How the Feds Made the Country Fat

There's another good book you might want to checkout "Wheat Belly" by William Davis. He's a cardiologist from Milwaukee. He talks about both his own observations and explains the problem with carbohydrates.

OK, writing this as a physician and a sleep apnea patient... first, the Federal government did NOT make America fat. It is obviously a multi-factorial problem that includes super-sized fast food, an increasing sedentary lifestyle and massive denial. But in essence, the government has publicized the food pyramid developed by nutrition science for decades where grains and carbs were at the base of the pyramid, and meats at the very top of the pyramid. Dr. Atkins started shaking the basis of this several decades ago, and was ridiculed and vilified by established medicine. He was one of the first voices to raise the issue of insulin resistance, carb craving, and the notion that a small amount of protein and fat satisfy hunger while a large amount of carbs simply caused the individual to crave more carbs.

As we have seen in other areas (climate change comes to mind), once something becomes "dogma", it is extremely difficult to change, regardless of the facts. Facts that do not support the accepted dogma are discounted, scientists that speak up with doubts about the accepted dogma are ignored or ridiculed. Economic issues come into play (think corn and wheat mega-farm conglomerates).

It is very valuable to keep an open mind when it comes to medical facts. As a practicing physician for over 35 years, but still in my early 60's, I have seen how much the medical facts that we thought we knew for sure change dramatically over the years. We should also keep this in mind when it comes to obstructive sleep apnea and the way we currently treat it. Someday, we or our ancestors may look back at this era with amusement...

Janknitz wrote:Just go out trick or treating, someone is sure to give you candy

Well, I got a head start eating a candy bar due to dealing with stress from department store shopping. I am choosing not to measure on the glucometer so I don't add to my stress. But I will definitely do this experiment sometime this week.

49er

RobertS975 wrote:the Federal government did NOT make America fat.

Well my GP and my sleep doctor told me they did. That's two docs against one so far.

What kind of doctor do you claim to be anyway?

Obesity rates are up worldwide, not just the USA.

https://www.google.com/search?q=obesity ... Cg#imgdii=_

The whole world is heavily influenced by the USA. Telecommunications technology allows this.

The Choker wrote:The whole world is heavily influenced by the USA. Telecommunications technology allows this.

So next

How the Feds Made the Whole World Fat

?

ChicagoGranny wrote:

The Choker wrote:The whole world is heavily influenced by the USA. Telecommunications technology allows this.

So next

How the Feds Made the Whole World Fat

?

Actually, if you read Wheat Belly, you'd see that the author blames genetic changes to wheat (cross breeding it with plains grasses) to make it easier to grow, adaptable to many climates and higher yield per acre for the obesity crisis. The changes were done by US scientists who were at least in part federally funded (and they won a Nobel Prize, for the achievement). That wheat is grown through out the world. So, if you buy the premise of the theory regarding changes to wheat resulting in obesity, then you would have to conclude that your quote is correct.

I'm not sure that I buy the premise, but....

Healthy lean people eat lots of lean meats and protein products, little simple sugars, some low glycemic carbs, lots of non starchy veggies and some fruit. And drink lots of water. And exercise a lot. Did I say A LOT?

On the other hand, Im in a bariatric weight loss program, have lost slightly over forty pounds via diet and exercise a long since late May 2014. And I still think diet is overrated. Unless you are a diabetic. Ive lost forty to fifty pounds eating a high carb/high protein diet and lost the same eating a high protein/medium carb/medium fat diet. In the end its all the same.

The one thing about the high protein thing is it really is true that forty grams of pure protein makes you feel fuller longer. That is true and does help.

I also dont trust ANYTHING our government says anymore, about anything. I stopped thinking the American government is a legit government not long after the "great recession" of 2008 and the election of obama. I operate on my own a lot and prefer independent thinking, private over public and frankly, wish the government would mostly just go the f away.

Eric

Look it up and decide for yourselves.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/bre ... als/1597/2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oat

And, there are others if you use Google.

In my last job/position, I also had the joyous privilege (?) of setting up a computerized lunch/breakfast/meal program from a software package.......and became very familiar with the nutritional contents of many foods.
I also became familiar with the USDA school lunch food programs, the food pyramid, etc., etc.
I think the food pyramid sort of speaks for itself with regard to the "nutritional" values.


Den

.

I lost 70 lbs (and have kept it off 3 years now) on a low carb high fat diet. Exercise? Not much, but now I CAN (and do ) exercise because I feel great. No more skeletal pain, great energy, great lipid numbers, excellent blood glucose control.

The Choker wrote:Good article by Nina Teicholz.

Not so fast Choker.

The USDA doesn’t recommend a low-fat diet. It recommends eating less saturated fat, a distinction that Ms. Teicholz repeatedly misunderstands.

The USDA, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the vast majority of heart-disease experts recommend eating less saturated fat to reduce the risk of heart disease. The “landmark meta-analysis” cited by Ms. Teicholz is flawed. It concluded that saturated fats do not cause heart disease because it included a trial in which people replaced saturated fats with a margarine high in trans fat instead of heart-healthy oils.

Ms. Teicholz argues that “limiting carbohydrates leads to greater weight loss than does cutting fat” by ignoring the largest, best-controlled studies, which find that cutting either carbs or fat leads to similar weight loss.

Yes, we need to cut back on white flour and sugars. But we also need to cut back on red meat and other sources of saturated fat. It isn’t the USDA, but Ms. Teicholz, who is slow to catch on.

Bonnie Liebman

http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-usda ... 1414950251

Janknitz wrote:I lost 70 lbs (and have kept it off 3 years now) on a low carb high fat diet. Exercise? Not much, but now I CAN (and do ) exercise because I feel great. No more skeletal pain, great energy, great lipid numbers, excellent blood glucose control.

Your case is noteworthy because it is rare and not because tens of thousands have found success with such a poor diet. (This is assuming your assessment of your diet as low-carb/high-fat is even accurate.)

MrGrumpy wrote:Healthy lean people eat lots of lean meats and protein products, little simple sugars, some low glycemic carbs, lots of non starchy veggies and some fruit. And drink lots of water. And exercise a lot. Did I say A LOT?

.... just like everyone who has OSA is an obese, male who is 50+ years old and their OSA can be cured by losing weight.

Your case is noteworthy because it is rare and not because tens of thousands have found success with such a poor diet. (This is assuming your assessment of your diet as low-carb/high-fat is even accurate.)

I don't appreciate the implication that I'm either too stupid to understand and account for my dietary macros or I'm a liar. Who the hell are you to say such a rude thing?