The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is out with an obesity study, and you probably will NOT be surprised to read that Alabama is in second place after Mississippi. We are almost the fattest state in America. No coincidence that our rates of heart disease and diabetes are as high as they are. Check out the Foundation's interactive map, tracking Alabama's steady climb to the top of U.S. fathood. Yes We CAN!
Ironically, one reason in part, why Alabama is so fat is... because we don't eat lard anymore!
ReplyDeleteYeah! No kidding! (As a health care professional, I am QUITE SERIOUS about that.)
In this nation, we've seen a demonization of food. First, eggs were bad for you. Then, wine was evil. Then, coffee would kill you. Meat of any kind - including seafood - was a slow boat to the casket, and chocolate has perennially been the cause of everything from acne to zits, including bad breath. Of course, garlic and onion go without saying in that category.
And then, there's fat...
ENOUGH ALREADY!
It doth seem that the "common sense" component has been missing for quite some time. And in that time, we've been fattened up like livestock for slaughter.
I recollect years ago as a youth reading the collegiate texts my parents had kept from their higher educations. Among them were books on health and nutrition, and I particularly recall the now-no-longer-published USDA Yearbook of Agriculture. That annual book held the most fascinating information, ranging from nutritional content of plants and soil, to animal husbandry, farming techniques and marketing.
Ever eaten a meal and walked away not feeling satisfied? Sure, we all have at one time or another. And who hasn't at one time or another walked away feeling stuffed, perhaps to the extent of discomfort? How about those times which you felt like you ate "just right," neither stuffed, nor later hungry?
The problem of obesity does not consist of one single issue. In conjunction with our current, mostly sedentary existence, we Americans have similarly cultivated an appetite for non-fat, low-fat, etc., food.
Fat serves an important physiological function in out bodies (such as enabling the creation of certain hormones, such as insulin, and utilization of vitamins A, D, E & K - the fat soluble ones), but it also serves a psychological one which is just as important. It sends a biochemical message to our brains that says, "STOP EATING! YOU'RE FULL!"
It's called "satiety," or the sense of satisfaction.
If we were to completely eliminate fat from our diet - as many presently try to do - obtaining that sense of satiety takes longer, thereby meaning we eat more to obtain that sense of fulness.
Consider also what cattle and other animals eat in feed lots before they're taken to slaughter... corn, and lots of it! Corn is a carbohydrate. In many European nations, corn is not eaten, because it's considered animal feed. Curious why you have that bloated feeling after eating a high-carb meal? Wonder no more! For every gram of carbohydrate ingested, our bodies retain 3 grams of water. Well... duh! That's why it's called a "carbo-hydrate" - it's a hydrated carbon molecule!
Remember these numbers: 4, 4, 7, 9.
Calorically, food is comprised of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Alcohol, though it's not a food, has caloric content, and it has 7 calories per gram. Protein and carbohydrate each have 4, while fat has 9 calories per gram.
Fat is protein's "kissing cousin," and is rarely found outside its presence. Consider meat, eggs and cheese, the "big three" of proteins. Meat includes seafood, pork, chicken and beef. Remember SMASH - Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines & Herring. Those cold water fish are inherently high in Omega 3, 6 & 9 fatty acids, which are beneficial to our health.
Salmon is a high fat fish. So is catfish. Well marbled beef tastes better. Cheese? Yup, it tastes good because it has fat. Fat has flavor. Don't you just love those bland, dry baked potatoes? Hell no! Put some butter, cream cheese, chives, salt, pepper and bacon on that dude and then you'll eat it!
Pecans, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, Brazil nuts, filberts... all those nuts are sources of protein, and every one have fat. Fat is almost inseparable from protein.
See? Why even citrus is tasty only because of citrus oil.
Protein takes longer for our bodies to utilize it as a source of energy, while carbohydrates are burned almost instantly. Our bodies CANNOT store more than 24 hours of carbohydrate. However, our bodies can store many days of energy in the form of fat. It's the part of getting our bodies to utilize that fat which is, for many, a bugaboo.
ReplyDeleteAs well, many folks make a dire mistake of skipping breakfast. That is a tragic error. Because just as you wouldn't dream of beginning a day trip without a full tank of gas, you shouldn't start your day without a full complement of food. There's a darn good reason that first meal is called "break fast"! Starting the day without breakfast is like trying to run your car on fumes, if you're trying to drive from Mobile to Huntsville. It's insane! Eat like a King for breakfast, a Prince for lunch, and a pauper for supper.
Beans are NOT considered proteins because while they do have some protein, they have exceedingly more carbohydrate than protein. And soy is the highest protein-rich bean.
Exercise is an important part of maintaining a health body, and healthy size. One cannot lose weight through "crash" diets which essentially starve the body. In those circumstances, our bodies go into "starvation" mode, and actually lay down MORE fat! The reason is evident. The body thinks its going into a lean time, and therefore anticipating a source of energy for the long term, it goes about it by creating fat.
I recollect reading a dietary research sturdy of some years ago when it was being discovered that Americans were becoming obese. The study examined the French who predominately eat high-fat everything, and virtually eat no low/no fat anything. One differing factor the researcher observed was also serving size. While the French may have an ultra-rich, full-flavored, cream/butterfat rich ice cream cone, the serving is about the size of a golf ball. While here in America, we tend to "supersize" almost everything.
Contrary to common misperception, lard had benefits over other artificial, hydrogenated fats and oils. Number one, it contains no trans-fatty acids, and is frequently available in non-hydrogenated form. As well, from a culinary perspective, it makes flaky biscuits, and pie crusts, and adds flavor to whatever its used in. Of course, a fat is a fat is a fat. Butter, olive oil, safflower oil, etc., are all fats, and all have 9 calories per gram.
Now, for those having read this, they may be wondering, 'what's with all this fat talk,' and 'aren't fats bad for us'?
Existing research endorsed for many years by the American Heart Association and other valid scientific and medical communities - which has not been contradicted or refuted - indicated that the consumption of protein in a ratio above that of carbohydrate produces significant and quantifiable health benefits in all communities, not the least of which is lowered blood pressure, weight loss and lowered LDL cholesterol levels.
A 60-year study (1910-1970) demonstrated that during the period of time in which animal fat (butter lard, etc.) consumption decreased, cardiac disease increased as did consumption of processed food and sugar. The 40-year Framingham Heart Study demonstrated similarly, that consumption of saturated fats (animal fats, or those solid at room temperature) actually REDUCED serum cholesterol levels, weighed the least, were more active and most curiously, an inverse correlation between dietary fat intake and cholesterol was found.
Yet the "official party line" consistently told us is eat low fat, eat less meat and consume more whole grains and complex carbohydrates.
It's quite evident that there's something terribly awry.
While I'm not a conspiracy theorist, the evidence certainly does contradict what and how we're told to eat.
Again, proper nutrition is but one part, yet it is a significantly large part, and one which cannot be ignored.