Summary
A new study says Americans are getting fatter thanks to an increase in
their consumption of carbohydrates. Women, the study reveals, are
consuming 335 more calories per day than they did in 1971, and men are
consuming 168 more. That may not seem like much, but it sure adds up
quickly. An extra 335 calories a day packs on an extra pound of body fat
every
ten days.
The study says most of the increase in
calories is from carbohydrates, but it leaves out perhaps the most
crucial point of all: these are refined, processed carbohydrates -- the
very worst kind. From a nutritional standpoint, you can't paint all
carbohydrates with the same brush. Whole grains and carbohydrates with a
low glycemic index are, of course, far better for you than refined
carbohydrates like white flour and refined white sugar. I've seen far
too many studies lump all carbohydrates into the same category without
regard for where they stand on the nutritional scale.
You see the
same thing in the Food Guide Pyramid, which puts grains, breads and
other carbohydrates as the "eat most" category of foods. That leads most
people to falsely believe that eating a dozen doughnuts is keeping them
in full compliance with the food guide pyramid, since doughnuts are,
technically, breads and grains.
What researchers need to do is start
differentiating between "good" and "bad" carbs. Some researchers are
already doing that, but many still fail to consider the difference. Good
carbs provide sustained energy and can definitely be part of a healthy,
balanced diet. Good carbs would include fresh fruits (not processed
fruits, not fruit drinks, and not canned fruits), fresh vegetables,
boiled pearled barley, whole grain oats, brown rice, and so on. Even
then, a person has to carefully limit their consumption of these
carbohydrates if they want to avoid all the health problems associated
with carbohydrate consumption (obesity, depression, hypoglycemia, heart
disease, and so on).
Bad carbs, on the other hand, include all
refined carbohydrates -- basically, anything that's been milled and
stripped of its original, natural elements such as fiber, healthy oils,
vitamins and minerals. All white flour is nutritionally deadly. Really.
White flour kills you. If you tried to live off of white flour for 60
days, you would literally die. That's because white flour lacks all of
the healthy elements found in the whole grain of the wheat berry. Whole
wheat grains contain important minerals like magnesium, healthy oils
like vitamin E, health-enhancing insoluble fiber, and a long list of
important vitamins. Virtually all of these are stripped out during
processing, leading to a product so nutritionally depleted that
millers are required by federal law to add certain vitamins back in!
That's the source of so-called "enriched white flour," which is
actually, "enriched just enough to make sure it doesn't kill you too
quickly with obvious nutritional deficiencies."
In other words, they
take out 100 vitamins and minerals, then add three or four back in. That
way, most people don't notice the white flour is actually killing them
by promoting chronic disease and illness. That's why white flour earns
one of the top positions on my list of metabolic disruptors -- food
ingredients known to interfere with the normal healthy physiology of the
human body.
Back to the study, however, it's no surprise that people
are eating more calories and suffering the consequences: just look at
the aggressive marketing of soft drink companies and food manufacturers!
If these people would just switch to the Atkins diet or any low-carb
diet, they'd be able to eat more calories and burn them off through
exothermic metabolic processes (higher metabolism and higher internal
heat, basically). Refined carbohydrates are, truly, to be blamed for
much of the chronic disease and illness now ravaging our nation. Shhhh!
Don't tell Big Sugar. The sugar industry still claims sugar is
wholesome!
Original source:
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/02/06/Consumers/carbs040206
Details
ATLANTA - Americans are getting fatter because they're eating more
than they were 30 years ago, according to a new study.
Men ate 168 more calories each day, according to the study conducted
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The lead researcher, Jacqueline Wright, says it's mostly due to an
increase in carbohydrate intake - cookies, bagels, chips, pasta and soft
drinks.
Among them is the Atkins diet, which is followed by millions of
people.
The agency remains concerned that people continue to eat too much
saturated fat, which they cite as a risk factor for heart attacks and
strokes.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has authored and published several downloadable personal preparedness courses including a downloadable course focused on safety and self defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening.
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Tuesday, March 02, 2004
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