Eat Like A Swede-LCHF (Low-Carb, High-Fat)

Swedish LCHF Success Story: Marie Lidén

Jimmy Moore — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:05:01 +0000

Marie Lidén has quite an amazing story of weight loss success eating a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet as you can see from the before and after pictures above. This 42-year old mother of two has been eating this way for a couple of years and has lost a total of 72 pounds with an ultimate goal of losing 118 pounds which she believes she will reach because of her commitment to “continue to eat this way.” Surprisingly, all of Marie’s weight loss so far has been WITHOUT the use of any exercise–or, as she puts it, “I’m just eating the way I am supposed to.” Best of all, this has “not been hard” for her as long as she remains focused on making sure her diet is low-carb and high-fat. It’s the LCHF lifestyle!

In September 2009, Marie was fed up with her weight and said “enough is enough.” She was ashamed of her morbidly obese self and knew she had to do something about it. Her frustration with the reality of what she had become manifested itself in feelings of self-loathing and disgust.

I hated my body and what I had become. I had to put a stop to this once and for all. I wanted to live, be able to play with my kids, and have a long healthy life.

And that life Marie had lived was one where she was overweight for most of the time. Like so many of us who struggled to get our weight under control as a lifelong battle, she too had gotten “bigger and bigger” as the years progressed. Marie admits she used food as her drug of choice to comfort herself or just because she wanted to feel good. She described this as a “disorder” that had gotten “out of control.” And the damage to her weight might have been even worse but for her active lifestyle that led her to take daily walks.

A major turning point happened in November 2006 when Marie was in an accident where she broke her left foot that required surgery to repair. The foot never fully repaired itself and now she is handicapped as a result. Although she is able to walk, she sometimes loses her balance and falls because of this injury. That means she can’t go out and dance, go walking, or engaging in any kind of physical activity.

My injured foot put another nail in the coffin of my health. I got even fatter since I was stuck inside all the time and not able to take my usual walks.

The weight began taking such a toll on Marie’s body that by 2009 she was “sick of looking at myself in the mirror.”

I didn’t like that fat person I was looking at in the mirror. I hated seeing myself get that big, but in hindsight I also loved it because it was the beginning of my decision to start LCHF. This decision allowed me to be the healthy and fit woman that I am today. And it’s a decision that began when I was standing in front of that mirror.

And when Marie made her decision to change her old eating habits, she went for it with reckless abandon. The first thing she did was clear out all of her refrigerator and pantry of all the high-carb junk foods that had plagued her. However, she struggled with what she should do. Marie had already tried Weight Watchers, taken diet pills on the advice of a dietitian, and even resorted to prescription weight loss medications–but none of them worked.

At the end of each diet, I ended up weighing even more on the scales after each unsuccessful attempt. Those things just didn’t work for me and I simply ate more and more to cover up the pain of thinking there was something wrong with me. I always felt bad about myself with each successive diet failure.

Interestingly, Marie was already aware of LCHF and even tried it once previously. But she went through the emotional pain of a bad relationship and stopped eating that way. However, Marie remembered that she found some success doing it when she tried it before. So she decided to “try it again” with “full focus this time.”

Marie read a book about how the LCHF lifestyle helped a Swedish man named Sten Sture Skaldeman lose over 140 pounds and she was excited to read about the kind of luxurious and delicious foods she could enjoy that have always been off limits on most other diets.

I started buying lots of butter, eggs, bacon, cream, and full-fat cheeses. Other foods I especially loved adding to my grocery cart included broccoli, cauliflower, coconut oil, strawberries, and full-fat yogurt. Of course, I also consumed all sorts of meats and fresh herbs. This was a good starting point for how I should be eating on my LCHF lifestyle.

She remembers her first LCHF meat was a breakfast consisting of eggs and bacon with a cup of coffee mixed with real full-fat cream. And the rest, they say, is history. To this day, Marie is STILL eating lots of high-fat foods that are as low in carbohydrates as she can find. What’s curious about her diet are all the foods that she used to eat but are no longer there.

No sugar, no pasta, rice, flour, bread, potatoes or veggies growing underground.

This LCHF way of eating has never left Marie hungry and she knows she “finally found the right thing” that works for her.

I found my preferred lifestyle change and I don’t have any regrets about doing this!

Not unlike many of us who have started a healthy low-carb lifestyle change in the United States, Marie says she has been mocked and scolded by others who say she is “stupid” for following such a diet that includes so much fat and not enough carbs. But she just smiles and looks back on just “how far I have come in my journey.”

All my life I have been told not to eat fatty foods and always choose ‘light’ foods instead–but those only made me bigger. I did what everyone told me was the right thing to do but never saw any lasting results. Today I know better and I’m healthier because of LCHF.

In addition to her weight loss, Marie has noticed quite a few subtle yet noticeable changes in her health as well. She says her symptoms of gastric distress and irritable bowel have subsided and that getting a headache is “a rare phenomenon” now. She’s more alert, has healthier skin, snores less, enjoys normal blood pressure, is energetic and has a newfound confidence in herself that was never there before when she was bigger.

Marie looks back now on all the years she wasted time, energy and money trying to do the right thing regarding her weight and health only to be left frustrated, fatter and financially drained from years of bad advice. The success she has found with LCHF and the mountain of evidence that is growing about this way of eating makes her wonder why so many medical and health professionals can remain blinded by their belief in conventional wisdom regarding nutrition.

How can doctors, nurses and nutritionists stand in front of patients and actually look you in the eye and say that you will become slim if you eat the low-fat, high-carb diet they recommend? What’s most ironic is they even admit that not everyone is successful doing this which is why so much money is wasted on finding something that will work instead. Yes I am bitter in retrospect when I now see my body fat melt off effortlessly by following the exact opposite diet that has always been recommended to me.

