Obesity: The killer combination of salt, fat and sugar

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:


Obesity: The killer combination of salt, fat and sugar
Our favourite foods are making us fat, yet we can't resist, because eating them is changing our minds as well as bodies

David A Kessler
The Guardian, Saturday 13 March 2010


For years I wondered why I was fat. I lost weight, gained it back, and lost it again – over and over and over. I owned suits in every size. As a former commissioner of the FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration), surely I should have the answer to my problems. Yet food held remarkable sway over my behaviour.

The latest science seemed to suggest being overweight was my destiny. I was fat because my body's "thermostat" was set high. If I lost weight, my body would try to get it back, slowing down my metabolism till I returned to my predetermined set point.

But this theory didn't explain why so many people, in the US and UK in particular, were getting significantly fatter. For thousands of years, human body weight had stayed remarkably stable. Millions of calories passed through our bodies, yet with rare exceptions our weight neither rose nor fell. A perfect biological system seemed to be at work. Then, in the 80s, something changed.

Three decades ago, fewer than one Briton in 10 was obese. One in four is today. It is projected that by 2050, Britain could be a "mainly obese society". Similar, and even more pronounced, changes were taking place in the US, where researchers found that not only were Americans entering their adult years at a significantly higher weight but, while on average everyone was getting heavier, the heaviest people were gaining disproportionately more weight than others. The spread between those at the upper end of the weight curve and those at the lower end was widening. Overweight people were becoming more overweight. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/13/obesity-salt-fat-sugar-kessler

[stray cat]

1. and lack of activity

[gblady]

2. I certainly found.....

this to be true...for me, the sugar, white flour, fat combo
sets up a huge craving state within my body.

If I don't eat those foods, I don't feel the craving...

(and have lost almost 80 pounds over the past few years.)

[Ninga]

4. Good for YOU! Congrats. Losing pounds takes discipline and effort and patience. Especially

during those times you fall off the wagon or the pounds seem to hang on for dear life.

Good job.

[LiberalLoner]

5. It's true for me too. Just started low-carbing, lost 15 lbs. so far.

[we can do it]

9. Low Carb Does Not Address the Fat- Sugar - SAlt Problem at All

that's why it and other bs diets FAIL- and the weight comes back and more.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. Say what you want about the low carb diets, but I lost over 50 lbs and have kept it off

for over 4 years now. I can't speak for others who have tried it, but it worked for me.

[LiberalLoner]

11. Good for you! What an accomplishment! And thank you for the encouragement. :) rop

Actually I think the low-carb addresses the "sugar" part of the sugar-fat-salt equation rather well. But maybe the poster above believes that a low-carb diet is high in sugar. I don't care. He or she can eat as he or she likes, and I will eat as I like. Don't particularly have time or energy for people who just want to tear other people down. Shrug.

[Stuckinthebush]

26. Not necessarily true

Low carb is a good way to go. You don't have to starve your body of carbs but just significantly reduce the intake. That and sugars. However, as with any change in diet it is easy to fall off the wagon because carbs are so prevalent in our society.

Exercise, healthy eating, and an understanding of the engine of the body are all helpful in reducing weight and keeping healthy.

[Skittles]

25. I eat pretty much all carbs

but I excercise daily to stay trim

[8 track mind]

22. had a similar experience

The hardest thing for me was to stop drinking sodas with HFCS. I've started drinking ice water or ice tea. If i get the hankering for something fizzy, i will drink carbonated water. If i want a true soda, i will drink a Dublin Dr. Pepper with real sugar.

What ive noticed so far is that my back doesn't hurt anymore (kidney area) and i've lost a couple of pounds. The wife used to have bad allergies until she started eating organic and whole grain stuff.

[emmadoggy]

24. I had a huge wake-up call in October

when I found out I was only a few points away from being diabetic. I bought a great book on pre-diabetes and have changed my eating. I also take some supplements the book recommended and lately I'm trying to add in a little exercise. It's coming off slowly, but I have lost 30 pounds now.

Unfortunately for me, I haven't found that I crave those foods any less. I would still LOVE to snarf down a slice of pizza or a big bowl of ice cream. OK, well, maybe a little less, but it's still a challenge for me to stay on track. I do allow myself a few sweets, but it's MUCH less than I used to eat. I HAVE found that I don't have that near CONSTANT urge to eat, like I did before.

It's not an easy thing to do when we are surrounded by so much temptation every day, but with two young children and a father who died from diabetes at only 10 years older than I am now, going down that road just wasn't an option for me. I had to (finally) do something to turn myself around.

Congrats to you on your success!

