Calorie increase linked to carbs

http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Sto...939334,00.html

Calorie increase linked to carbs

Findings could reinforce current trend to avoid pastas and breads

By Anahad O'Connor, New York Times

We knew we ate more; we knew we had gained weight. Now a new study
that looked at 30 years of Americans' eating habits has pinned down
how many more calories, carbohydrates and fats are eaten daily.

From 1971 to 2000, the study found, women increased their caloric
intake by 22 percent, men by 7 percent.

Much of the change was found to be due to an increase in the amount of
carbohydrates we have been eating. The findings may reinforce the
current trend among those sometimes known as carb-avoids, of reducing
or even eliminating foods like breads and pastas.

And while the percentage of calories Americans get from fat,
especially saturated fats, has decreased, the numbers might be
deceiving. The actual amount of fat eaten on a daily basis has gone
up. It just makes up a smaller percentage of the total caloric pie now
that we are eating so many more carbs.

The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and reported in its current Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
found that in 1971, women ate 1,542 calories on average, compared with
today's 1,877, while men went from 2,450 calories a day to 2,618.
Those numbers dwarf the government's recommendations of 1,600 calories
a day for women and 2,200 for men.

Cookies, pasta, soda and other carbohydrates appear to be mostly to
blame. Among women, carbs jumped from about 45 percent of the daily
caloric intake to almost 52 percent. For men, they grew from 42
percent to 49.

"This just confirms that Americans need to be more focused on a total
calorie decrease," said Jacqueline Wright, an epidemiologist at the
CDC and the author of the study.

Wright said it was unclear whether the study would influence a
revision of the Agriculture Department's familiar food pyramid, which
currently emphasizes a diet rich in breads and grains.

The findings come at a time when public health officials are concerned
about a national epidemic of bulging waistlines. According to the
National Institutes of Health, two-thirds of Americans are overweight
and one-third are obese. Between 1971 and 2000, obesity rates more
than doubled -- a result, many experts say, of an obsession with
oversized portions.

According to the report, most of the surge in caloric intake occurred
in two periods, from 1976 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1994. An earlier
report by Dr. Lisa Young of New York University tied that increase to
decisions by national restaurant chains to expand portions of foods
like French fries and hamburgers. Serving sizes, Young found, became
two to five times bigger in those years, and cookbooks joined the
trend by increasing the portion sizes in recipes.

It is no surprise, said Dr. Gary Foster, the clinical director of the
weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, that "we've become more overweight as a country as
candy bars are now king-sized and sodas are supersized."

"It's much tougher to manage your weight in this environment than it
was in 1970," Foster said.

Part of the problem, some experts say, may stem from the traditional
dietary advice to steer clear of fatty foods. That advice, they say,
helped set off an explosion of "fat-free" carbohydrate-laden foods
that Americans mistakenly believed they could eat with few
consequences.

"It's been the standard advice for decades that Americans should
follow lower-fat, high-carb diets," said Dr. Meir Stamp-fer, a
professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of
Public Health. "But now it's backfiring. It's clear that this doesn't
work because it's not as satiating and people just start eating more
calories. This report doesn't demonstrate that, but the results are
consistent with it."

The notion that carbohydrates can lead to weight gain has become the
mantra of millions of dieters. On the Atkins program, for example,
people can get up to two-thirds of their calories from fat and are
allowed to eat fatty foods like hamburgers, as long as the bun is set
aside.

Wright said it was not clear what influence the popularity of low-carb
diets would have in the long term, but added that the increase in
carbohydrate consumption had not been as significant in the most
recent surveys as it was in earlier years.

But saturated fat is still a concern, and experts warned that the
latest figures should not be taken as direct support for any of the
low-carb diets. Instead, Wright said, they should be a reminder to
Americans to eat less and exercise regularly.

Foster said: "This doesn't tell us anything about the effectiveness of
any one dietary approach. It suggests that we've been eating more
calories over time and that most of it is coming from carbs. But
particular diets need to be tested and supported by clinical trials."

I respectfully disagree. My biggest source of carb induced increased
appetite was from rice. If anything, too much candy and sugar made me feel
sick and weak with no desire for any additional food.



"Ignoramus17685" wrote in message
...
Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link calorie intake to
junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not to all carbs.

While that may be your personal experience, the article states:

"Cookies, pasta, soda and other carbohydrates appear to be mostly to
blame."

On 2/6/2004 2:15 PM, Cubit wrote:
I respectfully disagree. My biggest source of carb induced increased
appetite was from rice. If anything, too much candy and sugar made me feel
sick and weak with no desire for any additional food.



"Ignoramus17685" wrote in message
...

Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link calorie intake to
junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not to all carbs.




--
jmk in NC

Ignoramus17685 wrote:

Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link calorie intake to
junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not to all carbs.

