Thursday, December 31, 2015

Top Ten Health Discoveries For The New Year



The issues revolving around saturated fats vs. carbohydrates are important.  The possibility exists that the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes type 2 may in part be due to the saturated fats scare, and the consequent advice to eat more (whole) grains.  It's not that whole grains are bad in moderation, but in reality the "grains" people started eating were not, I think, for the most part "whole."  Therefore, people substituted highly processed carbs, "white starches," sugar, etc. for all that fat they weren't supposed to eat.

In fact, at one point, all fat - not just the saturated kind - was considered "the enemy" and I know people who avoided nuts and nut butters, olive oil, avocados, etc., because they were "high in fat."  Instead, low fat, high-carb foods were consumed with the results we see today.

Going in the opposite direction (high fat, low carbs) will, in my opinion, not be prudent either. True, some people may be eating too many carbs, particularly of the "simple" variety; however, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. make up a crucially important part of a healthy diet.  One extreme or the other is not good. A small-to-moderate amount of saturated fat as part of a healthy diet is good and normal for most healthy people. Eating carbs in moderation is also healthy, as is, of course, sufficient quality protein, and unsaturated fats from plant sources.

No comments:

Post a Comment