Whereas Marie used to chunk the egg yolk and eat the egg whites, she now knows that “it’s the yolk that has all the nutrition in it.” And the highly-touted fruit is “not as good as they say” because all the sugar in it can “make your blood sugar go bananas!” It’s a daily learning process that she has been educating herself ever since she began LCHF. Coming off of blood pressure medication in just three months showed her there was something powerful about the new way she was eating that convinced her this as what was the new “right way” for her to live her life.

LCHF works for me and I’m convinced I was doing more harm than good by listening to the doctors and all the other experts. My weight loss success of 72 pounds and counting along with my vast improvements in my heart are proof enough for me that what I’m doing now is what is best for me.

Marie says she fully intends to stay on LCFH for “as long as I feel as good as I do now” and “hopefully for the rest of my life.”

And I will keep helping others find what works for them any way that I can. Although I have no nutritional education or background, I’ve learned so much about what LCHF and what it has done for me personally. If I can be an inspiration to others who are beginning their own journey, then I consider that a success.

Check out Marie Lidén’s Znack blog in English to learn more about this amazing LCHF success story in Sweden! If YOU live in Sweden and have a story of success on LCHF, then I’d love to hear from you and share your story with the English-speaking world. E-mail your story and send any relevant pictures to livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I know sharing your story will help move and inspire others to embrace the low-carb, high-fat lifestyle change for themselves!

Attention LCHF Fans In Sweden: I WANT YOUR STORY!

Jimmy Moore — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:45:01 +0000

Hello my Swedish LCHF friends! I’m so happy to have launched this brand new English-speaking blog about the great work you guys are doing over in Sweden promoting healthy high-fat, low-carb diets to your friends, family, neighbors and everyone else who will listen. It’s incredible how quickly this movement has taken off in your country and it’s because of the tremendous efforts of real people who are living this lifestyle change for themselves to serve as an example for others to follow. That’s why I’d love to share YOUR story of success on LCHF with my readers here at “Eat Like A Swede.”

If you live in Sweden and have a success story with your weight and/or health thanks to LCHF, then please send an e-mail to livinlowcarbman@charter.net with the following information:

1. Your name and where you live in Sweden
2. When you started eating LCHF
3. Your success story in English (don’t worry about perfect spelling and grammar…I’ll spruce it up!)
4. Any relevant photos of your “old” and “new” self
5. A URL to your blog, web site or anything else if people want to learn more about you

This will be an ongoing feature here at “Eat Like A Swede” and I’d be honored to share YOUR story!

Special Edition Of Swedish LCHF Magazine In English

Jimmy Moore — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:32:36 +0000

It’s been five years since the last low-carb magazine in America fell by the wayside as the costs of running a print publication to a niche audience became more and more difficult under the illusion that the low-carb “fad” as the media likes to refer to it had come and gone. But for those of us who have continued on with our high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb lifestyle change, we have been left to seek out information in alternative places such as blogs, forums, podcasts, and YouTube. That was my motivation for starting the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” concept back in 2005 after my 180-pound weight loss on the Atkins diet. But in Sweden, where LCHF (Low-Carb, High-Fat) has taken off like gangbusters over the past few years, the time for starting a magazine devoted to that subject just seemed like a no-brainer to the brain trust behind LCHF Magazine.

This ambitious project was undertaken by a quartet of Swedish LCHF pioneers in 2009 as a means for spreading the message out to a wider audience. Who are these four very brave people willing to take a chance on a concept like a low-carb magazine? It’s a virtual who’s who of the leaders in the LCHF movement in Sweden: Sten Sture Skaldeman is a journalist and bestselling LCHF author, Bo Zackrisson is a medical journalist and editor, Margareta Lundström is the chief administrator and economist and the great Dr. Annika Dahlqvist who is a general practitioner and bestselling author in her own right who withstood the aggressive legal attempt to have her medical license pulled when two dietitians steeped in conventional wisdom brought a complaint against her for using LCHF—and they lost! This dynamic foursome are the driving force behind the March 2010 debut in Sweden of LCHF Magazine with the sole purpose of focusing on the subject of low-carb diets and their positive impact on health. Today the magazine boasts 6,300 subscribers in 23 countries–a great success for a small but growing magazine.

Skaldeman, Zackrisson, and Lundström were all on the Low-Carb Cruise I help organize in the United States each year and they came in 2011 to report on it for LCHF Magazine. In fact, we had a very strong showing of 20 Swedes with us in support of Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt (aka “The Diet Doctor”) who was one of the featured speakers this year. They were taking it all in, interviewing the mostly-American low-carb cruisers, taking notes on the lectures by the guest speakers, and enjoying the entire experience along the way. The next issue of LCHF Magazine will be dedicated to this event where they will be inviting other LCHF-loving Swedes to join them on the 2012 Low-Carb Cruise. They’re hoping to bring 100 people from Sweden next year and what a delight that would be!

While they were in America, the LCHF Magazine team actually toured various places in the United States starting off in Chicago and making their way south into my neck of the woods in the Upstate of South Carolina. We visited the local farm where I purchase my grass-fed beef, raw butter and other real, whole foods in my low-carb diet called Live Oak Farms. The farmers, Chuck and Allison Schaum, were gracious enough to show my Swedish friends around to see what farm life in 2011 America looks like. Watch this July 2010 mini-documentary about Live Oak Farms I posted to YouTube.

To give the English-speaking people on the 2011 Low-Carb Cruise a taste of what the burgeoning Swedish LCHF Magazine is all about, they created a very special edition of their publication–in ENGLISH! It includes three of their best articles about the LCHF movement in Sweden as they are seeking to bring about real changes in the eating habits of the Swedish population with influential articles from the key LCHF newsmakers. In this 12-page abbreviated version of the magazine, we had three columns to enjoy: a history of the Swedish LCHF movement, a spotlight on Dr. Sofie Hexeberg from Norway, and an interview with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt.

So that you too can benefit from this extraordinary magazine, I have posted this special edition in its entirety for you below. Click on the corresponding page number and then hit your “back” button to click on the next number to read the entire thing. Special THANKS to the creators of LCHF Magazine for allowing us this peek inside the awesome work they are doing. Hopefully the magazine will continue to grow as the popularity of LCHF continues reaching beyond the borders of Sweden in the coming years–maybe even a full-length English version coming to the United States, Canada and the UK someday. I could see it happening!

