Whew--there's been quite some exchange here in the past couple of days that I think pretty much shows the tensions between the low fat camp and the low carb camp. So, just for the record, here is what I believe.
1. Eating dietary fat does not make you fat. Fat in does not equal fat on the body.
2. Eating simple carbs is the same as eating sugar. Sugar, white potatoes, white rice, etc., convert to glucose equally fast (actually, it's been shown that potatoes turn to glucose faster than table sugar).
3. High fructose corn syrup is pervasive and at least partially to blame for much of today's obesity epidemic and related increase in cases of diabetes.
4. Diabetes is caused by diet or, in some cases, medications (prednisone, for example). But the tendency toward diabetes--who develops it, and who doesn't--has a huge genetic factor.
5. Complex carbs, which the body must work harder to break down into glucose, are better for blood-sugar levels than simple carbs. But they still work into glucose more than the nutrient-dense protein and fat.
6. Both low-fat diets and low-carb diets work, using different pathways. But low-carb works faster and offers greater satiety.
7. Calories DO count, but it isn't as simple as calories in-calories out as far as weight loss is concerned. Individual metabolism plays a role, as does the makeup of those calories.
Ok. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fire away.
Focusing on Weight Loss, Health and Nutrition from the Wasteland of Post-Katrina New Orleans, home of some of the best, unhealthiest food on the planet.
"6. Both low-fat diets and low-carb diets work, using different pathways. But low-carb works faster and offers greater satiety."
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely not true universally. I found it relatively easy to lose weight on a low-fat diet and impossible on a low-carb diet, where I became depressed and developed an eating disorder.