The Los Angeles Times is reporting that nutritional and public health experts are finally coming around to the idea that eating a diet high in carbohydrates is actually counterproductive. High-carb diets, they say, are strongly contributing to our present epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
The public health experts quoted in the story neglect to point out that it was members of their own profession, aided and abetted by numerous government agencies, that launched America on a major "low fat diet" policy in 1982. The American food industry was initially opposed to this idea, but quickly jumped on the bandwagon once it figured out that Americans were suckers for "low fat" snack foods that were a) loaded with refined carbohydrates, and b) endorsed by the American Heart Association (for a fee) as being "heart healthy." Some have called this transformation of the food industry the "Snackwell phenomenon."
Americans, of course, largely ignored the ubiquitous pleas to abandon their burgers, pizza and tacos in favor of broiled, skinless, sauceless, saltless chicken breasts and broccoli. But they did begin scarfing up the new-age low-fat snack foods in massive quantities, having been assured that, as long as the snacks contained no fat, they could eat as much as they wanted.
Experts in health policy can fool the people for a few decades, but they cannot fool the laws of nature. It does little good to ignore the facts, such as, the body greedily converts dietary carbohydrates into massive stores of adipose tissue, so indeed you can readily become fat by eating carbs. Also, gorging on the refined carbohydrates found in these new "healthy snacks" causes huge spikes in insulin levels (insulin being a key factor in converting excess carbohydrates to fat). When the insulin levels suddenly drop a couple of hours later, that drop produces insatiable hunger. So, two or three hours after enjoying a fat-free Pop-Tart or a Snackwell cupcake, one is ripping the cupboards open to find another carbohydrate fix. By thus inducing a continuous-snacking mode, the new high-carb snack foods increased overall caloric intake far beyond the calories listed on their labels. And finally, diets high in refined carbohydrates increase triglyceride levels, reduce HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) levels, and in general create lipid profiles that are quite damaging to the arteries.
It is good that at least some public health experts are now publicly admitting that, perhaps, they went a little overboard during the last 30 years with their "fat is bad" message. However, the massive government-nutrition-industrial complex is now so deeply invested in the low-fat mantra that it may take some time (and effort) before the official policy changes.
While waiting for the public health experts and government agencies to finish wiping that high-fat egg off their faces and sorting out their official "messaging" regarding optimal diets, you might want to re-educate yourself as to what a real heart-healthy diet looks like. Also, here's more in-depth information on the low-fat vs. low-carb controversy.
And we can only hope that our vaunted public health experts will think more carefully next time before committing the entire American population to another decades-long experiment with our health, at least without first gathering all the data that would justify such a thing. Are you listening, salt-restriction mavens?
Carbs are more bad than fat …..atlast people finding those facts
Dr. Atkins was correct and if more people would try cutting carbs, they could lower their weight and improve their overall health. If you decide to try the Atkins diet, be sure and drink plenty of water.
My husband was terribly overweight and I had 40 lbs to lose. We both went on the diet and within 3 months, my husband lost 50 lbs. I lost 20. It made a huge difference and I must admit, I felt better and I also stopped having heart burn, something that bothered me daily. Getting started is the hard part as breakfast is my favorite meal and not being able to have pancakes, waffles, cereal, or toast made it hard to come up with something. We ate more eggs, bacon and sausage til it became boring but still, we lost weight and felt good.
After struggling with constant diets over most of my life I finally lost about 30 pounds by significantly reducing my carbs – the good news is I have kept it off for over 10 years and whenever I feel tired or have heart burn I know it is time for a carb check. Invariably my carbs have crept up and though the weight won’t show for a few weeks, those two alerts are reliable. This is actually really easy and makes me feel so much better that I am really annoyed that our dietetic professionals don’t seem to get it!
I found this out the hard way by listening to my doctor. I had always been healthy till pregnancy. Then my thyroid began failing and my choloesterol began climbing, which is an unfortunate side effect of thyroid disease alot of times. So, I listened to my doctoer who said I needed to cut fat. My triglycerides kept climbing each time I was tested. That was because I had significantly changed my diet. I cut out fat and fattier meats, not that I ate much fatty meat any way because I can’t stand it. I increased my breads, especially high fiber sorts and rice, etc. As time went on I became even heavier and pre-diabetic. I read up on it as soon as my new doctor gave me the word diabetes. I found that I had to shift how I ate again and I felt so angry that I had been gaining weight and worsening health because I listened to my doctor. I cut out bread, breakfast cereals, even the high fiber “really healthy” ones, potatoes and rice. Now I feel so much better and even though I am still struggling with weight, I don’t feel so tired and my numbers are gradually improving. The thing I can’t believe is the advice I was given by the nutritionist I went to for help in being pre diabetic. She gave me all the old advice that I had thrown away after I found out what it did to me. 1 appt was enough to know she really didn’t tailor her advice and I never went back to see her.