[Ninga]

3. The photo of the "burger" grossed me out big time! This article is loaded with truth and

the sad part of this is that the folks who need to read it, won't.

:hi:

[8 track mind]

23. what the hell is that, cubes of fat? eewwww. n/t

[fatbuckel]

6. killer combination

The FDA treats people like cattle....(voting cattle)

[SPedigrees]

7. It's the HFCS. Sugar hasn't appeared in our food supply since pre-1980s.

Coincidentally the 1980s is when the obesity/diabetic epidemic began. We gave up HFCS through careful reading of labels and a lot of cooking from scratch. Result we both lost 20 lbs in about 6 mos. Didn't change anything else, no more or less exercise, same amount of fats.

[tridim]

8. Just watch out for "Crystallized Fructose" now..

I found it in my favorite yogurt brand the other day, and apparently it's worse than HFCS. :(

[SPedigrees]

14. Thanks for the heads up. Would crystalized fructose be

abbreviated simply as 'fructose' on an ingredients list, do ya think? I was looking at a pie in the bakery dept the other day and, while sugar was the main sweetener listed, it also listed fructose further down the list. I didn't buy it, and am still wondering. Guess I better bake my own pie!

[Overseas]

12. Link to Kessler's talk at Google

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7M_mqXzpr8

Part of the Authors at Google series.

Includes many charts about US weight trends.

[swilton]

13. High Fructose Corn Syrup

Because of the agriculture lobby, we've replaced sugar with corn syrup - and corn syrup is in all of the processed food industry. The processed food industry controls everything from the laboratory research done on genetically modified 'foods' to the packaging on our grocery shelves.

The antedote is to buy local and avoid eating anything out of a can or box. Ignore all of the food adds that tell you their products are healthy.

[eridani]

15. Obesity is irrellevant, except as a marker

Salt, fat, sugar and inactivity are harmful regardless of how much weight gain they cause, if any.

[bertman]

16. I love KFC thighs, Whopper Jrs with cheese, and all that other crap food that makes me

fat. After reading "Fast Food Nation", "Omnivore's Dilemma", "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and seeing "Food, Inc." I'm making the transition to locally and organically grown foods. But it's not easy if you've been addicted to instant food gratification for decades.

Half the battle is being physically active. Once you do that and make it a habit, overeating or eating the wrong foods makes your body feel bad, so you try to avoid it.

Great post, marmar.

Anybody who hasn't seen "Food, Inc." needs to view it. it will change your life.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. In the environment in which our species evolved

salt, fat, and sugar were highly valued commodities in very short supply. Therefore our bodies evolved to crave them. During the Stone Age it was never possible to get too much of those things, and getting as much as you could would enhance your survival and ability to pass on your genes.

We still have those same genes and those same cravings, but those substances are now ubiquitous, and the food industry finds that those substances are a useful tool to get people to consume and buy more of their products.

I would guess that the solution would be a very complex one of changing our culture concerning eating and physical activity, and regulating our food industry, but I don't know how feasible that would be in this country where government regulation of anything is "eevul".

[shirlden]

19. Cave Man cravings??

I have never heard of the theory that we crave salt, fat, and sugar because of our Cave man ancestors. I did a bit of a google and found nothing. Could you please give a link. I find this interesting.

Thanks

[Locrian]

20. not exactly what you asked for but this link will get you close

http://paleodiet.com/definition.htm


"Paleo is a simple dietary lifestyle that is based on foods being either in or out. In are the Paleolithic Era foods that we ate prior to agriculture and animal husbandry (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruit, berries, mushrooms, etc.). Out are Neolithic Era foods that result from agriculture or animal husbandry (grains, dairy, beans/legumes, potatoes, sugar and fake foods). "

Not that there isnt problems: our whole food supply is contaminated with hormones, pesticides, etc.

[Crunchy Frog]

21. I found a link with this in it:

“Humans enjoy sweetness because in nature, sweetness is a sign that fruits and vegetables are at their peak of ripeness, and when they’re at their peak of ripeness, they’re also at their peak nutritionally.”
…
“People love salt because it’s required for life, but was hard to come by for early humans living inland from the ocean. Those who had a taste for salt and sought it out stayed alive to reproduce; those who didn’t take the time to find salt got sick and died.”
…
“People have a natural liking for fat because it’s energy-dense – that is, it’s high in calories for its weight. For most of human evolution, the food supply was unreliable and going hungry was common. A taste for energy-dense food evolved to keep us from starving when food was scarce.”

http://normaleating.com/blog/2009/06/how-to-stop-overeating-sugar-fat-and-salt/

[stubtoe]

18. Dammit, that's three of the main food groups!

If alcohol and caffeine are implicated also, I'm outta here ...