The "Six-Way Teeter-Totter."

Reflect on this citation (originally written in 1937) as you work to master the habits of healthy nutrition:

The world is gradually going carbohydrate.  That is because there are more people than there have ever been before (one would like to add "or ever will be again") so there must be more food.  You can get about eight times as many calories from an acre of corn as you can from the flesh of pigs fed on this same corn.  Because of population pressure, certain sections of the world are progressively using more of the vegetable and less of animal materials.  This means that the carbohydrates, from sugar and cereals particularly, are increasing steadily in quantity.  One does not need to view this with alarm, but it is not amiss to point out that this tendency is not the best road to health.  Not that starches and sugars are harmful, but they are low in the essential we must have for good health.  If the proportion of carbohydrates is high then the amount of something else of greater importance is low.  Nutrition is a six-way teeter-totter.  Have you ever tried to balance such a device?

-- C. C. Furnas and S. M. Furnas, Man, Bread & Destiny: The Story of Man and His Food, 1937 as cited in Part Two of Gary Taubes', Good Calories, Bad Calories, 2007

Take home message:

1) Sugar and starches "are not the best road to health."  Do they serve a purpose?  Sure.  They provide a source of energy.  But protein and fat are also viable energy sources -- energy sources that keep insulin secretion in check.

2)  Food quality counts!  This topic is not as simple as "carbs are bad for you" -- it's the type of carbohydrates you're consuming that you have to be conscious of.  Regularly choose refined sugars and starches and you're inviting a host of health issues into your future.  Consistently eat carbohydrates that are low in sugar/starch and loaded with vitamins, minerals and natural fiber, and it'll have a significant (positive) effect on your body's function.

3)  Yes, it takes a significant amount of corn (wheat, soybeans, grass. . . ) to produce pork (chicken, beef). Don't feel guilty about the fact -- eat your protein!

4)  Nutrition is as simple as it is complex.  Stick to and master the principles before you worry about the intricate details and, often times, your health will take care of itself.

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***Many thanks to Gary Taubes for his work on Good Calories, Bad Calories.  If you're looking for a THOROUGH resource that was written with integrity and objectivity -- and with quintessential use of the scientific method as a means to try to unveil the truth -- this book is for you.  When I finish reading it, I may just consider it my "one-stop-shop" for all things nutrition.***

Comments

[Michelle]

Nutrition has been a huge source of frustration where I've moved to. The food climate here is horrific! Never did I dream somebody would try to feed me something that was cooked in bacon grease. Even the vegetables are cooked with a piece of pork.

[Christopher Warden]

Michelle,

Thanks for the post!

Per the "fear of fat" that you alluded to: Feel secure in the fact that fat is not your enemy (not all fats, anyway). It is actually a very important part of our nutrition, especially if it's from a healthy organic animal source.

Fats to avoid: a)vegetable fats (especially those that have been partially hydrogenated) b) fats that have been exposed to extreme heat (avoid deep fried foods) or that have had prolonged exposure to air and light. (These elements will denature fats - creating free radicals - and actually make them more destructive than beneficial to your body.)