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The new year is a popular time to contemplate our relationship to calories, usually with the goal to reduce caloric intake. But in the last decade, our understanding of how the body deals with these units of energy has grown considerably. So here's a look at what it means to eat a calorie in 2016.
You've probably heard that processed carbohydrates are now being viewed with the skepticism once reserved for fats, which are making a comeback. First thing in 2016, the USDA's Dietary Guidelines Advisory committee reversed decades-long guidance and ditched caps on cholesterol and saturated fats.
In his 2008 book Good Calories, Bad Calories, Gary Taubes blew a hole in the idea that fat is the dietary boogeyman it's been made out to be. He pointed out that the obesity epidemic coincides with the rise of a fat-fearing dietary paradigm and the accompanying boom in low-fat and nonfat processed foods that swapped fat for extra sugar.
That boom, which is supported by your tax dollars, is the real problem. Refined carbohydrates, Taubes explained, quickly convert into sugars, a process that starts in the mouth. And refined carbohydrates are everywhere, dominating most dishes on the American menu from pizza to macaroni and cheese. These arguments formed the basis for the many low-carb diets, such as South Beach and paleo, that have flourished in recent years.
Comment: A ketogenic diet paired with cycles of intermittent fasting is a great way to tune up the body.