And if you’re going to do the Atkins diet, PLEASE read the book! There are a lot of great low-carb support websites and blogs, but to begin you MUST read the books because the diet is NOT all bacon and eggs! You must eat your veggies, and after the two week induction, you add high fiber fruits. Dr. Atkins WAS right all along. And he did have the data to back his program up. The food industry just didn’t want anyone to listen.
but the atkins diet does suggest more of the protein at the base of the pyramid for the filler of the meals. im just starting to get to know his way of thinking. i would suggest to learn of the low carb fruits and i would personally include that we all reduce the consumption of iron containing vegetables as atkins suggests in his diabetes book of the way to eat for that as well. and although the whole grains are at the top of the pyramid in his plan…dont ever leave them out. we do need a little to make full whatumacallits in the body. eat protein, greens and some grains . im my personal opinion… the fruit should come last. its just promoted alot cause we grow alot of weight of it here in ol usa. and for you who dont know yet. corn and potatoes are the worst at spiking glocose and full of carbs. nuff said. the gospal!!! and i work out too!!
I had an MI in Jan 1998( I was 58 then). I was diagnosed with unstable angina. I refused a strongly recommended bypass surgery(in a top hospital in Madras). I worked out my diet and exercise,(later used a bit of Ornish’s ideas) but the diet was essentially low glycemic carbohydrate combinations, a little extra fibre, plenty of vegetables(2/3rd veggies, –generally steamed and sauteed quickly–and 1/3 rest in terms of calories+slim milk/ yogurt. We reformulated Indian carb food by adding more beans/lentils, barley, oats etc and used raw sesame oil. mustard oil and E V olive oil depending on the food. I do not take statins or any medication. I do take aspirin(not regularly) alpha lipoic acid caps, flax powder, and have added Vit D liquid caps and resveratrol caps. And occasionally COQ 10 gel caps. I had a check up last year. In a decade my treadmill performance is slower but my “numbers” are allright with BP(110/70) sugar (80/110) and lipids(TC 160 HDL57) etc I continue to be a lacto vegtarian
This my experience and it was no too difficult!!
Science ‘feeds’ nutritional confusion…
This slogan summarizes the situation…worldwide!
Indeed, the body needs CARBS (50-60% of the daily caloric intake), as it needs FATS (25-35% of the daily caloric intake)!
The main problem is to know, FIRST OF ALL, the TOTAL DAILY PERSONAL ENERGY (CALORIC) EXPENDITURE (TDPEE): which represents the INDIVIDUAL 100%!
As well known, the TDPEE differs from person to person… and not only because of the lack of physical activity, but simply, because of the different METABOLIC RATE (MR)!
And it is the Metabolic Rate, finally, which determines how many calories you burn at rest or by any physical activity! Thus the metabolic rate corresponds to the engine capacity (cc.) of a car…the higher the cc….the more gasoline is needed!!
Thus MR=CC… but nearly 100% of the people DON’T know their own REAL MR, but only an approximate value, which is a mean calculated value!
All this aspects, including how to measure the own MR, can be read in more details in: EATING HEALTHY AND DYING OBESE!
Read also a comment posted in Super Size Me homepage of Morgan Spurlock (see link below) http://super-size-me.morganspurlock.com/forum/posts/id_74/Eating-healthy-and-dying-obese/
Healthy greetings from Switzerland
Leoluca Criscione
Read “Why we get fat, and what to do about it” by Gary Taubes
That book explains this article with intricate detail and historical facts. This article is accurate. The AMA has been giving wrong info and I am sure someone profits from this mis-information. Like people in the sugar and high fructose corn syrup industries for instance.
Want to lose weight? Stop eating huge quantities of carbs… It is that simple. Like the article says, they have been sneaking extra carbs in all of our low fat snack foods for years… Now our babies are born with insulin resistance. This low fat thing has been a sham and a scam all along.
How do you feel about the diets of Ornish, McDaougal, Campbell and Esselstyn? Ornish and Esselstyn have very good data on a very low fat diet rich in comples carbs.