Carbs are Killing You (infographic)

I think this infographic does a pretty good job of explaining how carbohydrates, and not fat, contribute to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, etc.

 

Very informative.

Interestingly, the NHS in the UK are thinking of offering more surgical solutions to the present obesity epidemic, mainly as a way of counteracting the rise in numbers of people developing type 2 diabetes.

I think that a large percentage of the populous are pretty ignorant when it comes to nutrition. It may be that the basics need to be taught more in schools, starting at a young age.

One thing I would add is that we need to get away from a 'fat tolerant' culture in much the same way we've moved on from a society where the majority of people smoked. I guess it won't be long before more people are dying prematurely of diet related issues than smoking.

 

if I have 1 oz of body fat, Id be lucky..

 

Betcha if we melted you down we'd get more than 1 oz of fat.......

But I'm like you - no real body fat you can see. Probably in my case a genetically inherited trait.

 

How the fuck did mankind ever survive the shift to agricultural...

 

Same here..
Genetics definitely have a lot more to do with metabolic rate, insulin production, fat storage and what-not than carb intake.

I eat tons of carbs in the winter especially, when I could use all the extra stored fat I can get, but that doesn't seem to happen. I burn through it too fast apparently.

 

It seems like "common knowledge" is finally coming around on this and people are realizing that saturated fats do not have the same negative health effects as trans fats.

 

Yep, that sounds like me too.

It's very true that metabolic rate etc have a big influence on whether a person will tend to put on body fat. But given the numbers of over weight people, I assume that a lot of people's genetic inheritance pre disposes them towards weight gain. For those people, carbs are a big problem.

 

I have a notion it's really only been a problem in these post-industrial time's, people just don't have as much to do physically, and for many food has become a vice, not just sustenance. I like to eat like anyone else, but if my activity levels are low, I'm just not as hungry for carbs.

 

Well, as of right now approximately 65% of the US population is either overweight or obese. This is expected to climb to 75% by the year 2020. This indicates some degree of carbohydrate intolerance in most people. Some people are blessed with metabolisms that can tolerate carbohydrates, which are used by muscle tissue as opposed to converted to fat in the liver and stored. Some people lose this ability as they get older, while some can go their whole lives eating a diet hign in high glycemic carbs and never gain weight. Weight alone is not a good indicator of overall health, however. Carbohydrate intake is also linked to high triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cancer. You don't have to be obese to suffer from any of those.

 

Since I've been eating a high carb, low-fat diet for almost 7 years, I'm going to have to disagree...I think it's more complicated than that, though I don't doubt that eating healthier fats and taking unhealthier carbs out of one's diet can definitely be helpful...I'm not sure how long that lasts though.

 

So do carbs or fat make us fat?

Only joking, it was fun and informative, I was just amused it was a bit like a radio ad in that it repeated the message over and over

 

I remember my parents telling us not to spend all of our money at the corner store, now I see moms buying their kids crap at the corner store. My mom never did that. It's probably why kids are in more trouble now then they were a few years ago, being diagnosed with diabetes 2 at 12 yrs old instead of near 40 years old.
Seems kids are cared for in a whole different way compared to when I was a kid.
I agree bad carbs can hurt us but many don't understand good cards and bad carbs, good fats and bad fats.

 

Nice theory but I wouldn't swear on it just like that. Not saying it is totaly bogus at all but (so far) a theory nevertheless.

Haha yes. But for real, an interesting point that can't be dismissed :bobby:

I'm inclined to agree with these statements:

We still eat like dockworkers, yet most of us don't work at the docks (and if we do most of us have an automatized job )

Maybe not a lot more (not sure, could differ per individual), but it seems the things mentioned in above quote definitely all have an important influence.

Those kind of parents were around back in the day as well. They're probably of all times. Maybe they are more noticable now. Not sure...

Yeps, I also have a hard time believing ALL carbs are bad. Also not convinced that any saturated fat that isn't a transfat is beneficial. It also has to do with moderation naturally. And with how much a person moves (energy use) naturally.

 

I love carbs. I always feel good after I eat a bowl of pasta l. That's pretty much the only thing I pay attention to when I eat besides taste - whether or not it leaves me with energy or makes me feel sluggish.

Everyone is different but if people listen to their body they'll be ok.

 

When I talk about carbs, I am talking about the fast digesting, heavily refined ones that cause rapid blood sugar spikes. I am not referring to carbs which come from vegetables and fiber. I am talking about sugars, starches, flour and grains. I am talking about bread, pasta, beer, sweets, etc. I am talking about most of what makes up the Standard American Diet. Of course there are good carbs, but those are not what are making people fat. I don't think fruits and vegetables are contributing to the obesity epidemic.

Nobody said ALL carbs are bad. Non-starchy vegetables like spinach and lettuce are very low in carbs besides. You can eat a pretty large amount of vegetables, and even certain fruits, and be well under the 50 grams of carbs a day necessary to constantly remain in fat burning mode. It isn't until you start consuming large amounts of sugars, starches, flour and grains that carbs become a problem, because these cause your body to secrete large amounts of insulin.

 

PR...you are definitely a food guru......:love:

 

I can believe to a point that highly processed carbs (ie finely ground and de-germed wheat) can digest too quickly , causing spikes in blood sugar and messing with normal metabolism, but pasta and whole grain foods tend to digest much more slowly than say, eating a bunch of things made from bleached pastry flour. If you look at elite and high functioning athlete's, they can eat just about anything and get away with it.
I know when I was a concrete laborer I could eat 5-6000 calories a day of fast food or whatever and not gain a pound.

 

Whole wheat pasta and whole grains may digest slightly slower than white bread, but they still digest quite fast, and certainly fast enough to spike the blood sugar, thereby causing an insulin response. They rank quite high on the glycemic index, and will surely cause problems for around 65% of the population who suffer from some degree of carbohydrate intolerance. Wheat bread scores a 58 on the glycemic index, which is well within the caution range.

And of course (most) endurance athletes can tolerate high glycemic carbs better than the average, relatively sedentary person, because they are rapidly burning off their glycogen stores, allowing carbs to be taken up by the muscle tissue and burned for energy, as opposed to the liver where those excess carbs are converted to fat by the process known as de novo lipogenesis and then stored.

 

Yup, that's what I am talking about too, basically white processed food but including potatoes. Anything processed is usually packed with bad carbs.
I help people with diet often and brought a lady down from 240 lbs to 149-150 and holding. Her diet included a lot of veggies but not to eliminate meats, cheese and even a little peanut butter now and then. She basically had all food groups but her pasta and white foods (she loved pasta and potatoes with a passion) were lots less. This was done while being monitored by her doctor with CBC blood tests as well and she managed to reverse her diabetes at the same time and come off her metformin.
She lost this weight in two years as requested and planned and was off her oxygen and chasing me down the road in months of starting the diet. At a fast pace mind you, not running yet.
I also help skinny people manage their weight but not in the style that government tells the cancer clinic to encourage weight gain which is potatoes and gravy, it's in the book on surviving cancer put out by them, that's what cancer feeds on so no wonder people have a low survival rate. It feeds on any sugar types the body has to process to use which is flour and many other white things they process and including fake sugars to sweeten foods and drinks.
People think having cancer now means a mad rush to gain weight and maintain it and it is,,, but there is a right way to do it. To force more of what's killing us is wrong. Treatments might show it being killed but it is still feeding and hiding which is why many get a second round of cancer and don't survive that one.