Posted on 07/02/2003 4:56:13 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Face it: we’re fat. Yes, we’ve taken low-fat and no-fat pledges, but government statistics and a trip to the beach show we’re just getting fatter. That has occurred even though many of us replaced bacon and eggs with a low-fat breakfast bar, traded in that roast beef luncheon sandwich for a can of Slim Fast and pick out fat-free dinners in the deep freeze.So why are 175 million Americans still classified as either overweight or obese? Some nutritionists argue that maybe we got bad advice, and they are rethinking the public fight against fats in food.
Instead, they are turning attention to an ancient dietary enemy — sugar.
There is absolutely no question that Americans have developed a very sweet tooth.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that over the last 40 years, per capita consumption of sugars has increased an astonishing 32 percent — from 115 pounds of all sorts of sugars per year in 1966 to 152 pounds in 2000.
There is a bitter disagreement over what that data mean.
Some nutritionists say increased sugar consumption is alarming, clearly the cause of the obesity epidemic. Others argue that the modern couch potato lifestyle is responsible for the larding of America.
You don’t always know it, but there is added sugar in the processed foods you are eating today. McDonald’s acknowledges on its Web site that sugar is an ingredient in its french fries, and nutritional studies show a Burger King Whopper contains more than a teaspoon of sugar. Nutritionist Nancy Appleton, author of "Lick the Sugar Habit," calculates 3 1/2 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of Frosted Cheerios and about 10 teaspoons in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola. There are 15 calories in each teaspoon.
Products labeled low fat often have the highest levels of sugar. Sugar is a cheap ingredient, and food processors add it to other ingredients to keep the food tasty or to change the texture.
Dieters might be surprised to find there is more sugar in a can of strawberry Slim-Fast diet drink than in a quarter cup of M&M candies, and that low-fat and "healthy choice" breakfast bars with fruit filling have as much sugar as chocolate eclairs. Almost half of each teaspoon of ketchup is sugar, according to Appleton. Food companies label sugar content in grams: Every four grams translates into one teaspoon of sugar.
A 12-ounce Starbucks Grande Caramel Mocha coffee has the equivalent of almost 12 teaspoons of sugar, and if you have a Cinnabon Caramel Pecanbon with it, add another 12 teaspoons, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit group.
Some scientists contend people have become so preoccupied with preaching about the dangers of fats and the wonders of low-fat diets that they haven’t paid sufficient attention to the amount of sugar dumped into food.
Food without sugar or fat doesn’t have much taste, and "we aren’t horses," noted Robert Keith, a professor of nutrition at Auburn University.
"People have become overzealous about taking out all the fats. There are essential fatty acids we need to have," Keith said. The fats, he said, give substance to food — what scientists call "satiety values" — a sense of fullness after eating that sugars do not provide.
So, he said, "Some fat should be there."
There is no agreement among scientists on how much sugar should be allowed in food.
The World Health Organization says adding sugar to food is making people fat and recommends that people limit sugar consumption to 10 percent of caloric intake each day. A panel of American scientists with the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year said there is no solid data to validate a recommended level, but concludes that daily diets containing more than 25 percent sugar are unhealthy because the sugar interferes with absorbing other nutrients.
Studies estimate that sugars currently account for 16 percent of the average U.S. diet — up from 12 percent 50 years ago — and reaching the World Health Organization recommendation would require many Americans to cut back sharply.
Some nutritionists say this could easily be accomplished by consuming fewer soft drinks, cookies and cakes. They plan to push the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to emphasize the need to cut back on sugars when the agency reviews its nutrition label policy this year.
The sugar industry is fighting any limitation.
David Lineback, director of the Joint Institute of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the University of Maryland, said sugar is being blamed for increases in obesity that could just as easily be linked to overeating, portion super-sizing and inactivity. "Sugar is an easy and convenient scapegoat," he said, noting how much the American diet has changed in recent years. "If you ask me as a scientist, there is very little evidence sugar is responsible."
Andrew Briscoe, president of the Sugar Association, says the World Health Organization report is based on flawed science. He said his association will lobby Congress to reduce the $400 million in U.S. contributions to the WHO because of its negative views on sugars.
But the World Health Organization also has strong defenders. Nutritionist Marion Nestle, chairwoman of the Department of Nutrition and Food at New York University, said the 10 percent recommendation is in line with current prevailing scientific and government opinion.
"This has been decided for decades," she said, noting the current food pyramid issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recommends people limit consumption of sugars to 12 teaspoons a day. That translates to 180 calories out of an average 2,200 calories of daily consumption.
Nestle said she would back much lower levels of sugar intake — no more than six teaspoons a day of added sugars — and argues that people get sufficient sugar naturally in fruits and vegetables.
Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington’s center for public health nutrition, said economics is driving food processors to use more sugar in manufactured food because sugar is so cheap.
