Beef In A Diet

A friend of mine emailed the following response to me from Atkins Diet Reviews and a response to the question: "How much weight can I lose on a low carb diet?"

http://www.atkinsdietnutrition.com/how-much-weight-can-i-lose-on-a-low-carb-diet.html

The section of the response that sounded the "Common Sense Alert" is as follows:

"NOTE: BEEF, Oh my god -it is very bad for you and does not leave your intestine for months and months (look it up on Internet…it’s the worse food for you-unless used in moderation and VERY VERY small portions)"

So, let's evaluate this.

I am a regular beef consumer, partaking of the delicious and nutritious delicacy at least once per day, every day of the week, in the quantity of approximately one pound per serving (closer to two pounds when ingesting a homegrown steak) for the past 21 years. On average this equates to roughly 7 pounds of beef consumed per week, and 28 pounds per month. If we take the stated "months", conservatively, to represent just two months, this would indicate that I have 56 pounds of beef residing in my intestines. That is the equivalent of a 50 pound block of salt or minerals.

Certainly, a block of salt is much denser than digested food, but for comparison sake we'll use the average size block of salt as 10"x10"x12" or 1200 cubic inches of space (approximately 3 basketballs). In my personal situation, I estimate my intestinal cavity to be approximately 7"x7"x14" or 686 cubic inches (this is based on a 32" waist), which is basically 57% of the space that would be required to contain the block of salt, which is at least twice the density of digested meat. Therefore, we should take the area of the salt block and multiply it by 2 which would give us an area of 2400 cubic inches (approximately 5.5 basketballs) or 72% more area than is physically available. Remember, this does account for the space occupied by the intestines themselves, nor the other vital organs housed below the heart, lungs and stomach. If this were the case, I highly doubt that I would still be the same waist size now, that I was in 1986, a 32".

While the individual indicated that the information was on the "Internet", an actual source was not given and I was unable to confirm her data personally. However, the point is, information on responsible websites should be factual and at least pass the "Common Sense Test." If you are a person who gives advise and responds to questions, do yourself and others a favor, be factual, honest and forthright.