Read this special 12-page edition of LCHF Magazine in English:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

An English Transcription Of The Swedish TV Report On The LCHF Movement

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:42:13 +0000

I previously shared with you about some truly remarkable news out of Sweden with a new public opinion poll showing one in four people there are eating a low-carb diet. With the rise in popularity of what they refer to as LCHF (low-carb, high-fat) nutrition thanks to the tireless leadership efforts of incredible low-carb heroes like Dr. Annika Dahlqvist, Jonas Colting and Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, among others, a real cultural shift is taking place that the media there can no longer ignore (Dr. Eenfeldt noted on his English blog that he’s been “doing 14 lectures in 15 days now in different cities in Sweden on the subject of low carb diets and health. The subject has never been hotter in my country. Journalists are calling every single day now.” That Swedish TV exposure really worked wonders for the LCHF movement which is why anytime we can get coverage of livin’ la vida low-carb on American television it can’t help but be a GOOD thing…even if the reporting attempts to skew and lambaste this perfectly healthy way of eating.

The television news station that broke the story on the new poll finding a rise in low-carb dieters in Sweden was your typical mainstream journalism as you’ll see when you read the transcript provided below. But I do think you have to appreciate the fact that they gave some pretty positive press to low-carb living even if they did try to balance it by presenting a dietitian’s perspective offering up the idiotic assertion that eating fat and red meat will harm your health. Someday soon this will be viewed as the nonsensical mode of thinking that it really is and the public will be cautiously skeptical about whatever they hear from the so-called health “experts” ever again.

Thanks to one of my readers in Sweden, he provided a rough translation into English of the news report for you (see below). He noted that Allsvenskan is a well-known professional Swedish ice hockey league, Demoskop is a large polling organization in Sweden, Optimal Förlag is the publisher that prints most of the LCHF books in Sweden and that 1kg is equivalent to 2.2 pounds. With that in mind, here’s the English translation:
***********************************************************************************************
[00:00] (Label says: Beef For Breakfast)
One in every four Swedes are reducing their carbohydrate intake according to a new poll and dieticians are now warning us that carbophobia is growing in Sweden. Reporter Anna-Karin Strindholm (AKS) met up with LCHF supporter Henrik Nilsson (HN) who prefers to start his days eating beef…

[00:17] (HN) I like eating a piece of meat for breakfast. It’s what I find the most appetizing.
(AKS) No cereal, no toast?
(HN) I never eat cereal or toast actually. I can live without it.

[00:31] (AKS) As a hockey player in Allsvenskan he used to eat pasta every single day. But he suffered from stomach problems and therefore needed to alter his diet dramatically. For the past three years, Henrik Nilsson has eaten very few carbs. Instead, his diet consists of primarily meat, eggs, butter and cream.

[00:46] (HN) I feel much more alert and I find that I am never sick. If I get a cold, it’s very mild and it disappears during the afternoon. I think this way of eating works really well.

[00:56] (AKS) And even if Henrik Nilsson is extreme he is not alone in cutting down on pasta, rice and bread. According to a poll by Demoskop at the request of Optimal Förlag, it shows that nearly one in four Swedes are trying to reduce the amount of carbs in their diet.

[01:10] (Dietitian Anna Ottosson) I’m not surprised. There’s a rampant carbophobia in Sweden today. We’ve gone from fat-phobia to carbophobia.
(AKS) Has it gone too far, this fear of carbohydrates?
(AO) Yes, I find the debate to be extremely fanatical in Sweden at the moment. I think that the debate needs to be a little more reasonable. People need to eat a balanced diet of protein, fat and carbohydrates instead.

[01:38] (AKS) A diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein has been shown to cause an increase in the risk of death. This (LCHF) diet flies in the face of the dietary guidelines provided by researchers to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. At the same time, Swedes have a record-high meat consumption with over 80kg consumed by each person annually.

[01:53] (AO) Meat on its own is a fantastic source of protein and contains a lot of nutrients. Too much of it, however, can be detrimental to your health. We’ve seen, for example, an increased risk of colon cancer linked to red meat in studies. So naturally you need to moderate your red meat intake.

[02:09] (HN) Dietitians have their own opinions about what a healthy diet is. All I know is I feel great eating like this and it’s not up to me to comment on other people’s opinions. Other people can eat whatever makes them feel healthy.

[02:23] (AKS) But how will you cope with no candy this Easter?
(HN) I guess I will have to eat more eggs instead. I’m sure that will do just fine.
***********************************************************************************************
Pretty amazing stuff, isn’t it? I love how virtually every news report about low-carb diets around the world always feels the need to bring on some chest-thumping, arrogant dietitian to say how we low-carbers are killing ourselves eating the way that we do. But LCHF enthusiast Henrik Nilsson was brilliant in his response: “Dietitians have their own opinions about what a healthy diet is. All I know is I feel great eating like this and it’s not up to me to comment on other people’s opinions. Other people can eat whatever makes them feel healthy.” YOU GOTTA LOVE IT! He’s basically stating that people should make up their mind about what diet works best for them–and the DO IT! We won’t judge your high-carb, low-fat diet if you don’t make crazy claims about our low-carb, high-fat nutritional plan. I think people are finally seeing through the ruse of conventional dietary wisdom spouted by these “experts.” Wouldn’t you love to see press like this for low-carb in America?

Poll: Nearly One-Fourth Of The Swedish Population Are Now Eating Low-Carb

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:39:26 +0000

Cheer up fans of high-fat, low-carb living around the world because I’ve got some really exciting news to share with you today that will have you jumping for joy at the incredible progress being made about this way of eating right now in the nation of Sweden. Whether you realize it or not, there’s an outright low-carb revolution happening amongst the Swedish people that has been several years in the making thanks to an unprecedented chain of events that have unfolded featuring educated physicians and patients whose lives have been forever changed for the better because of healthy high-fat, low-carb living. This story I’m about to share with you today should inspire those of us in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and everywhere else livin’ la vida low-carb is impacting the lives of real people.

