Nat and others: Back me up on this and point out anyplace I go wrong.
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(1) My body can't turn the food I eat on this WOE into glucose because of the lack of (or very little of?) insulin, right?
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No.
Carbs are always converted to glucose - even the carbs you are consuming now - either before or shortly after they cross the linings of the small intestines. Insulin is not needed for this process. The enzymes in your saliva start the process with many starchy foods.
Fat cannot be converted to glucose. Period.
Protein CAN be converted to glucose in the liver, but only if the blood glucose levels fall below a level needed to support the few cells in the body that must have glucose and cennot be fueled by ketone bodies.
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(2) So, as long as I keep my fat-intake around 70% of my total kcal-intake, protein around 25% & carbs around 5% (from veggies). I'll be pretty much burning fat, right?
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Yes. If for no other reason than that the 30% NOT from fat is not going to be anywhere near sufficient to meet your body's energy needs. But there is still the question of whether it is body fat or dietary fat.
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(3) Dr. Atkins says that there're "insulin-triggering-food". Is it possible that I have a slice of homemade LC cheesecake & my body (brain) is tricked by this sweet taste, thinks that it is real sugar & release insulin?
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Yes. Personally, I think this is more likely in someone that is not used to eating artificial sweeteners (though I have NO data to back that claim up) for the following reason:
Consider a person that eats a lot of sugar or other very high glycemic foods and therefore the body is constantly called upon to produce a lot of insulin in a relatively short period of time. The blood glucose spikes can be minimized if the pancreas can get a head start on producing the insulin instead of waiting until the glucose hits it via the blood. Well, your body has an early warning system - namely your taste buds - to give your brain the necessary advance notice and your brain can release hormones to trigger insulin production. It's a Pavlovian response.
Thus, if a person that normally east a bunch of sugar switches to artifical sweeteners, their brain still gets the advanced warning from the taste buds and the insulin production ramps up even though the glucose never arrives. Now you have excess insulin running around with nothing to do but get you in trouble.
If my little theory holds any water, then this false response, which is learned behavior, should be able to be unlearned as well over time.
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(4) Say that I eat a carrot. Can my body (brain) be tricked by that sweet taste (carrot's Glycemic Index is 71) & starts to release insulin?
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Possibly - the it might be more likely if the taste of the food is VERY sweet.
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(5) If (3) & (4) is possible, does that mean that the 70% fat-intake of my total kcal will also be turn into glucose & store as body fat?
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The fat will not be turned into glucose. Glucose must be turned into fat (triglycerides) prior to being stored in the fat cells. Dietary fat can be stored in the fat cells, in the presence of insulin, more or less directly.
When you get an insulin spike, your body's ability to draw fat out of the fat cells is reduced or suppressed until the insulin levels drop back down. During this time it is also possible to store some new fat in the fat cells. Because of the presence of the insulin which acts as a gateway hormone for the triglycerides to enter the fat cells for storage.
But this is a short term effect and after a while your body has scrubbed the excess insulin out of the blood since no real glucose was actually there (at least not in the anticipated amounts) and now the lipolysis process resumes.
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(6) Dr. Atkins is pretty much against caffeine. He says, "Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar & should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine." Does that mean diet coke or coffee can cause some of us to release insulin?
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No. Later in the book (see p189) he further explains that caffeine has been shown to cause a hypoglycemic response - a lowering of the blood glucose levels - and that this can cause the hunger and cravings normally associated with the typical blood sugar crash following the consumption of a very high carbohydrate meal. The oh-so-familiar "Chinese food sure fills you up but it doesn't stay with you" symptoms.
HTH