All Calories are NOT Equal - Dr. David Ludwig Strikes Again!

This is not news to any of our patients - that all calories are NOT equal!  Every day we teach our patients about the importance of balancing PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, and GOOD FATS, to improve SATIETY (fullness and satisfaction), speed up metabolism (Basal Metabolic Rate/BMR), stabilize blood sugar (creating a Low Glycemic effect by proper balancing of macronutrients), lower inflammation in the bloodstream - and more!

But its nice to see that these concepts are getting a little press, through the New York Times article yesterday, featuring a favorite colleague - Dr. David Ludwig.  Read the article here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/opinion/sunday/always-hungry-heres-why.html?_r=0

I was happy to see the article mentioned on Good Morning America, as well.

A key concept is that losing weight, and maintaining weight loss, is not 'just about the calories' - in fact, if we ONLY cut calories, and do not change WHAT we eat - then our bodies and brains will not  be able to maintain weight loss!  If we eat excess carbs (especially processed, high glycemic carbs) , and we fail to eat enough clean, lean protein, and 'good fats', then our METABOLISM WILL SLOW, and our APPETITE WILL INCREASE.

In other words, if we don't change the QUALITY of our diets, along with the QUANTITY of calories, our body and mind will not be able to keep weight down.  Studies have shown that it's also not just a matter of improving the quality of the carbs (changing to healthier, 'low glycemic' carbs), but we will also be more successful if we have adequate protein in our diets (protein when added to a meal or snack tends to help our blood sugar stay 'smoother' after we eat - which keeps us full, and keeps metabolism faster.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24472635

From the NYT article:  "As it turns out, many biological factors affect the storage of calories in fat cells, including genetics, levels of physical activity, sleep and stress. But one has an indisputably dominant role: the hormone insulin. We know that excess insulin treatment for diabetes causes weight gain, and...of everything we eat, highly refined and rapidly digestible carbohydrates produce the most insulin... the American diet has increased insulin levels, put fat cells into storage overdrive and elicited obesity-promoting biological responses in a large number of people. "

I'll post more later on the research - but search my blog, and you'll see we've addressed this before!