Food Pyramid
Our current standard for nutrition is the food pyramid. See figure 1. We have been told to eat lots of carbohydrates (carbs) and very little protein and natural fats. Sadly, this is exactly opposite of what our body needs. Have you ever heard of a carbohydrate deficiency? Probably not. You can be protein deficient and fat (essential oil) deficient. So why are we told to limit proteins and fats? These are two of the things our bodies need most. The human body can actually function normally without any dietary carbs.1 The truth is that our bodies prefer to burn fats and proteins as fuel, not carbs.2
As you can see from figure 2, the typical American eats an overload of grains and sweets. In addition, the oils and fats included in the top portion of the pyramid are all processed “junk” foods. The oils and fats in these processed foods are called transfats. Transfats are the kind of fats we want to MINIMIZE as much as possible. Processed “junk” food is also high in carbs.
Since sweets, fruits, vegetables, bread cereal, rice and pasta are all carbs, we can clearly see the majority of the typical American’s diet is made up of carbohydrates. In 1900, only 5% of Americans were considered obese. In 2002, the percentage skyrocketed to 33%, and a whopping 60% were considered overweight. Consumption of bread, pasta, cereals, pizza and junk foods has drastically risen since the early 1900’s. In addition to being high in carbs, these foods also lack protein, fats, and essential oils (EFAs), which are the important nutrients our bodies need. People have been eating less fat and more carbs than ever before and chronic health issues are only getting worse, despite better medical technology. Could the carb overload and lack of fat and protein actually be contributing to heath problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue and high blood pressure?
The Healthy For Life Pyramid, see figure 3, shows what the proper balance of foods should be in our diets.
Now that you’ve learned the truth about what foods are really good for you, you will begin to change the way you think about nutrition. You don’t have to completely give up your favorite carbs. Just remember it doesn’t matter which carbs you eat, as long as you stay below 70 grams per day. Once you adjust to a low carb lifestyle you will see for yourself how much more energetic you feel and how much more consistent your energy levels are. If you eat too many carbs you will notice that you feel more tired and sluggish. If you really eat too many carbs, you will probably get a stomach ache, acid reflux and possibly even a headache too.
As you become familiar with how many carbs are in foods, you may want to look at the nutrition information on the food packaging to get an idea of how many grams of carbohydrates you are eating. We recommend eating 60 to 70 grams of carbohydrates or less per day for a good daily balance. For weight loss it may be necessary to eat less than 60 grams per day. Amazingly, 70 grams of carbs is equivalent to eating 14 teaspoons of sugar ! Just imagine how many teaspoons of sugar someone following a normal low fat diet would be getting! In case you’re wondering, the average American consumes the equivalent of 60 teaspoons of sugar per day without ever knowing it!3
In order to switch to a healthy lifestyle, and to lose weight permanently, you must be willing to change the way you think about foods. Our behaviors are motivated by our beliefs. When you understand how damaging carbs can be, you will be less likely to want to overload on them. As a result, you will be a happier, slimmer, more energetic new you!
Eating less carbs will not only help with weight problems, but can also help with increased endurance, increased energy, hormone balance, cholesterol, blood pressure, and much more!
1. Richard MacKarness,
Eat Fat and Grow Slim (London: HarvillPress, 1958).
Jonny Bowden, Living the
Low Carb Life (Philadelphia: Sterling Publishing, 2004).
Arthur C. Guyton, M.D.,
and John G. Hall Ph.D., Textbook of Medical Physiology (New York: W B
Saunders Company, Ninth Edition, 1996).
Dawn B. Marks, Ph.D.,
Allan D. Marks, MD, and Colleen M. Smith, Ph.D., Basic Medical
Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins, 1996).
2. Dawn B. Marks, Ph.D., Allan D. Marks, MD, and Colleen M. Smith, Ph.D., Basic Medical Biochemistry A Clinical Approach (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996).
3. Based on typical 2000 calorie low fat diet: 200 calories * 1 tsp of sugar / 20 calories * 60% of diet being carbohydrate = 60 tsp. of sugar.
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