted from BMJ Open Access: Assessing the nutrient intake of a low carb high fat diet: a hypothetical case study design.
Abstract
Objective: The low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet
is becoming increasingly employed in clinical dietetic
practice as a means to manage many health-related
conditions. Yet, it continues to remain contentious in
nutrition circles due to a belief that the diet is devoid of
nutrients and concern around its saturated fat content.
This work aimed to assess the micronutrient intake of the
LCHF diet under two conditions of saturated fat thresholds.
Design: In this descriptive study, two LCHF meal plans
were designed for two hypothetical cases representing the
average Australian male and female weight-stable adult.
National documented heights, a body mass index of 22.5
to establish weight and a 1.6 activity factor were used to
estimate total energy intake using the Schofield equation.
Carbohydrate was limited to <130 g, protein was set at
15%–25% of total energy and fat supplied the remaining
calories.
One version of the diet aligned with the national
saturated fat guideline threshold of <10% of total energy
and the other included saturated fat ad libitum.
Primary outcomes: The primary outcomes included all
micronutrients, which were assessed using FoodWorks
dietary analysis software against national Australian/New
Zealand nutrient reference value (NRV) thresholds.
Results: All of the meal plans exceeded the minimum NRV
thresholds, apart from iron in the female meal plans, which
achieved 86%–98% of the threshold.
Saturated fat intake was logistically unable to be reduced below the 10%
threshold for the male plan but exceeded the threshold by
2 g (0.6%).
Conclusion: Despite macronutrient proportions not
aligning with current national dietary guidelines, a wellplanned LCHF meal plan can be considered micronutrient replete.
This is an important finding for health
professionals, consumers and critics of LCHF nutrition, as
it dispels the myth that these diets are suboptimal in their
micronutrient supply. As with any diet, for optimal nutrient
achievement, meals need to be well formulated.
My comments: Achieving nutritional completeness is almost impossible on a high carb, low fat, low protein diet. Despite the nutritional superiority of a well formulated low carb diet, there are some take home notes from the dieticians involved. 1. Your requirements for Vitamin D cannot be met solely by diet. You either need year round sun exposure or nutritional supplementation with a Vitamin D/K2 supplement. 2. In women of childbearing age, they may need extra iron in the diet, even if they eat red meat regularly. This is due to the effects of menstruation and pregnancy. This may involve eating red meat with fruit juice, avoiding tea with meals, and taking extra iron supplements. Latest thinking is that iron supplementation on alternate days or even less often reduces the bowel problems such as constipation that are usually caused.
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