Americans are consuming a diet that is at least half sugars in one form or another-calories providing virtually nothing but energy. The energy density of these refined carbohydrates contributes to obesity in two ways. First, we consume many more calories per unit of food; the fiber that's been removed from these foods is precisely what would have made us feel full and stop eating. Also, the flash flood of glucose causes insulin levels to spike and then, once the cells have taken all that glucose out of circulation, drop precipitously, making us think we need to eat again. While the widespread acceleration of the Western diet has given us the instant gratification of sugar, in many people-especially those newly exposed to it-the speediness of this food overwhelms the ability of insulin to process it, leading to type 2 diabetes and all the other chronic diseases associated with metabolic syndrome.
( Michael Pollan )
[ In Defense of Food: An Eater's ]
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