CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Experts Opinions
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Many health experts criticise this diet for being too high in protein and it also does not provide a suitable alternative for non-meat eaters. There has also been criticism that a lot of the research that led to the CSIRO Total Wellbeing diet, was funded by Dairy Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia and even though the researchers have stated that the funding group had no influence over the outcome of the diet, this is still one of the main criticisms.
The other main criticism is the large amount of meat required to be eaten in the diet at all stages and especially in the first stage. There are well publicised findings about the possible health risks (especially cardiovascular health and bowel health, with some health experts warning that high protein intake from meat may be a risk to the development of bowel cancer).
This is what the health experts say about this diet:
- Nutrition Australia favours this diet over other high protein diets
- The American Heart Association does not recommend this diet
- American Cancer Society does not recommend this diet
- John Hopkins School of Medicine does not recommend this diet
- Australian Heart Foundation doesn’t endorse high protein diets
- The Vegetarian Network of Australia does not endorse this diet
Many health experts criticise this diet for being too high in protein and it also does not provide a suitable alternative for non-meat eaters and much of the funding was from Dairy Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia
References
- Nutrition Australia, which is Australia’s official nutrition and dietetic association generally favours this diet more than any of the other low carbohydrate, high protein diets (such as Atkins, the Zone and South Beach diets), but Nutrition Australia does not endorse this diet, as there has been no research over the longer term on the health benefits and health risks of this diet
- The American Heart Association (AHA) currently (as at 10 January 2008) does not recommend any of the high protein diets that are popular today, as the AHA believes that these diets can cause a multitude of health problems and may not even provide all the nutrients required to keep the human body healthy. The AMA recommends no more than 35% of total daily calories from fat (of which only 7% of calories should be from saturated fats)
- St Jeor ST, Howard BV, Prewitt TE, Bovee V, Bazzarre T, Eckel RH for the AHA Nutrition Committee. Dietary Protein and Weight Reduction: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association. An AHA Science Advisory. Circulation, 2001;104:1869-1874. Accessed on 10 January 2008
- The American Cancer Society (ACS). Weighing In on Low-Carb Diets, 2007. Accessed on 10 January 2008. The ACS nutritionist Colleen Doyle, MS, RD states that a low carbohydrate diet, such as the Atkins diet, can be a high-risk option when it comes to health, warning people on this diet that their eating habits may increase the risk of developing cancer later in life
- John Hopkins School of Medicine. Weight Loss and Dieting – The Shortcomings of Fad Diets: Nutrition and Weight Control Special Report, 6 April 2006. Accessed on 10 January 2008. The John Hopkins School of Medicine questions the benefits of high protein diets, expresses concern about the health risks of these diets and recommends more studies, especially longer term, to determine the viability and health benefits or risks of these diets
- The Australian Heart Foundation does not recommend very low carbohydrate high protein diets, especially if they are higher than the recommended 7% of saturated fat, as long term diets due to the possible health risks, especially of the heart and cardiovascular system
- The Australian Vegetarian Network does not endorse or recommend this diet as it is not suitable for non-meat eaters (any type of vegetarians)