When it comes to food, we typically do what we are told, eat what’s put in front of us, follow the food recommendations of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), listen to our doctors, and let society dictate our eating habits. We basically follow along.
Some will argue, “That’s not true. I’m not controlled by anyone. I eat whatever I want.” That is also true — and also part of the problem!
You see, as a whole, we in the Western world (the United States, in particular) eat whatever we want, then go to the doctors and expect them to fix what ails us. But there is no magic pill that makes us lose weight, much less stems the tide of all the sicknesses and diseases that come as a result of what we put in our mouths.
The government is of little to no help either. Take a look at the US dietary guidelines, and you will see it is recommended that carbohydrates make up 45–65 percent of our calories per day. If we eat 2,000 calories a day on average, that means 900–1,300 calories or 225–325 grams should be from carbs every day. No wonder we are fat!
We eat on average 133 pounds of flour per person per year, which translates into about 1.3 cups of flour per person per day. That’s a lot of carbohydrates, which then turn into sugar when our bodies use it for fuel.
As for sugar itself, we eat a lot of it! The average American eats and drinks a total of about 130 pounds of sugar each year. There are 36 tablespoons in one pound of sugar, so that breaks down to almost thirteen tablespoons of sugar each day per person!
Most of the sugar is hidden in foods and drinks, but still, is it any wonder that prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and insulin resistance numbers are off the charts?
And did you know that our sugar addiction is actually a biological disorder, driven by insulin, appetite hormones, and neurotransmitters that fuel our insatiable food cravings and “affect the same brain pleasure centers as heroin or cocaine?” Not only are the sugars (and carbs) we consume addictive, but they play with our minds, our hormones, and our wallets!
Of course, our expanding waistlines are not solely the result of consuming the daily recommended number of carbs along with lots and lots of sugar, but they play a significant part in our overall weight gain.
Don’t believe me? The United States is the most overweight industrialized nation in the world. More than 70 percent of the U.S. population over age 20 is considered overweight. In 1960 only 13.4 percent of the US population was obese, and now we are up to over 40 percent.
And because obesity is a root cause of many diseases, it would then follow that we would have a dramatic increase in these obesity-related diseases over the past 50 to 60 years. That is precisely what is happening.
The Trap of Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease, which kills more people than all forms of cancer combined, happens to be the costliest killer as well. The American Heart Association (AHA) states that heart disease is increasing and predicts that 45 percent of the U.S. population will have at least one issue related to the disease by 2035, with the associated costs expected to double from $555 billion in 2016 to $1.1 trillion in 2035.
The AHA noted that unfortunately other risk factors, such as obesity, poor diet, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, are on the rise. Not only are Americans not getting the message about heart disease, they are not getting the message about what they should eat and drink.
The preceding was an excerpt taken from chapter one of Dr. Don Colbert’s book, Beyond Keto (Charisma House, 2022). You can order the book at mycharismashop.com.
Don Colbert, MD, has been a board-certified family practice doctor for over twenty-five years in Orlando, Florida, and most recently in Dallas, Texas. He is also board certified in antiaging medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and has received extensive training in nutritional and preventive medicine. He is the author of three New York Times best-selling books: Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet, The Seven Pillars of Health, and Dr. Colbert’s “I Can Do This” Diet, along with best sellers Toxic Relief, the Bible Cure series, Living in Divine Health, and Stress Less. He has sold more than 10 million books and treated over 50 thousand patients in his years of practicing medicine.
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