According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 70% of Americans are overweight (35% fall into the obese category).  With all the weight loss programs, diet foods, exercise tips, and experts looking for solutions to the obesity epidemic, why is the rate of obesity getting worse?

If losing weight were as simple as “eat less, exercise more,” you would think we would have this problem mastered by now.  Science journalist and author Gary Taubes understands why these fundamental nutrition beliefs are wrong.  In his latest book, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, Mr. Taubes summarizes two centuries of research he analyzed for his previous book, Good Calories Bad Calories.  His new book is a quicker and easier read based on the premise that excess sugar and carbohydrates cause fat storage.  (Listen to our recent interview with Gary on the April 2, 2011, Dishing Up Nutrition show.

Let's take a closer look at this argument.  When we eat carbohydrates, our blood sugar goes up.  When our blood sugar goes up, a hormone called insulin is secreted to lower the blood sugar. 

Carbohydrates that cause a dramatic rise in blood sugar and require a lot of insulin include the following:

Carbohydrates that don't require a lot of insulin include these vegetables:

Insulin is a fat-storing hormone, which is why excess carbohydrates and sugars cause fat storage.  Eating a bagel that contains 57 grams of carbohydrates (14 ½ teaspoons sugar) keeps the body so busy burning all of those carbohydrates that it seldom gets around to burning stored fat!  The fat remains stored while the body works as a carb/sugar burner.  Stored fat can be burned when glucose levels (blood sugar) decrease.  This explains why eating 2 cups of steamed vegetables with 15-20 grams of carbohydrates (only 4-5 teaspoons sugar) allow fat to be burned.

For people that are insulin-resistant and pre-diabetic, it's often necessary to greatly reduce carbohydrate consumption to stabilize blood sugars, lower insulin levels, and lose weight.  People often get confused about low-carb eating and think it's a fad or the latest trend.  When we recommend low-carb eating, keep in mind that we still include some fruits like berries and all non-starchy vegetables, such as the  veggies listed above.  Starchier vegetables like carrots, corn, peas and potatoes need to be eaten in moderation (½ cup serving cooked).  For some people, they need to be eliminated for weight loss.

You may be thinking: “If I can't eat starchy carbohydrates on my weight loss plan, what can I eat?”

You can eat protein, fat, non-starchy vegetables, and some fruits!  Imagine sitting down to a meal of a 4-ounce, grass-fed hamburger with 1 ounce of cheese (hold the bun), and a salad containing 3 cups of mixed greens, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of full-fat dressing, a few kalamata olives, and ½ cup of fresh raspberries on the side.  This is a fat-burning meal.  However, eating that same cheeseburger with the bun and French fries in place of the salad and berries, would create an insulin surge resulting in fat being stored instead of being burned.

You may be thinking: “But I thought fat would make me fat and keep me from losing weight!”

Gary Taubes to the rescue again.  His book advocates eating fat, which has minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin.  Of course, not all fats are the same, and it's important to choose good fats.  Healthy fats for optimal metabolism include olive oil, butter, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocadoes, and olives.  Unhealthy fats that actually slow metabolism and should be eliminated include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, canola and other vegetable oils, as well as any hydrogenated oils (trans-fats).

Let me close by sharing a success story. A client of mine, Nell Kauls, has lost 90 pounds by following this type of eating plan.  At first the weight loss was a struggle.  Once she realized how carbohydrate sensitive her body was and modified the plan accordingly, the weight started coming off.  Nell has eliminated all grains, and reduced her intake of starchy vegetables (corn, peas, potatoes, carrots).  To see an example of what she eats on a typical day, click here to view her blog.  You can also listen to Nell’s story on two recent Dishing Up Nutrition show.