iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll ThofthThsedisplays, the USDA Food Pyramid, and Subway commercials, I was led
to believe carbohydrates were the most important dietary component
and that fats needed to be avoided entirely.
I am sure I was not the only person misled by the “low- fat” labeling of
foods and the prominent placement of carbohydrates at the base of the
food pyramid. Fortunately, the new USDA MyPlate no longer encour-
ages people to eat the equivalent of one loaf of bread on a daily basis.
However, we still have a long way to go.
This is evident in the number of people seen with diabetes, obesity, and
chronic disease in the United States. Our fat-phobic society has been on
a fat-free craze, without realizing excess fat does not turn into fat (rather,
it turns into an unpleasant case of diarrhea), while excess carbohydrates
are stored as ... fat!
Every system is perfectly designed to achieve the results it gets. Thus,
our society is designed to produce an epidemic of people suffering from
diabetes, obesity, and chronic diseases. Perhaps we need to redefine our
recommendations to produce better results.
What Is the Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly food becomes assimi-
lated into our bodies. You can also think of it as our “burn” rate—in
other words, how quickly we burn the fuel we receive from these foods.
Carbohydrates have a very fast burn rate. They quickly become assimi-
lated into our bodies, which causes a rapid spike in blood sugar. After
eating carbohydrates, we become hungry again after less than an hour.
Fat and protein have a slower burn rate. They become assimilated into our
bodies more slowly and and don’t raise blood sugar levels as quickly. They
also keep us full longer. Assuming sufficient calories are eaten to make one
feel full, a person will become hungry two to three hours after eating pro-
tein and four hours after eating fat.