Obesity, Diabetes, and Nutrients

What if obesity is a physiological mechanism for managing insulin resistance, caused by consuming a diet high in refined carbohydrates, rather than consuming too many calories?

This interesting video further confirms my conviction that eating refined foods is not healthy and will  cause disease. While using flours other than white wheat flour and sugars other than white cane sugar might help, there are still many refined ingredients that fall into these categories, but might not be any better for us. For example, potato starch used in gluten-free baking is highly refined. So is agave nectar. While honey is refined by bees, nonetheless, it is still refined, although some may argue that raw honey contains nutrients whereas other refined sugars don't. (Strict vegans also don't consider honey a vegan food due to the use of bees in its production.)

The other piece to this puzzle is the possible impact of specific sugars. This article suggests that obesity and related health concerns stem specifically from the increased consumption of fructose. While many of us jump to the conclusion that fructose is always derived from corn, and is consumed in the form of high fructose corn syrup, the truth is that many liquid sweeteners including honey and agave nectar are also high in fructose. Fructose itself is low on the glycemic index, so don't be fooled into thinking foods that contain low glycemic index sugars are automatically healthy.

One of the best points I think the film Food Matters makes is that we put too much focus on balancing the macro nutrients in our diets, like carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and neglect other very important dietary elements like water, fiber, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Whole foods have an abundance of all these things, and if we shift our focus from balancing macro nutrients to eating whole foods, I believe our bodies will be better for the wear.

For me, eating a vegan diet isn't just about avoiding animal based products, it's also about shifting my focus to creating delicious food that incorporates a wide variety of whole, fresh produce. It's about increasing my intake of things my body wants and needs, and decreasing the amount of things that harm my health, from pesticides to refined carbohydrates. As always, for me, doing so is a journey, not some holier-than-thou place I ever imagine arriving at, but I feel it is the best place to set my sights.