467: The Swedish Diet and Karen Pendergrass’ ‘Paleo Approved’ Label

Written on April 25, 2011

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Diet supplement marketing guru Erin Fray of The Swedish Diet and Karen Pendergrass, creator of the Paleo Approved, are our guests today on The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore!

First up, Jimmy and Erin discuss the details of The Swedish Diet, a program that combines a dietary approach (low sugar, limited beef and eggs) with botanical dietary supplements. It’s a whole lot different than the popular LCHF (low-carb, high-fat movement that’s been sweeping Sweden these past couple of years). Take a listen to hear what’s in this concoction and if it’s something you’d ever consume on your healthy low-carb lifestyle.

Then we hear from CEO and Founder Karen Pendergrass who explains how her frustration with lax labeling rules led her to create the official “Paleo Approved” certification process to ensure that “free range” and “grass-fed” livestock consumers can consistently know if their meat was grain finished, if their “organic” produce has been sprayed with insecticide AFTER harvesting, and many other potential “gotchas” that can mess up anyone’s attempt to get real, natural foods.

ALSO: Please be sure to thank our awesome sponsors with your patronage! How about some delicious QuestBars? And don’t you need The Low-Carb Survivor’s Guide to help keep you on track?

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 467
- Support our sponsor: QuestBars
- Support our sponsor: The Low-Carber’s Survival Guide e-book by Adam Kosloff
- The Swedish Diet Weight Loss Supplement
- The REAL Swedish Diet (LCHF!)
- Karen Pendergrass bio
- Official Web Site For “Paleo Approved”
- Paleo Approved Apparel

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Low-Carb Lifestyle, Paleo, Pastured Meats, Real Foods, Success Stories, Weight Loss

35 Comments - Leave a comment!

http://www.paleovillage.com/ Mike Paleovillage

Jimmy, PLEASE dont put us through gimmicks like the “Swedish Diet” things again. It was painful, I was listening on my commute… I was screaming and shouting in my car…

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

HAHAHAHA! I think it’s important to hear from people promoting this kind of stuff, Mike. Reminds us why healthy Paleo/low-carb is the way to go.

http://www.paleovillage.com/ Mike Paleovillage

True… true Geee man… that poor lady had no idea what she was talking about.

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com Jimmy Moore

Fun talking to people like her to make ‘em think.

Beau B

What did that guy call it in Sweden? The Diet??
HAC

HAC loves Karen Pendergrass and Paleo Approved! <3 <3 <3 <3

CB
Noah

Swedish diet. Bad meal frequency advice. Bad food suggestions and some counterproductive ingredients. “Even McDonalds adds sugar”, classic.

“Paleo Approved” great idea. Karen a an excellent, well informed spokesperson. She seems to be in it for sincere reasons. You go. Get U.S. Wellness meats on board.

And.. Organic fruits sprayed during shipping? Say it ain’t so.
http://www.fetsmart.se/blog/ fetsmart

I’ve never heard about “The Swedish Diet before – but what do I know, I have only lived here for fifty+ years… (five of which “carb-reduced”)
darc

Stevia is “a newer thing”??? This Swedish Diet chick has no idea what she is talking about. She said “Oh, come on, it’s far less [sugar] than a candy bar”…what if you never eat candy bars? She’s operating under the assumption that everyone eats candy bars. She can’t even pronounce most of the ingredients in her product. sheesh. Great job of letting her step in her own stuff!
darc

Hey, Quest Bars have Sucralose…that’s “Splenda”…boo.

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

I don’t have an issue with Splenda.

http://www.paleovillage.com/ Mike Paleovillage

You should! Splenda is almost a pesticide. It’s a synthetic product, made from sugar and chlorine. There is a study that shows how detrimental is toward the gut flora. Why would you eat something like that? Because it’s sweet? Don’t think it’s worth it.

darc

Jimmy, don’t post this comment, I just want to mention that I wish I could fast forward through the recording…I only want to do this because everytime I make a comment the recording stops and I have to start it from the beginning (I don’t have that kind of time).

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

You CAN fast forward by moving the cursor to the place in the interview you want to listen. Maybe try opening a new page to the podcast web site to leave comments while listening.

http://www.how-to-cook-with-vesna.com Vesna

One ounce equals 28 grams. At 12g/ounce, this product is 43% sugar!

“There’s really no downside to this, at all.” Direct quote from Ms. Fray. OK, here’s some downside for ya.

Nearly a tablespoon of pure fructose sugar per ounce? For a WEIGHT LOSS product? For a product designed SPECIFICALLY the people who have the kinds of problems caused or exacerbated by sugar — especially LIQUID sugar? Especially FRUCTOSE liquid sugar?

Man, was she defensive about that. She said they were working hard on that, that they had “bench-tops” going, whatever that means in marketing buzzword-speak. Doesn’t it seem that not selling people the very thing that helps them get and stay fat might be a FIRST consideration, rather than some exotic alternative you think about AFTER you put it on the market?

Here’s another silly thing. (Of many!) Ms. Fray emphasized, “High-fructose corn syrup is not OK. It is not OK.” I’d like to know why not, by her logic. HFCS is only 55-65 percent fructose. Her product is sweetened with pure fructose, which seems to make it much worse than an HFCS-sweetened diet. So what (according to her) is so “not OK” about HFCS?

