Carbohydrate Calamity

Carbohydrate Calamity


You may have heard from the news that the obesity rates among American preschoolers have declined by 43 percent over the past decade. Obviously, this is great news, but it may be too early for celebration as teenage and adult obesity rates remain unchanged. In fact, obesity rates for women over the age of 60 actually rose by about 20 percent in this same timeframe. The results from this study published in JAMA concluded that the change in preschoolers is likely due to decreased consumption of high calorie soft drinks and an increase in in the rates of breast feeding over sugary high-calorie formulas. The fact is that 1/3rd and 2/3rd  of adults are currently overweight due to the typical American lifestyle and diet and there have been no significant changes in obesity over the last ten years in the overall population.


When it comes to obesity, sugar is the primary offender. This is why breast feeding has helped with the preschoolers. Most infant formulas are 50% simple carbs (sugars) while breast milk is only about 18% sugar. The fact that breast feeding has increased about 35% over the last decade cannot be overlooked for the benefit of the preschoolers. If we really want to see a change in obesity for the rest of the population, then sugars need to be cut for the rest of us as well. This means cutting sodas, snack foods, and fast foods, but it also means cutting the processed carbohydrates such as cereals, breads, chips, pastas and all the other processed grains that break down to sugars upon digestion. I’ve written about this literally for years in this column but there are two recent books that seem to be motivating people to make the change to reduce grains and all processed carbs. If you’re looking for weight loss and the reduction of belly fat, I recommend the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis. This book reports on the change of wheat over the last century largely due to genetic modification and hybridization and how addictions to wheat have made us fatter and contribute to overall obesity. The second book is by the renowned neurologist David Perlmutter titled Grain Brain and it teaches how even “healthy grains” are related to ADHD, anxiety, headaches, depression, high cholesterol, and numerous other inflammatory processes and hormonal problems including thyroid and adrenal imbalances.


These two books have made enormous differences in peoples’ lives from what I can see. Based on the results I’ve seen, I’ve been challenging numerous people to try a 4-week challenge of going grain-free. For those who’ve done it, weight loss is predictable and impressive but I’ve also seen reductions in chronic pain, arthritic pain, and even fibromyalgia. In the grand scheme of things, four weeks is a pretty short time. Give this challenge a try and see what can happen for yourself!