AppId is over the quota
A growing number of health advisors are pointing to excessive carbohydrates, rather than fat, as the source of America’s dietary woes. Some researchers are saying that cutting carbohydrates is the key to reversing obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Over the last 30 years, with the help of a government-mandated message to cut fat, dietary fat has played the role of “public enemy No. 1,” and as a result, consumption of carbohydrates increased dramatically. Today, Americans on average, eat more than 300 grams of carbs a day, accounting for over 55% of their caloric intake. Many conservative recommendations say it should be half that amount.
At the same time, others like us are urging the public not to paint all carbohydrates with the same negative brush. You can’t lump all carbs into a single category as we point out in TurboCharged.
Fruits and vegetables are in a class all by themselves. This is because they are truly unrefined in their natural state. They contain fiber along with a very high moisture content in their raw or lightly cooked state, and contain many readily available and beneficial nutrients. Because of this, they do not have the same negative effects when compared to any other refined or “complex” carb. Eliminating them or reducing them from the diet will always be a big mistake, because most people will then resort to eating other inferior types of carbohydrates.
It’s these other types of carbs that are the problem and should be eliminated or severely restricted in one’s diet. Other than calories, these man-made foods contain almost no nutritional value. This is why they are almost always fortified. This group includes all sugar and sugar substitutes, particularly high fructose corn syrup; refined foods and drinks; including anything packaged; as well as all grain products, refined or unrefined. These are all concentrated carbohydrates—the most densely caloric of any “foods”—and even small quantities, they will increase blood sugar levels and subsequently result in unhealthy insulin spikes. People do not realize that consuming even a small amount will have this effect.
It is important to note that our bodies cannot store much glycogen, and so any excess sugar is almost all stored as body fat. This happens even if we have way too much body fat already. The excess insulin makes fat burning (using fat for energy) impossible. Even small amounts of these “other carbs” will at the very least keep people fat and most likely make them even fatter. Reducing the amount consumed is not the answer; eliminating them is.
We do not have a carbohydrate problem; we have a wrong kind of carbohydrate problem. This is a critical point to understand.
A separate problem concerns the substitution of proteins and fats for the restricted or eliminated carbohydrates. Although not as obvious, too much protein is just as bad as not enough. You only need enough protein to take care of repair and maintenance of existing lean body mass (LBM) and possibly to build new LBM. Excess protein in the diet will sometimes be used for fuel—a very inefficient process—or end up converted to glucose and being stored as body fat. Processing excess protein puts unnecessary stress on the body. There is an optimal amount of protein that is based on an individual’s current LBM and activity levels which generally amounts to about 10-15% of daily maintenance calories.
Fat is our body’s preferred energy source, drawn either from our diet or available existing body fat. However, choosing the correct dietary fat is of utmost importance. Most refined fats including vegetable oils are problematic in anything other than small quantities because they are easily oxidized. Trans-fats are very bad and should be avoided entirely because they cause major metabolic problems and may remain in the body for more than two years. Trans-fats are still found in almost all processed foods, including vegetable oils. The only healthy fats are the ones that come naturally in animal products like organic, wild or grass-fed meats; fish and eggs; and even organic or raw dairy, along with nuts, olives, avocados. There is no such thing as a natural oil; they are all refined.
Mixing starch and fat in something like potato chips or French Fries creates double trouble and adding sugar laden ketchup to the mix is even worse.
Clearly, when assessing the relative effects of different fats, carbohydrates and protein, it pays to carefully study their effects on the body and choose our foods accordingly.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment