Recently I had a great conversation with one of our clients. She was very excited about a book she had read called The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. In it she had discovered the myth and lie that we have been told regarding calories.
Since 2004 at Forte we have been revealing the myth of a calorie focused view of fighting obesity. The idea of calories in, calories out is simply a bankrupt view. Metabolism is very complicated. Everyone has a metabolism and there are certainly similarities, however it is also like a fingerprint – everyone’s metabolism is unique. One slice of white bread and one slice of a high-quality whole grain bread, even if they were of the same number of total calories simply are not the same.
Three simple reasons this is true.
1. The caloric cost of digesting the whole grain bread is more thus it is a small total of potential excess calories.
2. The hormonal response is completely different. The white bread will cause a spike in insulin. The purpose is to lower the blood sugar levels. Without going into great detail the pancreas when secreting insulin consistently through the day because we are consuming refined, processed, high sugar foods we cannot lose weight. In fact we are actually teaching our body to gain weight. Even sugar free foods will stimulate this response because as soon as the taste of sugar hits the tongue our pancreas will release insulin to lower the blood sugar. It is not an issue of calories but hormones.
3. Finally, there is the issue of nutrient density. A slice of a high-quality whole grain bread versus a highly refined and processed slice of bread is night and day. The high fiber whole grain bread will keep blood sugar low and the variety of whole grains will provide protein, complex carbohydrates, trace levels of healthy fats, plus vitamins and minerals. The white bread is basically devoid of nutrients. Actually not even truly a food but a toxin.
The key is simple. Eat real food. We all know what real food is. Focus on these whole and natural foods and consume them by volume in this order order green vegetables, all other colored vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds, fruits, potatoes and whole grains, and animal products that are pasture raised.
Real food is self-correcting. You cannot overeat. Think about – if you had a snack of an apple and a nut butter and a glass of water or Goldfish and a Caprisun which would make you satiated and deliver nutrients to your 300 billion cells. How many Goldfish can one eat at a time??? How many apples can you eat in a row??? Do you see my point? Real food is self-correcting, you cannot overeat. And when you eat real food your hormones function to maintain a health body weight as well deliver nutrient density to your cells.
If you find this interesting read the Obesity Code by Dr. Fung or check the Forte blogs that began in 2014:
· September 3, 2014 Real Food is Self-Correcting
· December 8, 2014 Calories and The Affordable Care Act
· April 27, 2015 We Don’t Understand Metabolism
· August 16, 2016 You Can’t Outwork a Poor Diet
Eating real whole foods and moving your body are true medicine!