Chris and Alexander “Xand” van Tulleken, twins who also happen to be doctors, recently embarked on an experiment to see which diets were worse–the low/no fat diet versus the high protein/low/no carbs diet. Chris did low fat, Xand did high protein. They followed a very strict regimen for what foods they ate with no variance. Who do you think fared better? Well…neither.

Xand lost the most weight…nine pounds, and Chris lost the least. Xand was always tired and all that protein and ketones made his breath stink. Chris was always hungry. At the end of the month-long experiment, the two hot doctors concluded what I already knew: “At the end of the month, neither brother felt like his diet was superior. Speaking with scientists working in cutting edge nutrition, they decided that the real problem was the combination of sugar and fat found in many processed foods. “We should not vilify a single nutrient…” Chris told the Sunday Express. “It is too easy to demonize fat or sugar but that enables you to let yourself off the hook in other ways. The enemy is right in front of us in the shape of processed foods.”

The real problem is processed foods that “confuse” the bodies physiology. To be honest, I’m a heavy protein AND heavy carb person, but my carbs comes from the greens in my garden and the fruits from the farmer’s market. I used a natural sugar substitute like stevia or monk fruit in my coffee and in any deserts I prepare. However, as I have weened myself of “fake sugar” I find that I crave it less and less, and I have virtually no desire for bread, pasta or rice. This took quite some time though–probably a year. For me, the paleo way of eating–mostly lean meats, fats, nuts, fruits and vegetables are what works best for me. I started my journey on a strict low-carb “Atkins” type diet, and it lent exercise nearly impossible, because a day after I did a vigorous yoga session I’d be completely useless, I was always sleepy.

Now, I eat lots of fruits and veggies in the morning to give me a surge of good, lasting energy that helps me exercise and concentrate on essential, non-physical tasks.

I think if there’s one thing that we can glean from this experiment is that processed sugar is BAD.

Read full article here.