Excitement about LCHF hit a fevered pitch when a new public opinion poll about Swedish eating habits released in March 2011 showing nearly one in four Swedes identify themselves as eating a low-carb diet. INCREDIBLE! Needless to say, this has lit a fire of excitement amongst those who have been championing healthy high-fat, low-carb living there–and I think it will encourage low-carbers around the world to continue spreading the good news about what this way of eating has done for our weight and health.

So, is the LCHF movement making a REAL difference in the lives of the people of Sweden? That’s what the March 2011 poll of 1,000 Swedish citizens between the ages of 18-89 conducted by Demoskop wanted to find out. Commissioned by Pagina/Optimal, the leading publisher of LCHF and other low-carb books, they simply wanted to know the answer to the following question:

“Do you try to eat fat but minimize your intake of carbohydrates–the low-carb, high-fat or LCHF method?”

Here’s a graph outlining the results of the poll (it’s in Swedish, but I’ll explain below):

(Click on the image above to ENLARGE)

You can see the full report in Swedish by clicking here, but Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt provided some English translation assistance by creating this graph with the demographics of those who responded to the poll:

These numbers are pretty astonishing when you stop and think about it. Here are some of the key findings that are worth noting:

Nearly one in four (23%) respondents are carb-conscious

Five percent are hard-core adherents to high-fat, low-carb (LCHF) living

Interestingly, nearly twice as many women (7%) than men (4%) follow LCHF

The older respondents seem more carb-conscious than the younger ones

Nearly one-third 55-89 year olds are eating a low-carb diet

Low and medium income watch carbs at the same rate as high income

High income respondents are more likely to afford eating a LCHF diet

Retired respondents over 65 (7%) do LCHF more than working 45-64 year olds (5%)

30-44 year olds support LCHF (7%) at highest percentage of total carb watchers (20%)

Students and the unemployed can’t afford to purchase LCHF foods, still watch carbs

One of my Swedish readers told me the television news station that reported on this poll interviewed a dietitian rooted in conventional dietary wisdom about it and he said it was “all the normal nonsense” that you hear from these so-called health experts. She accused the Swedish people of being “carbphobic” and dismissed the findings as ignorance. Sounds like somebody has sour grapes to me and is extremely jealous of the attention being paid to a healthy and delicious nutritional plan that is greatly improving the weight and health of those who try it for themselves. The implications of this momentum happening in Sweden cannot be overstated. THIS IS HUGE!

Juxtapose this new poll with a Google Trender keyword search for “LCHF” in Sweden and the picture will become even more stark by comparison:

Prior to 2008, nobody in Sweden had even heard of LCHF. But after the National Board of Health and Welfare made their decision clearing Dr. Dahlqvist’s good name by noting a low-carb diet is “in accordance with science and well-tried experience for reducing obesity and Type 2 diabetes,” interest in the LCHF lifestyle began to skyrocket and the trend has not slowed down yet. In fact, Google searches for “LCHF” in Sweden have more than doubled in just the past year alone which likely led those people who were searching to visit any number of outstanding low-carb blogs there, get educated about what this way of eating is about, and then start doing it for themselves. That’s why the numbers in this survey were so incredible!

The fact is this has happened very quickly mostly through word-of-mouth since LCHF has not been endorsed by the government or health leaders. Can you imagine if low-carb, high-fat diets were to be deliberately PROMOTED to the Swedish people as “healthy” what would happen? Those poll numbers above would easily double overnight and the health of the citizens there would improve dramatically without the need for taking risky medications or ever going on a hunger-inducing, unpalatable low-fat diet ever again! Restaurants and grocery stores would need to cater to the LCHF consumer by offering higher-fat food offerings to consumers such as butter, full-fat cheeses, cream, steak, and low-carb staples like spinach, broccoli and cauliflower. It’s a revolution happening right before our eyes in a country that could easily be setting a trend for other nations to follow!

Most amazing to me is the fact that this has all happened on the grassroots level through the tireless efforts of a lot of people getting involved in promoting LCHF within their circle of influence. It’s as if people have given up being lied to about how to eat from those experts who are supposed to know better about what is most effective and now the people are turning to alternative sources of information coming from bloggers who are telling their success stories since they are real-life examples of what healthy high-fat, low-carb living can do. My speech on the 4th Annual Low-Carb Cruise in May 2011 was called “Following Your Passion To Change The World” where I challenged the participants to find their talents and use them to bring about change in support of this amazing low-carb lifestyle. The time for making this happen is NOW!

Will we see a similar trend like what has happened in Sweden start to happen someday soon in the United States of America? It may seem improbable and maybe even impossible to fathom right now. But perhaps the Swedes are giving us a foretaste of the future of America, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries around the world who desperately need their own dietary revolution to take place. I have a feeling it’s coming sooner than later and I’ll be here ready, willing, and able to do my part to help educate, encourage, and inspire the masses when it does. Will you?

Swedish Physician And Kostdoktorn (‘Diet Doctor’) Blogger Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:31:08 +0000

With all the constant criticism we’ve heard over the years about high-fat, low-carb diets by the media and the so-called health “experts” in the United States of America describing it as a dangerously unhealthy “fad,” one would logically conclude that it is a nutritional approach that is not backed by sound science or any respected medical professionals. But when you go beyond the American borders into other countries where livin’ la vida low-carb is making great strides penetrating into the national diet debate, it totally changes your perspective about how this way of eating is bringing about positive changes in the weight and health of the patients who are being placed on these plans. One of the hottest countries where low-carb living is exploding is the nation of Sweden. Or, as they like to call it, LCHF (low-carb, high-fat)!