Another gem: What is the reason her plan recommends cutting down on meat and eggs? Because we eat too much of them. Brilliant! Textbook circular reasoning.

Poor lady, she didn’t know what she was getting into. The people in her world aren’t used to being confronted by rational questions.

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

HAHAHAHA! Nice analysis Vesna.

Sarah

No offense Jimmy, but the first interview was the biggest waste of time. Nobody in their right mind trying a LCHF diet is going to give a crud about some gimmicky weight loss supplement.

I honestly am not interested in the second one either, because where I’m living now there’s no way to get any pastured or organic food =P

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Sarah, I’ll respectfully disagree that interviewing people like The Swedish Diet lady is a “waste of time” because it is a gentle reminder of what we’re up against and how insane some diet gimmicks have become. It’s yet another reason to start livin’ la vida low-carb instead. THANKS for listening!

http://www.how-to-cook-with-vesna.com/latest-recipes.html Vesna

I second that. It’s a good reminder of the reality of what well-meaning people out there think of as healthy and natural. Also, it’s valuable to witness the reactions people have to the questions and concerns that have become second nature to us in the LC/P/RF community.
Plus, it makes me sit up and say, “Now THAT’S entertainment!”

http://www.lchf.se Per Wikholm

Thanks for a good laught, Jimmy! I´m impressed that you managed to keep a straight face (hard to see on a pod cast)or at least didn´t laugh out load during that inerview.

As a Swede I have never ever heard of this weight loss supplement with all thoose traditional Swedish ingredients like tropical mango fruits, chinees ginseng and green tea.

It has absolutely nothing to do with LCHF and not even traditional Swedish cuisine like meatballs, pickled herring or smorgasbord.
Björn

Haha, i’m from Sweden and this thing she calls “swedish diet” kinda made me laugh. I’ve never heard of it before and adding sugar so it’s gonna be more tasty just seems like a taunt to people who are struggling with their sugar addiction and weight. But to each their own. It’s nice that you can be openminded, Jimmy. It makes your show more intresting.

I do a paleo style LCHF myself. Not into it for weight loss or anything, but just general health and well being. Works for me.

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

I thought my Swedish LCHF friends would laugh at this.

Andrew

Wish you had pressed Karen more on fructose causing liver dysfunction. So, the Swedish diet uses fructose because it’s “natural” as if that’s a good thing. So does that mean we should start putting Strychnos Nux-vomica in our food? It’s a “natural” plant loaded with strychnine.

http://paleoapproved.com Karen

You mean Erin, I know better

Katie

What got me thinking (and irritated) about the Swedish diet “system” was how much flak I get for eating LCHF, and yet these same people will probably go straight to GNC and waste $100 on this stuff without the tiniest bit of scrutiny they put me through, yet I am living proof low-carb is effective.

P.s. Her stupid story about how the girl lost weight and found true love because of the Swedish diet almost made me gag.

chief marketing officer, queen of the B.S.! : )

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Amen Katie!

Anna

I’m not sure I can even finish listening to the first portion of this episode.

If Ms. Fray is so sure that her product is God’s gift to overweight people, then why is she testy and defensive at so many points in the interview?

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Ha ha ha! She was a bit perturbed when I questioned her about the sugar content.

Mike

Really surprised you let this one go by Jimmy! It had nothing to offer to the neophyte nor the seasoned low carber. Though I realise you have to make a living this useless tosh does the low carb community no favours. Throw away ‘awesome’ comments does you no credit either, especially as I could almost feel your discomfort.
Swedish diet indeed – I’m not surprised this episode has produced so many negative comments, as I sure most listeners were as outraged as I was at such a blatant attempt to sell supplemental rubbish wrapped up in one more diet ‘secret’.
If your reason to put this out amongst the community was as an example of the worst of the diet industry, then you could have least have flagged it as such.

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Mike, long-time listeners know that I will throw in something like this from time to time just to remind people of what we’re up against. Some say there was no redeeming value in me interviewing Dr. Neal Barnard or Dr. Dean Ornish (TWICE!), but I disagree. There’s always something to be learned from all of my guests…even if it’s just to know what NOT to do. Plus, by speaking with these people, perhaps we’ll get them to rethink their positions from another angle they hadn’t thought about before. I’m not expecting anyone to change what they believe overnight. But by talking to people like this and offering an alternative viewpoint, maybe it will make a difference. I do appreciate your feedback, though.

dufva

Ha ha!

For a while I thought either Jimmy´s gone mad or I must absolutely be in the wrong website

Wonder how this persons mind spins?

“Hmm wonder how I best can sell some of this muddy water to people without them getting suspicious?”

Then she spins her globe and finds a country she has never heard of and thinks it is perfect to name her new scamproduct after it, since probably very few people knows anything about this distant place

A pity for her that theres quite a bunch of healthawareness going on in this country for the moment..
Nina

Wow, putting sugar in a diet for people who are fat BECAUSE of the sugar?

I live in Sweden, never heard of the diet ^^
Sunrisenutrition

Erin represents everything that is wrong with the health and supplement industry.
Anonymous

Yeah but she’s uber hot.

http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

No argument from me.