Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Duh! It's the Calories that make you fat, stupid!

Baraka_Guru · 03-22-2011, 05:32 PM

Lindy, glucose is a carbohydrate. Protein and fats are converted to glucose for energy, aren't they?

Also, I've kept up my reading on nutrition throughout the years. I'm aware of the dietary variances between cultures.

My point about the low-fat and low-carb fads is that they tend to mislead people with regard to food intake and energy expenditure. The low-fat fad had people cutting out fat and even fearing it. The thought was "fat makes you fat." Now the low-carb fad switched it around. Now fats are okay and its the carbs that make you fat.

What makes you fat is eating too many calories. It doesn't matter if its fat or carbs. The obesity epidemic might very well be a result of an increase in carbohydrate intake, but that doesn't mean we should all go on low-carb diets. We should just stop eating all the junk food...and maybe exercise more or something.

Chimps don't need to go on low-carb diets because they don't eat too many carbs. Humans also don't need to go on low-carb diets. Just stop eating too many carbs. The Western diet is out of whack---processed food, too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3, calorie-dense but nutrient-devoid foods, etc.

But there is a lot to the whole story. Food is related to culture, psychology, and economics as well. It's both cheap and easy to find a shitload of crappy food just about anywhere you walk these days. And when you're time-starved as well as hungry, and especially if you're stressed out, making good choices is not always easy when many of the choices are, well, not that good. Finding an organic and balanced vegan meal, on the other hand, can be a challenge. I often want a break from the meat + cheese + starch formula that makes up most fast-food menus. That's why I like downtown. Fast food can be good for you. Midtown is a different story.

03-22-2011, 05:32 PM	#27 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Lindy, glucose is a carbohydrate. Protein and fats are converted to glucose for energy, aren't they? Also, I've kept up my reading on nutrition throughout the years. I'm aware of the dietary variances between cultures. My point about the low-fat and low-carb fads is that they tend to mislead people with regard to food intake and energy expenditure. The low-fat fad had people cutting out fat and even fearing it. The thought was "fat makes you fat." Now the low-carb fad switched it around. Now fats are okay and its the carbs that make you fat. What makes you fat is eating too many calories. It doesn't matter if its fat or carbs. The obesity epidemic might very well be a result of an increase in carbohydrate intake, but that doesn't mean we should all go on low-carb diets. We should just stop eating all the junk food...and maybe exercise more or something. Chimps don't need to go on low-carb diets because they don't eat too many carbs. Humans also don't need to go on low-carb diets. Just stop eating too many carbs. The Western diet is out of whack---processed food, too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3, calorie-dense but nutrient-devoid foods, etc. But there is a lot to the whole story. Food is related to culture, psychology, and economics as well. It's both cheap and easy to find a shitload of crappy food just about anywhere you walk these days. And when you're time-starved as well as hungry, and especially if you're stressed out, making good choices is not always easy when many of the choices are, well, not that good. Finding an organic and balanced vegan meal, on the other hand, can be a challenge. I often want a break from the meat + cheese + starch formula that makes up most fast-food menus. That's why I like downtown. Fast food can be good for you. Midtown is a different story. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 03-22-2011 at 07:07 PM..