My Operaa shift in dietary dogma?
Monday, October 22, 2007 3:31:41 AM
i was watching larry king live a few days ago and on the show, joy behar was interviewing gary taubes and mehmet oz - the physician who occasionally appears on oprah. the topic of discussion was diet as it relates to obesity and general health.
sometime between the late 70s and early 80s, health officials in north america began to push the idea that because fats and cholesterol cause heart disease, people should consume diets consisting of less meat and more carbohydrates. what's very interesting to note, however, is that the rate of obesity in north america during this time period actually skyrocketed. science writer gary taubes cites this as one of the many indicators that our accepted knowledge about dietary health is in serious need of research and revision. but i think his main premise is that these ideas, which have been perpetuated since the 70s, had always been based on bad science. it seems in actuality, there exists little to no scientific evidence to prove that low fat diets prevent either obesity or heart disease.
the most resounding point he made in one of his articles, imo, is the fact that there are people who do adhere to strict diets as advocated by their physicians, yet, they don't see any results. most people are quick to ridicule, blaming it on psychology rather than physiology, saying that the person lacks any will-power and that losing weight is all about will-power. i'll admit that i was once one of these people. i mean, i wouldn't actually ridicule anybody, but i did believe that losing weight was all in the mind. how stupid of me. gary talks about the oft ignored, though, very known fact that the hormone insulin reacts differently to carbohydrates than it does to fats. carbs raises the level of insulin moreso that fats. so if ingesting high carbs and low fats leads to the deposition of calories in the form of fats, which leads to obesity, then how can health officials continue to promote this archaic idea?
near the end of one of his interviews, and this was a thought that i've held for a while now, he mentions that the perfect diet is the one which we've evolved to consume over the last 2 million years on the planet. a diet that consists of lean meats, non-refined carbs, fruits and berries etc. now this doesn't mean i'm going to start dining like a caveman, but i certainly won't feel as bad about consuming things like meat and mayo and i will try to cut back on sweets, sodas and grains while taking in more vegetables.
pbs interview
mit interview
sometime between the late 70s and early 80s, health officials in north america began to push the idea that because fats and cholesterol cause heart disease, people should consume diets consisting of less meat and more carbohydrates. what's very interesting to note, however, is that the rate of obesity in north america during this time period actually skyrocketed. science writer gary taubes cites this as one of the many indicators that our accepted knowledge about dietary health is in serious need of research and revision. but i think his main premise is that these ideas, which have been perpetuated since the 70s, had always been based on bad science. it seems in actuality, there exists little to no scientific evidence to prove that low fat diets prevent either obesity or heart disease.
the most resounding point he made in one of his articles, imo, is the fact that there are people who do adhere to strict diets as advocated by their physicians, yet, they don't see any results. most people are quick to ridicule, blaming it on psychology rather than physiology, saying that the person lacks any will-power and that losing weight is all about will-power. i'll admit that i was once one of these people. i mean, i wouldn't actually ridicule anybody, but i did believe that losing weight was all in the mind. how stupid of me. gary talks about the oft ignored, though, very known fact that the hormone insulin reacts differently to carbohydrates than it does to fats. carbs raises the level of insulin moreso that fats. so if ingesting high carbs and low fats leads to the deposition of calories in the form of fats, which leads to obesity, then how can health officials continue to promote this archaic idea?
near the end of one of his interviews, and this was a thought that i've held for a while now, he mentions that the perfect diet is the one which we've evolved to consume over the last 2 million years on the planet. a diet that consists of lean meats, non-refined carbs, fruits and berries etc. now this doesn't mean i'm going to start dining like a caveman, but i certainly won't feel as bad about consuming things like meat and mayo and i will try to cut back on sweets, sodas and grains while taking in more vegetables.
pbs interview
mit interview
