We all know that we are becoming a nation, in fact a world, of overweight people. Many people and even scientists have assumed that it is because we are eating more fats. The facts are, though, we are eating the same amounts of fat we always have, and what we are actually eating much more of is carbohydrates: sugars, breads, grains and cereals.
If you look right back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, studies show that they ate around 30-45% fat, 20-35% protein and 25-40% carbs. Compare that to our modern diet where we average 35-40% fat, 15-20% protein and a whopping 45-55% carbohydrates. It is clear to see that our percentage fat intakes have not changed much. Of course what has changed is the types of fat we eat, but that is for another article.
The other thing that is obvious from these stats is that we are eating a lot less protein and a lot more carbohydrates. Hardly surprising given the food choices we have around us. Everywhere you look there are sugary foods, soft drinks, breads, grains and cereals.
This over-reliance on processed carbohydrates is leading to many of the health problems we see around us. Obesity for starters - I mean think about it, how do you fatten up a cow? You feed it lots of grains and cereals! What about diabetes and insulin resistance? That's a product of our excessive sugar consumption. How about our roller coaster energy levels - you know, those mid-morning and mid-afternoon crashes? They're a result of spikes of sugary energy followed by crashes due to the speed at which it is processed by our bodies. I could go on and on.
Now I am not saying that you should eliminate carbohydrates all together, or even that you should eat as little as possible. Healthy carbohydrates (from fruits and particularly vegetables) are important and just like your hunter-gatherer ancestors, they should make up around 25-40% of your diet. But for most people this means you should eat less carbs and healthier carbs than you do right now. Similarly, you should look for ways to increase your healthy protein intake. By healthy proteins I mean natural ones. Nuts, eggs, healthy meats, mushrooms etc. are all healthy ways to improve your protein intake.
So start to increase the healthy proteins in your diet and feel the difference in both your health and your energy levels.
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