One of the most influential members of the LCHF community in Sweden is a young family physician named Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt who is the author of the #1 low-carb blog in the world called Kostdoktorn which is translated into English as “Diet Doctor.” I’ve been in correspondence with Dr. Eenfeldt for several years and he has been a special guest speaker on the annual Low-Carb Cruise to the Bahamas since 2010. My impressions of this man is that he is a very kind, patient, inquisitive, and understanding person who is making his mark within his sphere of influence–and it’s growing by leaps and bounds. Boasting tens of thousands of daily blog readers, Dr. Eenfeldt has positioned himself as the go-to resource for people desiring more information about LCHF. The following video shows him going up against another one of the conventional wisdom-spouting Swedish health “experts” on television (yes, I know you probably won’t understand what is being said, but observe Dr. Eenfeldt’s respectful yet firm mannerisms and calm demeanor):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2Sp5fs3Q4

I was pleased to be able to sit down with Dr. Eenfeldt at the conclusion of the 2010 Low-Carb Cruise to interview him on video about the work he is doing. Watch that interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDSmp_rIue4

I’m excited to share about Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt with you and look forward to sharing my interview with him for a more extensive conversation on “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” coming up in Episode 494 on August 22, 2011. Also, he has already signed up to be a part of The 5th Annual Low-Carb Cruise in May 2012 by being a guest speaker for the third year in a row–so you can look forward to meeting this amazing guy for yourself in the flesh. He’s participated in several American low-carb and obesity conferences for the past of years and will be a special guest lecturer at the Ancestral Health Symposium on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles in August 2011. Dr. Eenfeldt is a man on a mission committed to the cause and I’m so glad you’ve now heard about the spectacular work he is doing in Sweden. We haven’t even come close to hearing the last from this incredible man. If you want to “Eat Like A Swede,” then you have a lot you can learn from Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt.

Interview: Ultraman World Champion Swedish Athlete Jonas Colting Eats LCHF

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:54:21 +0000

This podcast interview originally aired on June 15, 2009:

If you’ve been paying any attention to the shifts in nutritional thinking around the world over the past year, then you probably already know about the huge low-carb, high-fat diet explosion that is happening in Sweden right now. It’s exciting to see such a public debate about saturated fat thanks to the work of people like Dr. Annika Dahlqvist, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, Per Wikholm, and so many others. Today I’m privileged to share my frank interview with a surprisingly strong voice on behalf of LCHF (low-carb, high-fat) diets.

In Episode 262 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we have world-class Swedish triathlete Jonas Colting with us to talk about how the high-fat, low-carb nutritional approach has not only improved his health but also maximized his athletic performance in competition–he won the Ultraman World Championships in 2004 and then again in 2007 as well as high finishes in the Long Distance World Cup in 2001, 2004, and 2005. Jonas credits livin’ la vida low-carb for his athletic breakthrough over the past few years.

Hear Jonas Colting talk in-depth about how the traditional diet promoted by the Swedish government for athletes was harming his health, the positive impact of Dr. Dahlqvist on the dietary changes happening in Sweden, the special interest groups that are opposed to LCHF, what a typical day’s worth of meals looks like for him, why American Olympic athlete Michael Phelps will need to cut back on his carbs and calories as he gets older, how LCHF has extended the length and abilities of his athletic career, which popular American low-carb blogger he’s a big fan of (no, it’s not me!), his inaugural Tour of Sweden this year, the interesting traditional Swedish foods, and the perils of consuming margarine! This is an encouraging podcast from one of the finest triathletes in the entire world–and he’s an amazing ambassador for healthy high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating. ENJOY!

Download the mp3: The LLVLC Show Episode 262 [42:32m]

What did you think about Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting? BIG THINGS are happening and it will be because of people like Jonas Colting!

Swedish Showdown On Saturated Fat: Battle Of The Annikas

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:47:42 +0000

In the country that gave us their famous meatballs, the Volvo vehicle, and the classic hit-making 1970s singing group ABBA, there’s quite a firestorm of controversy and discussion going on within the realm of public debate regarding the validity of a high-fat, low-carbohydrate nutritional approach (LCHF) on health. The latest turn of events in this ongoing diet battle took place on March 15, 2009 when one of the leading public service morning television news programs on Sveriges Television (SVT) interviewed a physician about a study showing a lower occurrence of cardiovascular disease over the past couple of decades since low-fat diets have been promoted. Predictably, they marched out this university professor named Dr. Annika Rosengren who made the statement that the lack of saturated fat in the recommended diet has kept cholesterol levels low and that was the primary factor in the improved heart health results.

Needless to say, this didn’t sit too well with proponents of LCHF, including Dr. Dahlqvist, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, and other leaders of the low-carb movement in Sweden. As you can see from the following rough translation of Dr. Eenfeldt’s blog post, he was pretty livid about it lamenting that no voices of opposition were brought on to present another viewpoint.

“But the report (on this study makes people) think the (professor and other “experts” featured on the television program) know better–naturally (they’re gonna say) saturated fat kills. Amazingly enough, (these “experts” never reported) exactly how many (people) died (from eating saturated fat). And (there was) no other view (countering these arguments) heard.”

Dr. Eenfeldt organized a campaign for LCHF supporters to write to SVT as well as the Swedish Broadcasting Commission demanding equal time for the pro-saturated fat message to be heard. This blatant bias against the LCHF message is illegal in Sweden because the television stations are required by their licenses to maintain impartiality when it comes to controversial subjects like this one. Had they done their due diligence and allowed someone like Dr. Dahlqvist or Dr. Eenfeldt to appear on the program to articulate the other side, then there would not have been a problem.

Needless to say, they were flooded with so many e-mails and letters of complaint that SVT had no choice but to offer the other side. So, who did they turn to for more information about the healthy benefits of consuming saturated fat? Was it any of the many LCHF advocates in Sweden? Nope. The television reporter went to see a representative from the National Food Administration–the Swedish version of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Not surprising, they spouted the same old garbage that was shared on the previous program by Dr. Rosengren confirming it to be accurate information.

“Saturated fat is bad for you, and LCHF is only approved for short-term treatment of diabetes and obesity,” the Livsmedelsverket spokesman stated.

