Bewildering

There is a central contradiction between nutrition theory and practice today. One one hand, our advice concerning the health benefits of a diet based largely on whole, live natural foods has not changed in more then fifty years and it is constantly supported by ongoing science. On the other hand, many people seem to be confused about what they are supposed to eat to stay healthy. When considering this contradiction, we should be aware of the role the food industry plays in creating an environment conducive to overeating animal based and highly processed foods.

For thousands of years, human body weight stayed stable. Throughout adulthood, those who came before us generally consumed no more than the food needed to stay alive. With rare exceptions, their body weight neither rose or fell by any significant amount. We were given a perfect biological system which reflected the wisdom of the body at work. Then, around 1980, things began to change.

We live in an age of industrial food with its numberless fast food outlets and supermarkets. Industrial food companies, not unlike cigarette , pharmaceutical and car companies, routinely place the needs of stockholders and the need for making profits above those of the consumer. They lobby congress to eliminate regulations and press regulatory agencies to not enforce those regulations that are on the books. Annually they spend billions of dollars on direct media advertising and its a sad commentary that much of it is aimed at children.

In his book The End of Overeating, Dr. David a Kessler points out that the business of food is to create highly rewarding stimuli and he quoted a high-level industry executive, who asked to remain anonymous, who said that," Higher sugar, fat, and salt make you want to eat more. They make a food compelling and indulgent. They make it high in hedonic value which gives us pleasure." Dr. Kessler also asked." Do you design food specifically to be high hedonic?" to which the executive replied,"Oh, absolutely. We try to bring as much of that into the equation as possible." "As we do this", says Dr. Kessler, " The food industry becomes the manipulator of the consumer's minds and desires."

Food companies, when they are not filing lawsuits about regulations they don't like, co-opt food and nutrition experts by supporting organizations and research while expanding sales by marketing directly to children and other groups whether or not the products are likely to improve people's diet. These practices are legal. Whether they are ethical is another matter. Much of what they do lobbying, marketing, engaging the services of "nutrition experts", is conducted out of the public view. Lobbying records are too often subject to confidentiality agreements.

The subliminal nature of food and beverage advertising is a tribute to its ubiquity as well as to the sophistication of the agencies that produce it. They spend billions of dollars annually on direct media advertising in magazines, radio, newspapers, television and billboards. Most of the billions are used to promote highly processed, elaborately packaged and "dead foods." Little, if any, is spent advertising "live" food like fruits,,vegetables, and grains. No wonder that so many people are bewildered

The Big Elephant in the Room-Insulin

The hormone insulin determines whether we burn fat or carbohydrates and it ultimately determines whether or not we store fat in the body. Insulin production is affected by the amount of glucose created by carbohydrate ingestion.

Glucose is nature's fuel. It is the "Golden energy" molecule and it is preferred by the brain. It is also the main source of energy for the body, When you eat carbohydrates, your body is looking for energy to run its trillions of cells. It exists as glucose in the blood, glycogen in the muscles, and as glucagon in the liver.

Keep in mind that all carbohydrates are not equal. Some have more impact on insulin production than do others. Some carbohydrates cause insulin levels to "spike" higher than others. Understanding the difference is one key to controlling your body fat and possibly avoiding diabetes and other health related problems.


Some often refer to carbohydrates as "bad" or "good". More accurately they should be referred to as "fast" [sugars] or "slow" [starches] reflecting their effect on the insulin response. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The hare started the race like he was shot out of a cannon and then he petered out as the tortoise clomped along at a steady pace. High gylcemic carbohydrates are like the hare i.e. fast. Low glycemic carbohydrates are like the tortoise i.e. slow. If you want to win the race against fat, you should be like the tortoise and emphasize eating "slow" carbs and minimizing "fast" carbs in the diet.

* Highly processed foods are fast. The smaller particle sizes make it easier for liquids and enzymes to penetrate and speed up the fast glycemic response. They also lack fiber that acts as a physical barrier that slows down the enzymes and the rate of digestion.

*Fiber can help stop the flood of glucose. Research has shown that eating as little 1/2 cup of legumes or beans a day will help you manage your glucose levels.

*The digestion of sugar is very fast and produces only half as many molecules for processing as the same amount of starch, The same applies to milled flours that are faster than whole grain stone ground flours.

* Fast carbohydrates [high glycemic] go through the small intestine much faster than slow carbohydrates [low glycemic]. The fast carbs also fail to trigger the brain receptors that tell the brain that you are "full' and they stimulate counter-regulatory responses that reverse the decline in hunger.

*Fast carbs are usually energy dense i.e. they contain a lot of calories for less satiety.

A good guide to help you in this regard is learning to use the glycemic index of foods. The index has been studied for years and now has the weight of scientific evidence on its side. The index measures the speed at which carbohydrates affect the insulin response to the level of glucose in the blood. You can do two things; Goggle the glycemic index and/or study the book The New Glucose Revolution by Miller-Brand, Wolever, Colagiuri, and Foster-Powell.

In this way, you can learn how to control your insulin responses more effectively. You should also consult your doctor or nurse practitioner.