Is it possible that Leonardo Da Vinci knew or could have figured out how much fat, protein, and carbohydrate make the ideal diet? With tongue only slightly in cheek, Lanzolotta is touting a diet he developed based on the Golden Ratio featured in The Da Vinci Code. This ancient mathematical value, called phi, was used to build the pyramids thousands of years ago and is found in nature everywhere.
Lanzolotta uses this ancient ratio to determine the healthiest ratio of fat, protein, and carbohydrate we should incorporate into our diets:
- 52% carbohydrates
- 20% protein
- 28% fat
Coincidentally (or maybe not), this is basically the same as the traditional Mediterranean diet of fish, meat, nuts, cheese, vegetables, grains (bread), and wine.
Why does Lanzalotta believe that Leonardo Da Vinci would not have condoned the Atkins Diet? He argues that people have been eating grains (carbohydrate) for centuries and have only relatively recently started to become obese, so it's too simplistic to blame all carbohydrates for the added pounds.
Many of the Atkins-friendly foods in the grocery stores are filled with empty calories, and he believes we'd be healthier and slimmer if we ate more complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains) and less refined carbohydrates (white flour and sugar).
Fruits and vegetables contain powerful cancer-fighting substances, nutrients that fight aging and promote heart health, and other benefits that those on the Atkins and similar diets are giving up at the risk of their long-term health, according to Dr. Dean Cornish and others.