Again, there was outrage in the Swedish low-carb community at this utter disregard and ignorance regarding the science behind LCHF for weight loss and disease prevention over the long-term. This time, SVT did the right thing and invited both Dr. Dahlqvist and Dr. Eenfeldt to appear with Dr. Rosengren for a live televised debate on saturated fat, but Dr. Eenfeldt was not able to attend.

I watched the debate when the video was posted online (it has since been removed) to see the demeanor of both Dr. Rosengren and Dr. Dahlqvist and it was quite evident that both were well-prepared with what they wanted to say. The professionalism of both was evident (although I couldn’t understand a word they were saying), but you could tell Dr. Rosengren was getting increasingly agitated by the assertions Dr. Dahlqvist was making about saturated fat.

The debate started out well with Dr. Dahlqvist explaining why a low-carb, high-fat diet is one of the best things you could do for improving your health. She said the insistence by those who promote a low-fat diet on people eating “the food industry yellow shoe polish” (her hilarious description of margarine) is more harmful than butter will ever be. Dr. Dahlqvist added that a saturated fat-based diet is a “natural” one for weight loss and health.

This, of course, set off Dr. Rosengren who disagreed that saturated fat is healthy at all. However, mimicking the style of American low-fat diet guru Dr. Dean Ornish when he told me in my podcast interview with him last year that “we all agree” on diet, she goes on to admit that people can lose weight very well on a low-carb diet and that she’s no fan of margarine either. However, Dr. Rosengren then switched gears to say there are different kinds of saturated fats and fatty acid compounds that can raise cholesterol levels and that this is a “very complicated issue” that contains “conflicting” research. Nevertheless, she said the preponderance of the evidence points to the fact that “saturated fat is harmful.”

The moderator then turned to Dr. Dahlqvist and said that the National Food Administration and cardiologists have echoed this sentiment that saturated fat is bad for people to consume. She then asked if all of these “experts” are wrong? You gotta love the answer she gave: “Yes, they all are wrong! It is only we who are right!” HA! Nice one, Dr. Dahlqvist! She explained that it was Ancel Keys in the 1950s who made the erroneous proclamation that saturated fat was dangerous and raised cholesterol levels. She added that the science has since evolved and yet our thinking on saturated fat has not.

“People have become thin by eating saturated fat and become fat from eating carbohydrates and a low-fat diet,” Dr. Dahlqvist exclaimed.

The moderator said these conflicting messages over whether saturated fat is good or bad has “squeezed” her as a consumer looking for credible information about what the truth is when such diametrically opposite viewpoints are being shared. Dr. Rosengren responded to this by saying that Ancel Keys was right in the 1950s and his hypothesis has been proven correct by ongoing research today. She added that “there is no scientific support for” the consumption of natural fats. Dr. Dahlqvist retorted that this is the “original diet” of our early ancestors and that without the consumption of saturated fat during the evolutionary development of man, we wouldn’t be around today. She made an excellent point about the changes in our diet that took place when margarine was introduced to the food supply.

“Ever since margarine and omega-6-laden vegetable oils like corn oil and sunflower oil have been used, we have only gotten sicker and sicker. We’re really sick now!” Dr. Dahlqvist remarked.

She said there is plenty of research to back up these claims, but that ongoing research has been stifled because scientists are “paralyzed by the fear of saturated fat.” Additionally, she said there is an enormous amount of money from the Swedish Nutrition Foundation, food industry, and other lobby groups to prevent quality research on this subject from being fairly conducted. This kind of influence makes any research against natural saturated fats “just nonsense,” Dr. Dahlqvist contended.

To clarify what fats she is referring to, Dr. Dahlqvist said the healthy ones are animal fats and natural vegetable fats such as nuts, avocados, and coconut fat. She again stated that people shouldn’t eat the “shoe polish” sold by the food industry as margarine because it is “industrially processed in every possible way…extremely polluted and…highly toxic.” Dr. Rosenberg chimed in that she wasn’t opposed to high-fat cheese and butter, but not in large quantities. She then repeated that this reduction in saturated fat consumption is what has led to cardiovascular disease dropping and Dr. Dahlqvist retorted, “There is no evidence for it.” This is when the debate got REALLY good. Here’s a rough transcript of the final moments of the televised debate:

Dr. Rosenberg: “We know that saturated fat raises cholesterol…”
Dr. Dahlqvist: “That’s only in your imagination. No, it does not. Saturated fat does not increase cholesterol.”
Moderator: “This is like talking to people from different planets! For some, this may indeed be a life or death issue.”
Dr. Dahlqvist: “And it is!”
Moderator: “How do we learn what’s right?”
Dr. Dahlqvist: “If people eat what I say, then they’ll live; eat the way Dr. Rosenberg says, then they’ll die.”
Moderator: “Wow, that’s some allegation. Would you like to respond?”
Dr. Rosenberg: “Yes I would. I am always a little worried when people are so sure of themselves and have no research to support what they are saying. Because I looked at your web site and to the publications you referred me to and there were a few studies that looked at the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease, but there was not a single critical study. So you do not have all the studies listed together, just the ones that you want to show.”
Dr. Dahlqvist: “I’m more interested in running real research on real food instead of trying to keep up with all this nonsense that simply looks at different relationships between things that do not say anything about causation, but only co-variation. That is what you are doing.”
Moderator: “Now, I do not know if we have gotten any smarter, but thanks for coming.”

That got just a little heated there at the end of the program, didn’t it? Not surprisingly, there were split opinions from the pro-LCHF community about Dr. Dahlqvist’s performance whether it did more harm than good when she made such an incendiary comment like if people “eat the way Dr. Rosenberg says, then they’ll die.” My impression was that she did an outstanding job articulating the message that saturated fat is not as harmful as we have been led to believe. I sent an e-mail to Dr. Dahlqvist thanking her for being such a strong proponent of the LCHF lifestyle and she acknowledged the controversy about her appearance.