And what's interesting about junk foods? They are made by companies
who want you to eat more and more of them. So no wonder they are so
addictive.

i


I just got a vision of these companies adding secret ingredients
to their products that would addict people to them....

--
Jean B.

Jean B. wrote...
Ignoramus17685 wrote:
Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link
calorie intake to junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not
to all carbs.

And what's interesting about junk foods? They are
made by companies who want you to eat more and
more of them. So no wonder they are so addictive.

I just got a vision of these companies adding secret ingredients
to their products that would addict people to them.

I think people should read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown
Ideal" These unquestioned attacks against capitalism are unfounded
and contradictory. Note that people attack business for foisting carbs
and the food pyramid on us then turn around and attack the companies
that are coming to market with lo-carb products. (This is not meant
to refer specifically to the posters in this thread but a general comment).
By these standards every company is guilty of either fraud and conspiracy
or of cashing-in and profiting from a diet "fad". Ayn Rand argues that
capitialism is both practical and moral because selfishness is good.

Regards,
David

Isn't she that failed psychic from the 60's?

"DMF" wrote in message
...
Jean B. wrote...
Ignoramus17685 wrote:
Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link
calorie intake to junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not
to all carbs.

And what's interesting about junk foods? They are
made by companies who want you to eat more and
more of them. So no wonder they are so addictive.

I just got a vision of these companies adding secret ingredients
to their products that would addict people to them.

I think people should read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown
Ideal" These unquestioned attacks against capitalism are unfounded
and contradictory. Note that people attack business for foisting carbs
and the food pyramid on us then turn around and attack the companies
that are coming to market with lo-carb products. (This is not meant
to refer specifically to the posters in this thread but a general
comment).
By these standards every company is guilty of either fraud and conspiracy
or of cashing-in and profiting from a diet "fad". Ayn Rand argues that
capitialism is both practical and moral because selfishness is good.

Regards,
David

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 01:49:29 GMT, "Pizza Girl"
tripped the light fantastic, then quipped:

Isn't she that failed psychic from the 60's?

My sarcasm detector must be dodgy... you *are* kidding, right?

I think people should read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown
Ideal"

Tee
http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
Remove -no-spam- to email me.

"DMF" wrote in message
...
Jean B. wrote...
Ignoramus17685 wrote:
Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link
calorie intake to junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not
to all carbs.

And what's interesting about junk foods? They are
made by companies who want you to eat more and
more of them. So no wonder they are so addictive.

I just got a vision of these companies adding secret ingredients
to their products that would addict people to them.

I think people should read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown
Ideal" These unquestioned attacks against capitalism are unfounded
and contradictory. Note that people attack business for foisting carbs
and the food pyramid on us then turn around and attack the companies
that are coming to market with lo-carb products. (This is not meant
to refer specifically to the posters in this thread but a general
comment).
By these standards every company is guilty of either fraud and
conspiracy
or of cashing-in and profiting from a diet "fad". Ayn Rand argues that
capitialism is both practical and moral because selfishness is good.

Regards,
David



"Pizza Girl" wrote in message
s.com...
Isn't she that failed psychic from the 60's?


Ha, ha, ha. I hope you're kidding. If not, you're another victim of our
"education" system. Check out:

http://www.ayn-rand.com/

or better yet go to the library and check out her books.

Yup, wrong person...excuse me!

"That T Woman" wrote in message
...

"DMF" wrote in message
...
Jean B. wrote...
Ignoramus17685 wrote:
Diarmid, a more correct statement would be to link
calorie intake to junk food (cookies, sodas etc), not
to all carbs.

And what's interesting about junk foods? They are
made by companies who want you to eat more and
more of them. So no wonder they are so addictive.

I just got a vision of these companies adding secret ingredients
to their products that would addict people to them.

I think people should read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown
Ideal" These unquestioned attacks against capitalism are unfounded
and contradictory. Note that people attack business for foisting carbs
and the food pyramid on us then turn around and attack the companies
that are coming to market with lo-carb products. (This is not meant
to refer specifically to the posters in this thread but a general
comment).
By these standards every company is guilty of either fraud and
conspiracy
or of cashing-in and profiting from a diet "fad". Ayn Rand argues
that
capitialism is both practical and moral because selfishness is good.

Regards,
David



"Pizza Girl" wrote in message
s.com...
Isn't she that failed psychic from the 60's?


Ha, ha, ha. I hope you're kidding. If not, you're another victim of our
"education" system. Check out:

http://www.ayn-rand.com/

or better yet go to the library and check out her books.

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 18:55:32 -0500, "Jean B." wrote:

I just got a vision of these companies adding secret ingredients
to their products that would addict people to them....

http://www.whollygrill.com/work1.htm
Secrets of the Wholly Grill: A Novel About Cravings, Barbecue, and
Software

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read, combining as it
does food cravings, addictions, and an evil company very much like one
anyone who uses a computer is familiar with.