Carbophobia+ZW

Carbophobia Article

1. Read the NYT article via the link below. Why is it called Carbophobia? Because Taubes is really arguing against this orthodox aint-carbohydrate theory

2. The author Gary Taubes has just written a book called....Good Calories, Bad Calories

3. Taubes argues that the best diet is high in calories from protein and fat but low in calories from carbohydrates.

4. Taubes thinks there are three important diet myths. 1. Too much dietary fat causes ....high cholesterol and heart disease 2. Lack of dietary fiber causes ...Cancer 3. Too much dietary salt causes ...high blood pressure

5. Taubes argues that calories from sugar are worse than calories from fat. But what evidence suggests that a calorie is a calorie regardless of the source? Rudolph Leibel of Columbia, which tested whether calories from different sources have different effects. The investigators hospitalized their subjects and gave them controlled diets in which the carbohydrate content varied from zero to 85 percent, and the fat content varied inversely from 85 percent to zero. Protein was held steady at 15 percent. They asked how many calories of what kind were needed to maintain the subjects’ weight. As it turned out, the composition of the diet made no difference.

6. Click on "diabetes". What is diabetes? What causes diabetes? What is the normal role of insulin? What are some differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? Diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both.

• Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. The body makes little or no insulin, and daily injections of insulin are needed to sustain life. • Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 and makes up most of all cases of diabetes. It usually occurs in adulthood.

7. Click on "obesity". What is the BMI range for an obese person? overweight? What percentage of Americans are overweight? How has the percentage of obese adolescents changed? Obesity is a term used to describe body weight that is much greater than what is considered healthy. There are many ways to determine if a person is obese, but experts believe that a person's body mass index (BMI) is the most accurate measurement of body fat for children and adults. Adults with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese. Adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight. There are exceptions. For example, an athlete may have a higher BMI but not be overweight. Nearly 2/3 of the U.S. population are considered overweight

8. Click on "colon cancer". Where does the colon begin? End? Look on this page, who recently had 5 polyps removed from his colon? What is a colon polyp? Colon cancer is cancer that starts in the large intestine (colon) or the rectum (end of the colon). Such cancer is sometimes referred to as "colorectal cancer."Other types of colon cancer such as lymphoma, carcinoid tumors, melanoma, and sarcomas are rare. In this article, use of the term "colon cancer" refers to colon carcinoma and not these rare types of colon cancer. President Bush had 5 polyps removed.

9. Click on "cholesterol" What is cholesterol? What is its function? What is a side effect of cholesterol in your diet? What are food sources high in cholesterol? What is LDL? What is HDL? What percentage of your diet should be fat? What percentage of the diet is fat for the average American? Which diet had more food (the average American diet or the Low-fat diet? Why? Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in all parts of the body. This includes the nervous system, skin, muscle, liver, intestines, and heart. It is made by the body and also obtained from animal products in the diet. Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver for normal body functions, including the production of hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D. It is transported in the blood to be used by all parts of the body. In general, you have a greater risk of developing heart disease or atherosclerosis as your level of blood cholesterol increases. In foods, cholesterol is found in eggs, dairy products, meat, and poultry. Egg yolks and organ meats (liver, kidney, sweetbread, and brain) are high in cholesterol. Fish generally contains less cholesterol than other meats, but some shellfish are high in cholesterol.

Foods of plant origin (vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals, nuts, and seeds) contain no cholesterol.

Fat content is not a good measure of cholesterol content. For example, liver and other organ meats are low in fat, but very high in cholesterol. HDL is good cholesterol and LDL is bad cholesterol.

To lower high cholesterol levels:


 * Limit total fat intake to 25 - 35% of total daily calories. Less than 7% of daily calories should be from saturated fat, not more than 10% should be from polyunsaturated fat, and not more than 20% from monounsaturated fat.
 * Eat less than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.
 * Get more fiber in your diet.
 * Lose weight.
 * Increase physical activity.

The recommendations for children's diets are similar to those of adults. It is very important that children get enough calories to support their growth and activity level, and that the child achieve and maintain a desirable body weight

The following two sample menus provide examples of an average American diet and a low-fat diet.

AVERAGE AMERICAN DIET

o 1 egg scrambled in 1 teaspoon of butter o 2 slices of white toast o 1 teaspoon of butter o 1/2 cup of apple juice o 1 cake donut o 1 ham and cheese sandwich (2 ounces of meat, 1 ounce of cheese) o white bread o 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise o 1-ounce bag potato chips o 12-ounce soft drink o 2 chocolate chip cookies o 8 wheat thins o 3 ounces of broiled sirloin o 1 medium baked potato o 1 tablespoon of sour cream o 1 teaspoon of butter o 1/2 cup of peas, 1/2 teaspoon of butter
 * Breakfast
 * Snack
 * Lunch
 * Snack
 * Dinner

Totals: 2,000 Calories, 84 grams fat, 34 grams saturated fat, 425 milligrams cholesterol. The diet is 38% total fat, 15% saturated fat.

LOW FAT DIET

o 1 cup of toasted oat ring cereal o 1 cup of skim milk o 1 slice of whole-wheat bread o 1 banana o 1 cinnamon raisin bagel, 1/2 ounce light cream cheese o turkey sandwich (3 ounces of turkey) o rye bread o lettuce o 1 orange o 3 fig newtons o 1 cup skim milk o non fat yogurt with fruit o 3 ounces of broiled chicken breast o 1 medium baked potato o 1 tablespoon of nonfat yogurt o 1/2 cup of broccoli o 1 dinner roll o 1 cup skim milk
 * Breakfast
 * Snack
 * Lunch
 * Snack
 * Dinner

Totals: 2,000 Calories, 38g fat, 9.5g saturated fat, 91mg cholesterol. The diet is 17% fat, 4% saturated fat.

COMPARISON

For the same number of calories, a low-fat diet provides 190 mg of cholesterol, compared to 510 mg of cholesterol for an average American diet.

Because fat is high in calories, the low-fat diet actually has more food than the typical American diet.

CHILDREN

The low-fat diet example is too low in fat for small children to promote good growth. In addition, it may be difficult for them to consume such a large volume of food. Children should have a diet that is closer to 30% of calories from fat. Lower-fat diets may be appropriate in some children. Ask your doctor what is best for your child.