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Quality vs. Quantity:
Understanding how food quality impacts weight management
MYTHS
TheStarvation
Myth:EatLess+
exercisemore=weight
loss
TheCalorieMyth:
Allcaloriesarecreated
equal
TheFatMyth:
Eatingfatmakesyoufat
TheCarbMyth:
Eatinglowcarborno
carbwillmakeyouthin
TheSumoWrestler
Myth:Skippingmeals
helpsyouloseweight
TheFrenchParadox
Myth:TheFrenchare
thinbecausetheydrink
wineandeatbutter
TheProtector
Myth:Government
foodpoliciesandfood
industryregulations
protectourhealth
Whensomeonedecreasestheircaloricintakebymorethan400perday,metabolismdramaticallyslows,
puttingthemin‘starvationmode’.Whentheydoeat,caloriesgetstoredasfattocompensate.Exercise
increasesmetabolism,butwhenthatoccursappetiteincreasesaswell,resultinginmorefoodconsumed.
Thebodyismeanttoconsumeatleastasmanycaloriesasitburnsatitsrestingmetabolicrateto
preventstarvationmodefromsettingin–abouttentimesasmanycaloriesaswhatyourbodyweightis.
Foodthatentersthebloodstreamquicklyencouragesandpromotesweightgain,whereasfoodthat
entersslowlypromotesweightloss.Dietscomprisedoflotsofcarbohydrates–whichmetabolizeas
glucose(sugar)increasebloodsugarandinsulinlevels,causingmorefatstoragethanadiethighin
healthyfatsandprotein.Wholefoodsourcesareonesthatourbodiesgenetically“understand”because
themajorityofourgenesweredevelopedwhenfoodwashuntedandgathered.
Thetypeofdietaryfatconsumed,nottheamountoffat,iswhattranslatestofatinthebody.Some
saturatedfatslikecoconutoil,monounsaturatedfatsandomega-3fatscanturnongenesthrougha
connectionoftheperoxisomeproliferatoractivatedreceptor(PPAR)areceptoronthenucleusofthe
cell.‘Good’fatsbindtothereceptorandturnongenesthatincreasemetabolismandhelpthebodyburn
fat.Avoidhydrogenatedoils,transfatsandpolyunsaturatedoilswhichdojusttheopposite.
Highqualitycarbohydrates,meaningthosefromwholefoodssourcesthathavefiber,micronutrientsand
phytonutrientshavebenefitsaroundlosingweightandhelpinguskeepitoff..Highqualitycarbsare
essentialforregulatingmetabolism,soeliminatingthemofgoingtoo‘low-carb’isjustasharmfulas
goingonanofatorlowfatdiet.
Whenyoueatisequallyasimportantaswhatyoueat.Eattwohoursbeforegoingtobetopreventfat
storagefromaccumulatingovernightwhendigestionhasslowed.Eatbreakfasttosignaltoyourbody
thatitistimetostartmoving,thinkinganddigesting,thiswillkickstartweightmanagementforyourday.
WhiletheFrenchdietistraditionallyhigherinfatthantheAmericandiet,thereasontheyhavelower
ratesofobesityandheartdiseaseisbecauseofthequalityoffoodstheyconsumeandthelifestyle
choicesinvolvedwitheating.Diningisaslowerexperienceandenvironmentalcuessignaltothebodyto
relax,digestandmetabolize.Theyalsoeatsmallerportionsofwhole,highqualityfoods,resultingin
overallhealthofeatingandmealtime.
Governmentpolicyofregulatingandpromotingfoodsdoesnotsupportsoundadvicebecausetheyare
soheavilyswayedbybigfoodindustryandlobbyistswhocanofferrepresentativesmorepower.The
foodpyramidputoutbytheUSDAencouragesmassconsumptionofgrains,whicharetypicallyeatenas
refinedcarbohydrateslikecerealandbread.Thisisahugecontributortotheproblemwithobesityand
weightgain.Untilgovernmentagencygetsawayfromtheinfluenceofthefoodindustry,peoplewill
continuetoreceivemisinformationaroundeatingtosupportgoodhealth.
DIETARY INFLUENCES ON WEIGHT
High vs.
Low
Glycemic
Foods
Dietary Fiber for Weight Loss
-Fiberslowsandpreventstheabsorptionoffatandsugarinthegutbyworking
withthemtoslowthedigestiveprocess.
-Itencouragesweightlossbecauseitdecreasestheglycemicloadofameal,
meaningitisdigestedslower,lessinsulinisreleasedandlessfatisstored.
High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weight Gain
including the effects of fats,
-ThetroublewithHFCSisthatitisabsorbedbythecellsmorequicklythan
regularsugar,andenterscellswithoutthehelpofinsulin.
-ThenormalcontrolsofappetitearenottriggeredwhenHFCSisconsumed,so
thebodystayshungryandcontinuestocravethishighlyprocessedsweetener,
resultingintheformationofunnaturallyhighlevelsofcholesteroland
triglyceridesandaslowingofmetabolism.
proteins, carbohydrates and fiber
Trans Fats and Hydrogenated Oils and Weight Gain
that is present.
-Thesefatsandoilsaremanmadetoincreaseshelflifeandpreventspoilageof
processedfoodslikecrackers,margarineandbakingmixes.Thewaystheyhave
beenalteredmakethemtoxicandindigestibletothebody.
-Thisleadstoablockinmetabolism,anincreasedriskoffataldiseasesand
communicationtothegenestoslowmetabolism,causingweightgain.
Glycemic load (GL) measures the
blood sugar response and insulin
levels of a meal. It accounts for all
the factors involved in metabolism
High glycemic foods are typically
processed or refined – such as
breads, pasta, sugar and junk
food. When eaten, they are
Artificial Sweeteners and Weight Gain
eating high GL foods encourages
-Artificialsweetenerslikeaspartame,saccharinandsucralosestimulateinsulin
productioninthe‘brainphase’responsebecausethebodythinksabout
somethingsweet,expectsittocomeandreleasesinsulin.
-Whenthesesweetenersareconsumedtheyareprocesseddifferentlythan
sugar,sodonotbalanceinsulinlevelsasthebrainexpects.Theresultisthe
excessinsulinpromotesahungerresponseinthebody,makingyouwantto
consumemoreandcausingweightgainandanimbalanceinbrainchemistry.
an increase in appetite, and leads
“Polymeal” and Inflammation
to obesity and disease.
-ThePolymealiscombinationoffoodtobeconsumedthroughoutthedayto
reducesystemicinflammation(encouragingweightlossandreducingtheriskfor
heartdisease)thatmimicsasyntheticcompoundreleasedbypharmaceutical
companies.
-Itconsistsof4oz.ofwildfish,5oz.redwine,400gramsfruitsandvegetables
(aboutonepound),andacloveofgarlic.Itcouldpotentiallyreduceheartdisease
by75%andincreaselifeexpectancyfor7yearsbyminimizinginflammation.
immediately broken down to
glucose because they lack fiber
and phytonutrients, and insulin
floods the body to help get
glucose into the cells. The cycle of
Consumption of low glycemic
foods trigger these mechanisms in
the body: They burn slowly,
promoting healthy levels of insulin
to digest sugars (from the
breakdown of carbs) without
triggering metabolic signals that
activate hunger and cause weight
gain. Meals with a low GL may
contain few carbohydrates, or
include those that are high in fiber
like fruits and vegetables, beans,
seeds and nuts. The higher the
nutrient density, the lower the
glycemic load.
2
Sources:Hyman,Mark.Ultra-Metabolism.NewYork:Scribner,2006.Print.