Diabetes is the number one health problem in the US, the least healthy population in the developed world. That is the definition of crazy. Don't get me started on why the US population is so misinformed on metabolic health, but I will say just one thing on that topic then on to solutions: Misinformation (and lack of correct information) is the biggest source of revenue for the good ole US of A. We have gotten ourselves into this crazy place where the government gets most of its revenue by making and keeping its citizens sick. Big pharma puts one trillion a year into government coffers, most of it coming from lifelong prescriptions. Add big food revenues to that and you have the answer to all the revenue problems the fat and sick US govt has to contend with.
We are stuck, as a country, in a metabolic health jam we can't get out of easily. A country that depends on a sick population for economic health? How long can that go on before the empire collapses?
Government should teach the true cause of metabolic health in school. It wouldn't cost much, but they cannot afford a healthy population.
I think a look at the Fuhrman's program is a good idea, he's a good jew, was a member of the US Figure Skating Team and placed second in the US National Pairs Championship in 1973. Then he became an MD who was focused on helping people understand why they are getting sick from their diet. I promise you this: if you understand his program and follow it you will kick prediabetes to the weeds in a short time. But he is not alone, there are dozens of MDs who all advocate the same basic program, and write books about understanding it and how to do it. Fuhrman has written a lot of books:
He runs a retreat program in Cali that teaches this, but it ain't cheap.
Anyway...yes, whole wheat pasta is not the problem. It's "close enough" to a whole food to fit into a healthy diet. To understand metabolic health you have to understand the importance of whole foods, and macros, and most importantly the ratio of fats to carbohydrates. If someone is basically on a whole food plant based diet and they want to be metabolically healthy they will keep the ratio of fats to carbohydrates on the low side. That means calories coming from animal products will be on the low side.
Animal products being all protein is one of the misinformation pieces that gets us in trouble...these calories are mostly coming from fat. I am not saying animal products are not high in protein, they are, but they still have more calories coming from fat than protein. One you get that piece you are on the way. And this is the reason understanding the macro ratios is key also.
The bad american diet is a mess of problems, the idea you need to eat animal products to get protein is one of them. The other problems have mostly to do with the fact we do not eat a whole food diet, and eating concentrated calories with no vitamins and minerals is part of the disaster that is the american diet. Most of those empty calories come from refined fat (vegetable oils) and refined carbs (pure sugars).
Basically if all you did is eat whole foods, no empty calories at all, you are pretty much there. That part is simple to understand but hard to do because we are addicted to hyper-palatable toxic substances disguised as foods.
What is dessert? Basically, pure fats and pure sugars combined. Think about this - fats do not have much flavor on their own. They have to be mixed with other flavors, or caramelized by cooking at high heat, to taste like something. So why are pure fats in desserts? The combo is addicting. Why? This is a significant part of the puzzle: we have the instincts of early humans, we are programmed to seek calories, which were rare in nature back then, and pure fats and sugars (no vitamins and minerals) triggers that instinct more than anything else. We cannot resist hyper-palatability easily.
In prehistoric days that instinct worked just fine...THERE WERE NO EMPTY CALORIE FOODS BACK THEN. Today, without understanding why we are irresistibly attracted to hyper-palatability we are fucked. One you understand it you can manage it. Otherwise you are a victim of the food industry that does not care if you get sick, as long as they make their billions. And BigP, their partner in crime. And it is literally a crime against humanity.
Dessert is not a treat! It is a poison that causes poor metabolic
Kick that shit to the curb.
very good advise! Whole food happens to be delicious too...
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