“Unfortunately I have a lot of critics, mostly low-carbers, who thought that I was too aggressive. It’s never easy to be ‘good enough,’” she responded in an e-mail.

I asked her why she believed there has been so much criticism from people on her side.

“I said that people would die if they ate the foods that the low-fat establishment recommends,” Dr. Dahlqvist shared. “Some of the low-carbers considered this an exaggeration. But I think it is a realistic threat.”

No doubt, she now feels torn about her performance in this debate because of all the criticism from the people who are supposed to be on her side. Dr. Dahlqvist is THE face of LCHF in Sweden, so the disappointment people have been expressing to her has to be discouraging. One of my Swedish blogging friends explained that Swedish culture mandates that people act modest and polite in public settings, especially when appearing on television. So when Dr. Dahlqvist noted that people would “die” eating a low-fat, high-carb diet, it was a bit “politically incorrect.”

As an American supporting a high-fat, low-carb nutritional approach to health, though, I didn’t see anything wrong with what she had to say because she merely pointed out the proven facts that are already out there and articulated them in such a way that anyone who was listening to her would understand. This idea that carbohydrate consumption can lead to death is not unprecedented in the United States–remember Dr. James E. Carlson’s 2008 book release Genocide: How Your Doctor’s Dietary Ignorance Will Kill You? Pretty hard-hitting stuff! And there’s another book out by Dr. Robert Su entitled Carbohydrates Can Kill that pretty much makes the same argument that Dr. Dahlqvist did in this television appearance. In other words, we need MORE people willing to talk like this if we are ever going to make a dent in the hearts and minds of those who need to hear this message the most.

To that end, I say KUDOS TO YOU, Dr. Annika Dahlqvist. You are a low-carb hero in my book and I urge you to keep shouting it from the mountaintops what an amazing way of eating this high-fat, low-carb diet really is. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could get some of the heavy hitters in the low-carb world in the United States of America to appear on the Today show or Good Morning America to debate the issue of saturated fat? I assure you, the gloves would come off and happily so because this open conversation is long overdue. Sweden is still leading the charge and I’m proud of leaders like Dr. Dahlqvist and Dr. Eenfeldt for standing up for what is right.

Share your reaction to how Dr. Dahlqvist handled herself in the televised debate last week by leaving a comment below. Do you think she was too aggressive as some LCHF supporters in Sweden have contended or was the way she described things accurate? Tell us what YOU think about what’s going on with our Swedish low-carb friends.

A High-Fat, Low-Carb Diet Explosion Happening In Sweden

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:42:08 +0000

Imagine one day waking up to the following scenario in the United States of America…

After months of controversy over her use of a high-fat, low-carb diet with her obese and diabetic patients as a result of two dietitians who are members of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) complaining because she was causing irreparable harm with her treatment, Dr. Mary C. Vernon is vindicated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) when they declare that low-carb diets are “in accordance with science and well-tried experience for reducing obesity and Type 2 diabetes.” This lights a fire in other practicing physicians who had previously been too afraid to show their open support for carbohydrate-restriction to help their patients improve their weight and health. Now they prominently advertise their use of low-carb diets with patients to draw them in.

Nationwide interest in the healthy low-carb lifestyle begins to spread like wildfire and the online presence of low-carb web sites, including blogs, recipe sites, scientists, doctors, and more sees a nearly ten-fold increase in traffic virtually overnight. The #1 selling health books on Amazon.com tout high-fat, low-carb diets like Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, and Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb (hey, it’s my dream–it could happen!). Newspaper stories, radio talk shows, and television commentary all start questioning the low-fat diet advice that has dominated for over three decades while simultaneously talking up the positive benefits of livin’ la vida low-carb–all the while, the truth about low-carb living starts to sink into the hearts and minds of the average American watching all of this unfold right before their very eyes.

Furthermore, some of the biggest manufacturer supporters of the American Heart Association’s “heart-healthy” low-fat diet come under major scrutiny as sales of fake fats like margarine take a nosedive and the AHA succumbs to public pressure to end their lucrative sponsorship contract with the low-fat product companies using their heart healthy symbol on their packaging because of the limited scientific support that low-fat diets are healthy. Trying to save face, these companies band together what’s left of their marketing resources and try to organize a seminar for the media to educate them on why dietary fat is unhealthy and the outcry of disgust forced them to cancel the event just one day before it was scheduled to happen.

As if that wasn’t enough, a major advertising ethics committee pressures the margarine company to pull their ads immediately for being “exaggerated and untruthful.” Meanwhile, one of the top world champion athletes Michael Phelps comes out in support of eating a high-fat, low-carb diet to keep his body in tip-top condition for competition.

Wouldn’t this be great to see happening in our country which is being starved to death by the lack of truth about low-carb living? And yet doesn’t all of this sound just a bit too far-fetched for your imagination to believe could actually happen in the United States of America? Well, what if I told you every bit of that above scenario is already happening–in the country of Sweden? Would that get you excited about the future prospects of livin’ la vida low-carb?

It’s time to get excited low-carb lovers because that’s EXACTLY what is happening in Sweden and I’m thrilled to share with you these amazing details today. You’ll recall my exclusive podcast interview with Dr. Annika Dahlqvist in January 2008 who was the physician sued by two dietitians before that country’s government agency called The National Board of Health and Welfare (equivalent to our FDA, USDA, or Surgeon General’s office) publicly declared on January 16, 2008 that a low-carb diet is “in accordance with science and well-tried experience for reducing obesity and Type 2 diabetes.” Ever since Dr. Dahlqvist has been vindicated for promoting what they call LCHF (low-carb, high-fat diets), the public interest in livin’ la vida low-carb has absolutely exploded.

We’ve seen the leading advocates of carbohydrate-restriction like Dr. Dahlqvist debating the major concepts of this way of eating with the conventional health leaders there and standing their ground quite well. But the good news continues to happen to this day. According to my friend and a fellow low-carb blogger down in Sweden named Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, the positive news coverage of the low-carb lifestyle has been frenetic unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. He told me this time in 2008 his blog reached about 1,000 visitors per day. By 2009, that number reach 8,000, or nearly a quarter million readers a month! These days in 2011, it’s 19,000 daily. WOW!!!

