For a long time it was assumed (in the face of very little direct evidence) that high-protein diets would cause bone loss. Over the years, research kept showing that this was not the case, that in fact the reverse might even be true. (Low-Carb/High-Protein Diets and Bone Density) However, it's not difficult to find people who still assert that too much protein in the diet will cause a loss in bone density leading to osteoporosis.

This month, in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is a study which looks into this research and analyzes it. The authors went through past research (30 years worth) and pulled out the studies which compared various amounts of protein in the diet and had outcomes directly related to bone strength, such as bone density and fracture rate.

Their conclusions? Almost all of the studies either showed a positive influence of protein on bone mineral density or no effect. They concluded that the current evidence is that there is a small positive effect of protein, though there is little evidence to date that eating more protein leads to fewer bone fractures. (However, it is not clear that this issue has been adequately studied.)

As the researchers admit, they are limited by the types of studies which have been done, and no doubt more information will come out as more research is conducted. But certainly they found no evidence that a high-protein diet will have a negative effect on bone health.

Image © Sebastian Kaulitzki

Related Resources:

• Low-Carb Diets and Bone Health
  
  
• High-Protein Food List
  
  
• How Much Protein Do You Need?

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Webinar conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation called "Reversing Mindless Eating Over the Holidays". I will be presenting more of the information from the Webinar in the future (if you want to see the powerpoint, it's here), but I did pick out a few tips to help navigate Thanksgiving.

1) Counter the typical eating pattern. - The usual eating pattern for Thanksgiving is to eat a light breakfast and then not to eat much until a couple of hours before the meal. At this point, you are famished, so you reach for all the snacks. It turns out that the chips, nuts, and other snacky foods can easily add up to more food in calories than the actual meal!

To counter this, I recommend eating a substantial breakfast. Later before the snacking starts, eat a small meal which includes plenty of protein, fiber, and healthy fat. Then you can skip the chips, and be ready to really enjoy the main event.

2) Dealing with "Food Pushers" - My typical response to people pushing high-carb food at me is (said smiling and a bit apologetically), "sorry, that sends my blood sugar up". Having the label "pre-diabetic" has helped with this, but feel free to use this term loosely, if you're sensitive to carbs and trying to avoid becoming diabetic. At the Webinar I learned another trick. It turns out food pushers don't pay as much attention to the amount people eat as the number of times they get a "serving". So if you take a tablespoon of the food two or three times they will be just as thrilled.

Do you have a strategy for Thanksgiving? Vote in the poll, and then leave your tips in the comment section or in our Low-Carb Forum.

Poll: How Do You Deal With Thanksgiving?

• I'm going to de-carb Thanksgiving completely or to a large extent.
• I'm planning to have (or bring) some low-carb options, but otherwise eat traditional dishes.
• I'm going to limit portion sizes of high-carb foods, but have a little of all my traditional favorites.
• It's one meal - no problem. I'll eat what I want and go right back to low-carb the next meal.
• Thanksgiving is special and so are the leftovers! I'll be eating off-plan for 2 or 3 days.
• Honestly, I probably won't think too much about carbs until the Monday after Thanksgiving.
• View Results

Photo: Lisa Peardon/Getty Images

Related Resources:

• Low-Carb Thanksgiving
  
  
• Low-Carb Travel Guide
  
  
• From "Diet" to "Way of Eating"

The About.com Food Sites have everything you need for a great Thanksgiving. After checking out my Low-Carb Thanksgiving Tips and Recipes, head out to these sites for more Thanksgiving help.

Check Out These Resources:

• Thanksgiving Equipment Check List- Cooking Equipment
  
  
• Roasting the Bird Around the World- Italian Food
  
  
• Cooking a Turkey When It's Still Frozen - Busy Cooks
  
  
• Turkey Tips- Low Fat Cooking

Photo © Lisa Peardon

After last week's report on diet and mood there have been lots of great comments about how low-carb eating has affected people's moods. A really great one came from Dr. Richard Feinman, a researcher in the field. He writes, "I have been following a low carb diet for many years and was in a good mood until I read this paper." He goes on to tell of a study that he and his colleagues did several years ago, where 70% of the people on a low-carb forum who filled out a questionnaire reported improved mood since changing their diets. Even allowing for the fact that people who have a good response to low-carb eating are most likely to be hanging out on a low-carb forum, that is an impressive result! You can read the study for yourself here: http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-5-26.pdf

Photo © Andrzej Burak