General fitness, health and nutrition · Public discussion

The Carbohydrate Conspiracy

Tcomeau · 2003-12-02T18:18:00+00:00

Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very valid points. http://www.washingtondispatch.com/article_7253.shtml "For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and anyone else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The problem is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is causing millions of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety, and — shudder — cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not a stretch to point to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important contributor to all these conditions." TC

Started by Tcomeau · 2 December 2003 · Last activity 8 December 2003 · 15 posts · 591 views

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01 / Original postThe Carbohydrate ConspiracyTcomeau · 2 Dec 2003 02 / This pagePosts 1–15Page 1 of 1 · chronological order 03 / Latest replyPost #15Eric Bohlman · 8 Dec 2003

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Original section: General fitness, health and nutrition
Published: 2 December 2003
Last activity: 8 December 2003
Original author: Tcomeau
Posts: 15
Discussion status: Public discussion
Total views: 591
Views / 30 days: 0
Topics: Race-day nutrition Nutrition

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Original post
Tcomeau
Archived post

2 December 2003, 18:18 UTC #1

Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very
valid points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and anyone
else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The problem
is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is causing millions
of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety, and — shudder —
cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not a stretch to point
to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important contributor to all these
conditions."
TC

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Elmer
Archived post

2 December 2003, 22:35 UTC #2

In article said:
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and anyone
else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse......"
One hopes that they did not mean starches such as white bread, pasta, potatoes or rice, but
complex carbohydrates such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, fruit, greens and the like, and hence
it is still true since these by themselves seldom lead to the obesity that is the root of the
current favorable view of Atkins diet.
Elmer

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Jmk
Archived post

3 December 2003, 15:16 UTC #3

Please note that this is not a science article but a commentary.
tcomeau said:
Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very
valid points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and anyone
else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The problem
is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is causing millions
of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety, and — shudder —
cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not a stretch to point
to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important contributor to all these
conditions."
TC
--
jmk in NC

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Ignoramus11065
Archived post

3 December 2003, 15:16 UTC #4

In article said:
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and anyone
else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The problem
is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is causing millions
of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety, and — shudder —
cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not a stretch to point
to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important contributor to all these
conditions."
While obviously no trust should be placed in health messages from self interested parties such as
food producers, what made americans fat was not "carbs", as such, but laziness (eating junky
processed food and lack of exercise).
i

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Pumquinn
Archived post

3 December 2003, 16:14 UTC #5

"tcomeau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very
valid points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml

This is such a silly article, and so inaccurate on so many counts I can't even begin. More of the
Atkins "true believer" half-accurate misinterpretations of science. Don't anyone take this stuff too
seriously, puhleeze.
Karen

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Tcomeau
Archived post

4 December 2003, 23:58 UTC #6

Elmer <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
(tcomeau) said:
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and
anyone else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse......"
One hopes that they did not mean starches such as white bread, pasta, potatoes or rice, but
complex carbohydrates such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, fruit, greens and the like, and
hence it is still true since these by themselves seldom lead to the obesity that is the root
of the current favorable view of Atkins diet.
Elmer
Until very recently the mainstream mantra was "Less fat, more carbs", period. Very little or
no differentiation between fats and between carbs. The message has been simple: less fats and
more carbs.
The very tiny tip of the food pyramid is fats and the entire massive bottom of the food pyramid is
"starches such as white bread, pasta, potatoes or rice".
If the food pyramid does not represent the recommendations of the nutritional mainstream, then
what does?
TC

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Tcomeau
Archived post

4 December 2003, 23:58 UTC #7

jmk <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Please note that this is not a science article but a commentary.
I never suggested otherwise. But it does make some interesting points.
TC
Quoted message said:
tcomeau said:
Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very valid
points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and
anyone else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The
problem is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is
causing millions of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety,
and — shudder — cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not
a stretch to point to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important
contributor to all these conditions."
TC

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Tcomeau
Archived post

4 December 2003, 23:58 UTC #8

"Pumquinn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
"tcomeau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very valid
points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml

This is such a silly article, and so inaccurate on so many counts I can't even begin. More of the
Atkins "true believer" half-accurate misinterpretations of science. Don't anyone take this stuff
too seriously, puhleeze.
Karen
Can you point out the inaccuracies? Begin, please.
TC