Other key low-carb blogs and web sites in Sweden include:

- Dr. Annika Dahlqvist
- Kolhydrater Fokus (Carbohydrate Focus)
- LowCarbKost
- Vägen Från 137kg (The Road From 300 Pounds)
- Arne Anderson’s Low-Carb Blog
- fetsmart
- Johanna Söderlund

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but rather a representation of the kind of online support sites advocating the LCHF lifestyle in Sweden. If you’re interested in seeing even more pro-low-carb web sites and blogs that are active in that country, then browse through this HUGE blog links list on Dr. Annika Dahlqvist’s web site.

As low-carb books and resources climb to the top of the bestsellers charts there, the gig is up on companies who have relied on the low-fat diet being “heart healthy.” One such company is the UK-based Unilever, the largest manufacturer of margarine in Sweden and around the world. Since the debate over fat became a national issue for discussion last year, sales of margarine have tanked. And just like in America, Unilever has been placing the “heart healthy” symbol on their products for years in a cozy multi-million dollar deal with the Heart-Lung Foundation, Sweden’s equivalent of the American Heart Association (AHA).

But not anymore.

The Heart-Lung Foundation has now terminated their relationship with Unilever because of their concerns over the limited scientific support that margarine is healthier than the saturated-fat-filled butter. As Dr. Eenfeldt notes, this is a “big blow for Unilever” who has relied on the public perception that their products are healthy for consumers to market them. Now what are they gonna say to people who are no longer fearful of fat?

In an attempt to save face, Unilever tried to hold a seminar for health journalists in Sweden to “educate” them about why fat is bad for your health. But once the television networks caught wind of this and exposed the ruse that was happening, Unilever abruptly canceled their event just one day before it was supposed to happen! And then just this week, an advertising ethics committee told Unilever that their television commercials promoting margarine as “heart healthy” are now deemed to be “exaggerated and untruthful.” You know, all of this could make you start feeling sorry for a company like Unilever–NOT!

Finally (as if all of that wasn’t enough to lift your low-carb spirits!), a top Swedish triathlete named Jonas Colting was featured in a major fitness magazine this month called Runners World and discussed his promotion of a low-carb workout regimen while eschewing the traditional “carbing up” that many of his peers engage in to fuel their workouts. It’s quite a refreshing perspective from such a world-class athlete.

Why do I share this story about Sweden with you today when things seems so far from happening like that in the U.S.? Because it just goes to show you how quickly the public can be convinced to change their habits with even an inkling of education about what is truly healthy. While many throw their hands up in the air in disgust at the inconsistencies they have been hearing about nutrition and health in recent years, the fact is they are very open to finding out the truth to solve their own weight and/or health concern.

I’m almost BEGGING some cocky, hot shot dietitians or activists with PCRM to sue somebody like Dr. Vernon, Dr. Richard Bernstein, Dr. Eric Westman, or any of the fine low-carb doctors out there who are helping their patients get better with carbohydrate-restriction so we could get the ball rolling on what is happening in Sweden to happen here. Bring it on if you think you can handle having the low-fat diet come under fire and survive the low-carb tsunami just waiting to be released. That’s why you never hear any of these opponents of low-carb diets talking about lawsuits–because they KNOW they’d lose!

I for one am very proud of our fellow champions of low-carb living in Sweden for their brave efforts to keep the momentum going and getting the public on their side. If all of this could happen within the short span of just a few short years in Sweden, then think about how quickly this same thing would take place in the United States of America. Knowledge is power and it’s all a matter of empowering the average Joe and Jane with the education they need to begin making better choices for themselves and their family. It may take many more years before this happens, but Sweden’s example gives me hope that it will happen much sooner than we ever expected!

Interview: Per Wikholm Says LCHF Living Large In Sweden

Jimmy Moore — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:25:45 +0000

This podcast interview originally aired on June 2, 2008:

There seems to be so much pessimism about the low-carb lifestyle in the United States that it can sometimes make you wonder if anyone in the world actually understands the science behind this way of eating for weight and health management. Unfortunately, the “low-fat diet religion” continues to rule the church of nutrition with a vice-grip that absolutely refuses to let go. But there is hope happening right now within the country of Sweden on behalf of the low-carb, high-fat dietary approach.

In Episode 143 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we catch up with one of the leading consumer voices on behalf of livin’ la vida low-carb in Sweden named Per Wikholm. He is a molecular biologist who stays abreast of the latest happenings in the world of LCHF in his home country and is a strong proponent of educating the people there about the benefits of the healthy low-carb lifestyle. There’s so much positive happening over there right now with low-carb, high-fat diets that it should encourage you that GREAT things are to come here in America soon, too!

Listen to the mp3: The LLVLC Show Episode 143 [21:18m]

Per Wikholm gets us all up-to-date on the things that have happened in Sweden regarding the high-fat, low-carb diet, or what they call LCHF, including this 44-month study by Jörgen Vesti Nielsen comparing low-carb with low-fat diets for diabetics published in Nutrition & Metabolism, the reaction to this study from Dr. Annika Dahlqvist, the revelation that the government leaders in charge of the new dietary guidelines are linked to the food industry (GASP–what a surprise! NOT!), and the real changes that are happening in the food purchasing habits of the Swedish people that reveal the LCHF message is sticking (sales of butter, for example, have been on the rise with a corresponding decrease in the obesity rate). You will be beaming with pride that this way of eating is not just surviving in Sweden, but thriving and on its way to producing BIG CHANGES in that country. If this can happen there, then I have all the confidence in the world we can make it happen in America as well!

A VERY special thanks to Per Wikholm for his willingness to come on the podcast show to share about the exciting news from Sweden. He did a fabulous job and I appreciate him for sharing. We need people just like Per in the United States who can call a spade a spade and challenge these hypocritical leaders dictating public health mandates.