America has been accustomed to a high carbohydrate diet. Today there is controversy around the high carbohydrate vs. low carbohydrate diet. Oftentimes the low carbohydrate diet is misnamed the no carbohydrate diet, but that is not accurate. The reality is that the standard American diet should be called high carbohydrate and a low carbohydrate should be called the normal diet.

Some experts speculate that approximately 90 percent of illnesses result from difficulty with metabolizing and consuming carbohydrates. When archeologists wander in the wilderness and discover the skull of an aboriginal people, the first thing they do is open the jaw to view whether or not the teeth are still there. If the teeth are in the jaw, the skeleton is classified as a hunter/gatherer, and if the teeth are missing, the remains are classified as aggregarian (eating cultivated grains). Even this simple classification describes carbohydrate difficulty, wherein primitive people eating a higher carbohydrate grain diet lose their teeth due to the damaging effects of sugar on the body.

Most people intend to control sugar in their diet because of weight gain, although they never seem to succeed in overcoming the sugar cravings. This is because there is more unseen and un-tasted sugar in the starches from grains than there is from simple sugars that are sweet. It has always been difficult to encourage people to reduce their sugar consumption while leaving them on a high starch diet. Now, simply by eliminating pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, and all forms of starch, sugar cravings go away. This is because the starches are powder kegs of sugar that require huge releases of insulin in order to be managed, which leads to irregular blood sugar level management and subsequent sugar cravings.

Because of our past attitudes towards dieting and sugar control, many people believe that low glycemic diets would be difficult; however, it is quite the opposite. By eating more protein, healthy fats and oils, and the low carbohydrate composition of vegetables and fruits, within days there is an elimination of sugar cravings and the beginning of glycemic balance. The result of this balance is more energy, less inflammation and aching, and less food cravings (especially sugar). The other results are lower triglycerides and cholesterol, reduced body fat percentage (and therefore shape loss and weight loss), increased concentration and attention, and increased repair of the protein structures of the body.

Of the three major diseases facing modern-day America, namely heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, a low glycemic diet would be preventative and reparative in each case. Indeed when the deeper cause of these three major diseases is addressed, it follows to say that longevity is served. Strategically, perhaps the low glycemic diet is the most important aspect of an effort towards longevity and vitality.