The Evolution of Our Diet

So where does this leave us? Once again it all comes back to balance, moderation and listening to the body. Which leads us to the 'Low Carb' craze that is everywhere you look now. The hype seems to be based largely on anecdotal evidence rather than science. Those studies that have been done suggest some short-term weight loss but after 12 months there seems to be little benefit with respect to weight loss.

I asked a dietician who specializes in diabetes her opinion on the low carb diets that so many people are embracing. Her response was:

Most dieticians will tell you that you should get 55% of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrate and the rest from fat and protein in approximate proportions of 20 to 25% making up the remainder. This is a guide and a good starting point but we are all different. Most of the low carb diets that are getting bashed tend to be extreme and the term LOW is both vague and relative. My personal feeling is that the majority of individuals could benefit from a lower relative carbohydrate intake. All I mean by this is that most people probably consume way too many carbs without realizing it since carbs can be hidden in many foods, especially the low fat foods that are so heavily marketed.

It should be mentioned that the obesity epidemic began around the early 1980's and shows little sign of abating, based on current statistics. That rise in obesity coincided with the intense advertising campaigns by the food industry touting low fat foods which are loaded with sugar to achieve the desirable mouth texture. People consumed low fat foods with reckless abandon and here we are today in the midst of an obesity and diabetes epidemic of unprecedented magnitude. Who or what's to blame?

There is no simple answer to that. Two things are certain though. If total caloric intake remains the same then a lower amount of one component means a higher amount of the remainder and this is true whether we're talking low fat or low carb or low protein. The second point is that no two people are the same and a diet that works well for one may not work well for another. Although the fundamentals of human nutrition are generally universal we all have slight differences in metabolism and more importantly in our activity levels. Therefore, energy and nutritional needs will differ and how we respond to certain foods will vary. So what is the bottom line. It's different for everyone. I would take a good look at your own diet and try to estimate the proportion of carbs, fat and protein. Try to identify the nutritious and less so elements. Be particularly careful with the hidden carbs so you get an accurate estimate. If the carb content is in the 55% range than you might think your diet is spot on. But is it? What if the majority of your carbs are nutritionally empty...or worse yet are found in processed junk food loaded with nasty preservatives, damaged fats and artificial sweeteners. And what if none of your fats are from whole foods or are all deep-fried in origin. Not so pretty. If this was the case you might fare better with a diet of 40-45% carbs but with whole grains, fruits and vegetables as the core of your carb sources. The putative risk of a lower percentage of carbs would certaiinly be outweighed by the benefits of better quality carbs. Carbs full of nutrients and fiber. Quality over quantity.

The human diet has evolved over millions of years but much of what we find on our plate has only appeared in the last 60 years or less. A mere blip in time but even in that short time we have seen many changes in our foods and our health. Yet over the millions of years humans have been shown to be adaptable to all types of foods ranging from mostly meat diets to vegetarian diets and all things in between. Perhaps we are not evolving quickly enough to keep up with our strange changing diet. If the current state of human health is any indicator of the quality of our diet I would certainly suggest that we are losing ground when it comes to nutrition and wellness despite the wealth of research and information available. Not to mention a wonderful selection of foods.