Jorge Cruise, the self proclaimed expert/diet guru of AOL fame has published another book called The 3 Hour Diet for Teens.
In the chapter on nutrition, Jorge states that protein and fat are important nutrients for fat loss and building the body.
Here he’s right.
But then he gets it wrong – really wrong.
He states that if you eat too much protein (he doesn’t say how much or cite any references) you’ll damage your kidneys and liver and give yourself Osteoporosis.
He then goes on to flat out state that saturated fat is bad fat and that it is known to cause heart disease and raise cholesterol levels.
This is utter NONSENSE and causes undue alarm. It might even make a teen not eat enough fat and protein for her growing body.
There is no danger to the kidneys from protein. There is, however, some inconclusive evidence that increased meat intake can steal calcium from the bones but only if you do not eat fruits and veggies at all.
Meat is acidic (as are most grains) and this acid has to be buffered. The buffering agent is calcium. It is possible that the bones could be canniblized for the calcium needed, but this will only happen if meat and grain is all you eat. Diets high in grain products are just as bad if you neglect your fruits and vegetables.
Almost all fruits and vegetables are alkaline, so as long as you are eating veggies and some fruit, the acidity of the meat is not a problem – it certainly will not lead to osteoporosis.
In fact, according to my co-author Dr. Michael Eades, there was a large study done not too long ago – the Rancho Bernardo study – that evaluated a ton of parameters in a large population of elderly people. One of those parameters was bone density. Turns out that the subjects who ate the most animal protein – not just the most protein, but the most animal protein – had the greatest bone densities of the study population.
I am APPALLED that a person of Jorge’s fame and influence (a NY Times bestselling author) did not do his homework in order to give children the correct information on nutrition something so vital to their health and well being.
I’m not one to berate people, but when it comes to messing with children, shame on you Jorge. You sell 2 million books and you can’t afford to go to www.Pubmed.org?
If you’re a personal trainer, nutritionist, doctor, RD, etc., it’s a must read. 
