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Here’s What a Cardiologist’s Diet Looks Like, and it May Surprise You
The truth is that most cardiologists eat as many different diets as the general population.
That is not me in the photograph. Although I enjoy an occasional burger and fries, it is not part of my usual diet. Like many other cardiologists, my attitude about diet has evolved over the years. Early in my training (the late 1970s), I was indoctrinated into believing that a low-fat and high-carb diet was heart-healthy. That belief has since been debunked.
Dr. Robert Atkins published his “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution” in 1972. As more people gained weight on the flawed low-fat, high-carb, “heart-healthy diet”, the popularity of his diet never waned. If anything, it has grown, morphed, and branched out into multiple iterations. All of the following diets have as their basis limiting carb intake and emphasizing higher proportions of fats and protein: South Beach, Paleo, Ketogenic, Eco-Atkins (Vegan variation), and Zero-Carb.
I observed my cardiology partners eating a variety of diets, and there was never a uniform consensus about which was best. A few tried Atkins and, after initial weight loss, could not tolerate it due to a lack of fiber and diverse food choices.
