Katherine B. Chauncey - Low-Carb Diet For Dummies

Value meals and super-sized meals are a financial incentive for many eating establishments. They can add large-sized drinks and fries to a meal at minimal cost to them but increased cost to the consumer. So, in terms of nutritional quality, who gets the value from the “value” meal? Not you.

Americans are consuming more food and several hundred more calories per person per day than did their counterparts in the late 1950s when calorie consumption was at the lowest level in the last century. A study from 2017 found that the average American eats 3,600 calories per day — almost 1,000 calories more per day than they did in 2000. About 54 percent of this increase comes from refined carbohydrates like processed grains and sugars, 32 percent from fats, and the remaining 1 percent from fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, dairy products, and eggs.

The USDA food consumption survey revealed that the percent of calories from fat in the American diet has leveled off: 40 percent in the 1970s, 34 percent in 1990, 33 percent in 1994, and 34 percent today. That’s in line with American Heart Association’s recommendation to have no more than 25 to 35 percent of calories from fat. However, the total number of calories consumed, primarily from refined-carbohydrate foods, has increased. When the calories increase and the fat intake stays the same, the percent of calories from fat goes down. But the total amount in terms of actual grams of fat consumed per day has stayed about the same.

Even though the amount of fat consumed is about the same, more of the fat intake was represented by trans fats. Many processed carbohydrate foods contain trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fats act like saturated fat by boosting levels of bad cholesterol and increasing the risk of heart disease. Trans fats are commonly found in carbohydrate foods such as cookies, crackers, chips, french fries, and fast foods. Since 2015 the FDA has taken steps to remove trans fats in processed foods entirely, and it’s working. The FDA started regulating trans fats by identifying the adverse effects of trans fats. Soon after, labeling laws were enacted to identify trans fats on the nutrition facts food label. Trans fat intake in the American diet is decreasing.

Fruit and vegetable consumption has increased but still falls below recommended levels. Less than 10 percent of the American population eat the recommended five fruits and vegetables each day. Interestingly, the popularity of pizza has boosted the average consumption of canned tomato products, but consumption of other canned vegetables declined. The popularity of french fries, eaten mainly in fast-food restaurants, caused a 63 percent increase in the average consumption of frozen potatoes. And the introduction of precut and prepackaged items has boosted the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Highly publicized medical research linking compounds in fruits and vegetables to anticancer activity has provided a powerful incentive to consumption. However, in general, individual fast-food companies can spend multimillions of dollars to promote their products, whereas the national health organizations such as the National Cancer Institute is only able to spend a fraction of that amount to promote fruits and vegetables. And consider the fact that that applies to only one fast-food company! Go to Chapter 3to find out more about the great diversity in carbohydrate foods.

Individual use of flour and cereal products was 174 pounds per person in 2019 up from 138 pounds in 1970, but down from the 200 pounds per person in 2000. Some experts feel this may be the result of the avoidance of grains due to certain health conditions such as gluten sensitivity or the popularity of certain diets such as the Paleo Diet. The fact is that modern grains aren’t the same as they used to be. Most of this change was in the form of refined flour food products.

Refined flour products can quickly spike your blood sugar and overstimulate your insulin production. Whole-grain food products raise blood-sugar levels gradually without overstimulating insulin. This effect is important in controlling obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. However, the USDA indicates consumption of whole grains is below guidelines. Evidence indicates that eating whole grains can reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Current nutrition guidelines carry a strong recommendation to include at least three to five servings of whole-grain food products per day. However, that recommendation isn’t being met in the United States.

With the changes that have occurred in the American food intake, the deterioration in the nation’s health should come as no surprise. But food intake is not the only thing to blame; lack of exercise is a major contributor as well (see Chapter 22for more on exercise). The American lifestyle is killing us — check out the following sections for information on how. Chapter 4addresses many of these diseases in greater detail as you look at your own personal history and risk factors.

Obesity has been growing rapidly, but health officials were shocked by a recent study that revealed that 71 percent of the population is either overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and cancer. The effects of obesity cost Americans billions of dollars per year.

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and is being followed by a worldwide epidemic of diabetes. Thirty-four million Americans have diabetes and 88 million more have prediabetes and are at increased risk of developing the disease. Many of those with prediabetes are unaware that they have it. People who are obese have a five times greater risk of developing diabetes than people who are of a normal weight. Diabetes is a major health problem in the United States. It’s characterized by an inability to keep blood-sugar levels consistent.

Metabolic syndrome is a name coined for a modern disease characterized by obesity, glucose intolerance, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure. It has also been called Syndrome X, the Deadly Quartet, insulin resistance syndrome, and prediabetes. Insulin resistance is the condition that causes this cluster of symptoms where the body doesn’t respond very well to the insulin it produces. ( Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose out of the blood and into the tissues where it can be used.)

If a person is insulin resistant, then they have to produce a greater amount of insulin in order to move the glucose into the tissue. High levels of insulin not only promote storage of fat but can cause serious harm to body organs. High levels of insulin cause high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and blood-clotting disorders. This can result in heart attacks and strokes. Eating high-carb foods — especially refined starchy and sugary foods — produces higher-than-normal amounts of insulin. The low-fat, high-carb diet universally recommended for high cholesterol is the worst diet for people who are insulin resistant.

Cirrhosis of the liver is commonly associated with excess alcohol intake. However, many non-drinkers have been diagnosed with cirrhosis due to a fatty liver from excess calorie intake. This condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or as advanced disease of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is rising in prevalence due to the obesity epidemic. As the first step in treatment, healthcare providers recommend lifestyle modification (diet and exercise).