"They have rigged the food — sugar is ubiquitous in everything," Drewnowski said. "Sugar and fat are the cheap calories, and we are evolutionarily driven to them."
Drewnowski also urges people to be cautious about the low-fat labels on food and watch out for sugars.
"Slim-Fast, one pound can, has 267 grams, 66 percent sugar. You can’t tell me that sugar in Coke makes you fat, but sugar in Slim-Fast is going to make you slim. There are just a few more nutrients in the Slim-Fast," he said.
Others scientists minimize the role of sugar in the obesity epidemic and contend the problem is that Americans aren’t exercising sufficiently for the amount of food they eat.
"We need to talk about calories," said Alison Kretser, nutritionist with the Grocery Manufacturers of America. "It’s the number of calories as well as an excess of inactivity."
Cathy Nonas, director of obesity and diabetes programs at North General Hospital in Harlem, N.Y., agrees.
"It’s a calorie game. Nobody has ever proven that sugar will make you fat unless you eat too much of it. Fat is still more easily stored," she said. "It’s not as if you feed people sugar, it will make them fatter on its own. Sugar is an empty calorie and those who eat a lot of it tend to eat a lot of fatty stuff. And people are eating bigger portions and eating more times a day than ever — and all that, along with inactivity, contributes to obesity."
How much lawyer sperm are you in the market for?
That is except when I feel like a good New York Sirloin or a tender ribeye cooked au piorve as thick as a brick and medium rare. Then I omit the cheese out of respect for the sacrificial beast I'm masticating.
Main reason . . . everybody quit tobacco.
Yep, it's the supersize portions that are doing us in. I told this story a few nights ago on another thread. Last week, I ate at a Mexican restaurant and ordered blackened chicken fajitas. I got three plates delivered to the table. One plate was huge and had Mexican rice, refried beans w/ cheese, and then shredded cheddar cheese with diced tomatoes and onions in a sub-dish. That was a meal in itself. The main plate had the blackened chicken along with a huge amount of onions, summer squash, mushrooms that was drenched in some kind of oil. Then you had a sub-dish on that plate with a very rich sauce (for dipping the chicken in). Then you had ANOTHER plate with the tortillas to wrap it all up in! All this for $9.95. A few months ago, I would have slopped it all up. But I ate barely half of it and still felt like I was going to burst. Good thing I passed on the tortilla chips and the dessert!
Many people don't realize just how much exercise you have to do to burn off something like a slice of apple pie or cheesecake. A 150-pound man will have to walk briskly (4mph) for a full mile just to burn off 100 calories. So that small slice of cheesecake (300 calories) would require a 3-mile walk just to get rid of it.
Cholesterol improves on the Atkin's diet. Good colesterol goes up, bad colesterol goes down. Atkins theory on cholesterol was that it works like an antioxidant. The body manufactures choleserol when it doesn't get enough antioxidant vitamins. Most antioxidant vitamins are FAT soluable. Therefore the lowfat diets are robbing people of good nutrition.
This was confirmed in the recent AMA tests that compared Low fat to Low card diets. The Low carb diets lost twice as much weight than the low fat diets and cholesterol improved too. Which shocked the AMA doctors as they thought the study would blow Atkins out of the water.
There are some fascinating studies cited in Dr. Atkins' book that show that all calories are not created equal. Essentially counting calories while making no distinction in the kind of calories they are is a waste of time. People can actually increase their calorie intake, maintain the same lifestyle, and actually lose weight. Conversely, people can lower their calorie intake - as is typically done on low-fat diets - and gain weight.
It's really hard not to give in to the convenience of a drive through from time to time, but if it's a rare occasion it won't hurt.
I think the worst thing that happened to this country is the idiots who came up with the food pyramid. They replaced healthy amounts of fat (via meats and butter) and replaced it with pure carbs.
'Uhhhhh--huh-huh......You're fat!'--(Butthead)
Granted, it's only been three months for me, but I have no problem avoiding the fast food joints. Or any kind of junk or supermarket processed foods for that matter. I wake up at 5AM (every day) and walk 3.5 miles around my neighborhood. Then I eat two hard-boiled eggs and go to work. At lunch, I go for another 3.5 mile walk and wolf down either a can of sardines or some unsalted peanuts for lunch. I am not hungry during the day at all. I'm pretty sure that the two walks suppress my hunger pangs and spike my metabolism. In fact, I almost have to force myself to eat lunch because I'm just not hungry. Even dinners are modest. Usually a generous portion of meat with hot peppers and other vegetables. I figure I've been averaging about 2,000 calories a day since I started this thing (I also add in the calories from the Gatorade and beer that I drink).
I think the worst thing that happened to this country is the idiots who came up with the food pyramid. They replaced healthy amounts of fat (via meats and butter) and replaced it with pure carbs.
I have a feeling that some powerful lobbyists from the big cereal companies helped put that food pyramid together!
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