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Jmk
Archived post

4 December 2003, 23:59 UTC #9

tcomeau said:
jmk <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Please note that this is not a science article but a commentary.
I never suggested otherwise. But it does make some interesting points.
The fact that you posted it on a SCIENCE forum may have implied to some that it is a scientific
article rather than commentary written by someone who normally writes about politics. I was just
clarifying that point.
--
jmk in NC

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John 'The Man
Archived post

6 December 2003, 19:30 UTC #10

Once upon a time, our fellow jmk rambled on about "Re: The Carbohydrate Conspiracy." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...
Quoted message said:
The fact that you posted it on a SCIENCE forum
Ha, ... Hah, Ha!
Science in name only!
"... you have my sympathies" Science Officer Ash to Ripley, in the movie ALIEN.

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Trent Duke
Archived post

6 December 2003, 21:14 UTC #11

Total RUBBISH!
No one has been told to "load up on carbs." Everyone is told to eat in PORTIONS. Eat for your active
lifestyle or lack of one.
The problem is, very few over weight people eat in portions. Caloric consumption in the past 20
years is UP. Great little article in Consumer Reports, out now, about that. Even fat intake is up,
not down despite low fat diets.
Another problem is people do not exercise.
If you eat sensiblely, in portions. Stay away or cut back on your junk carbs while exercising, you
can eat ALL the damn carbs you want and not be overweight.
I DO!!!
Body Builders DO!
Hell, the underwater combatants who train in the military consume loads of carbs up to 6000 total
calories a day, twice the amount of an average person and they are ALL FIT.
GO figure and stop buying into the anti carb [censored] people!!!
Everyone wants to lose weight while sitting on their asses watching TV.
For a few that might work while drastically cutting carbs out, but for most it's harmful. You need
good carbs while exercising.
Runners consume 70% of their diet from carbs. How many fat marathon runners have you seen? Same
holds true of Asians.
Trent
-- Look and Feel Great! FREE weight loss and anti-aging group. Join now @
groups.yahoo.comweightloss health
Quoted message said:
From: [email hidden] (tcomeau) Organization: groups.google.comgroups.google.com Newsgroups:
sci.med.nutrition Date: 2 Dec 2003 08:34:51 -0800 Subject: The Carbohydrate Conspiracy
Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very
valid points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and anyone
else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The problem
is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is causing millions
of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety, and — shudder —
cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not a stretch to point
to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important contributor to all these
conditions."
TC

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Tcomeau
Archived post

7 December 2003, 02:19 UTC #12

Trent Duke <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Total RUBBISH!
No one has been told to "load up on carbs." Everyone is told to eat in PORTIONS. Eat for your
active lifestyle or lack of one.
Total rubbish yourself! The current mainstream recomendation is 50 to 65% carbs. If that isn't
carb loading what the hell is? Even when people are not told to eat more carbs, they are stuffed
with them at every fast food place with super-sized heavily carb-loaded meals. Low-fat high-carb
is the mantra of the mainstream and has been since the 70's when the current trend towards record
obesity started.
Quoted message said:
The problem is, very few over weight people eat in portions. Caloric consumption in the past 20
years is UP. Great little article in Consumer Reports, out now, about that. Even fat intake is up,
not down despite low fat diets.
And refined carbs is way, way, way up, so is obesity and diabetes.
Quoted message said:
Another problem is people do not exercise.
That is true. In light of sedentary lifestyles one should restrict refined carbs even more. Refined
carbs are quick and potent energy for the body, if the average body doesn't use the energy thru
exercise it gets turned into body fat.
Quoted message said:
If you eat sensiblely, in portions. Stay away or cut back on your junk carbs while exercising, you
can eat ALL the damn carbs you want and not be overweight.
Exactly. And for those who are relatively sedentary such as 60% or so of the population, no refined
carbs. And no high GI-load foods. That excludes all refined sugars, refined grain products and
certain starchy tubers in any large amounts.
Quoted message said:
I DO!!!
Body Builders DO!
Hell, the underwater combatants who train in the military consume loads of carbs up to 6000 total
calories a day, twice the amount of an average person and they are ALL FIT.
Yes and they are all *extremely* active. For those who are NOT EXTREMELY ACTIVE you need to cut
refined carbs.
Quoted message said:
GO figure and stop buying into the anti carb [censored] people!!!
What and buy into the low-fat low-calories [censored] that has failed us for almost a century? I
don' think so.
Quoted message said:
Everyone wants to lose weight while sitting on their asses watching TV.
And it is possible. And a lot easier than you may think. The key is, guess what.... restrict high-GI
refined carbs. Go figure.
Quoted message said:
For a few that might work while drastically cutting carbs out, but for most it's harmful. You need
good carbs while exercising.
Bull and [censored]. It is NOT DAMNGEROUS OR HARMFUL. Blood lipids improve. Blood glucose improves.
Insulin sensitivity improves. Insulin production diminishes. Weight is lost. Good health is
regained. All on a safe and healthy low-carb diet.
*If* you exercise you need more carbs. Get this thru your thick skull.
Quoted message said:
Runners consume 70% of their diet from carbs. How many fat marathon runners have you seen? Same
holds true of Asians.
Runners run. How does that equate to a sedentary person. It doesn't. Why do you insist on comparing
apples to oranges?
TC
Quoted message said:

Trent
-- Look and Feel Great! FREE weight loss and anti-aging group. Join now @
groups.yahoo.comweightloss health
Quoted message said:
From: [email hidden] (tcomeau) Organization: groups.google.comgroups.google.com Newsgroups:
sci.med.nutrition Date: 2 Dec 2003 08:34:51 -0800 Subject: The Carbohydrate Conspiracy
Check out this article. It may be a bit out there but it makes some interesting and very valid
points.
washingtondispatch.comarticle 7253.shtml
"For the past 20 years, doctors, politicians, nutritionists, marketing vice presidents, and
anyone else who could manage to get a platform have been telling us that we should eat lots of
carbohydrates. "Cut down on fats, load up on carbohydrates." That was the message. If you didn't
consume massive quantities of carbohydrates, you were doomed to ill health, or worse. The
problem is, they were wrong. And not only were they wrong, their advice has caused and is
causing millions of Americans to suffer. Obesity levels, incidences of depression and anxiety,
and ? shudder ? cholesterol levels are all up dramatically over the past 20 years, and it's not
a stretch to point to excessive carbohydrate consumption as the single most important
contributor to all these conditions."
TC

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Doug Freese
Archived post

8 December 2003, 14:17 UTC #13

tcomeau tilts at his favorite windmill:
Quoted message said:
Trent Duke <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Total RUBBISH!
No one has been told to "load up on carbs." Everyone is told to eat in PORTIONS. Eat for your
active lifestyle or lack of one.
Total rubbish yourself! The current mainstream recomendation is 50 to 65% carbs. If that isn't
carb loading what the hell is?
For someone that does some exercise is sure as hell is not loading. But then again you have this
BS agenda.
Quoted message said:
Even when people are not told to eat more carbs, they are stuffed with them at every fast food
place with super-sized heavily carb-loaded meals. Low-fat high-carb is the mantra of the
mainstream and has been since the 70's when the current trend towards record obesity started.
Oh you silly boy still perpetuating this myth. People eat too many damn calories period and whether
that are fat, carbs(simple or complex) or protein does not make a difference. I guess if you keep
repeating this myth it convinces you, you are correct.
Oh yes, and the sky is falling.
Quoted message said:
And refined carbs is way, way, way up, so is obesity and diabetes.
Total calories is up and exercise is down and the rest is history.
--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]

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John 'the Man
Archived post

8 December 2003, 16:21 UTC #14

Once upon a time, our fellow Doug Freese rambled on about "Re: The Carbohydrate Conspiracy." Our
champion De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...
Quoted message said:
Total calories is up and exercise is down and the rest is history.
The most intelligent comment made on smn in the last few months.
Just my opinion. But, I am *right* as usual!

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Eric Bohlman
Archived post

8 December 2003, 16:21 UTC #15

Doug Freese <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:
Total calories is up and exercise is down and the rest is history.
Just to be rather nitpicky, *exercise* is actually up, but total *physical activity* is down. You
have to remember that what most people think of as "exercise"--physical activity performed
specifically for health, fitness, or training reasons--actually accounts for only a small proportion
of most people's total physical activity. So what's happened is that people are working out more
than ever, but it's not making up for the reduction in walking, job-related energy expenditures,
etc. that's occurred. We're exercising more than we used to, but we're still more sedentary than we
used to be.

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