David Ludwig, director of the Obesity Program & Optimal Weight for Life Clinic and associate director for the General Clinical Research Center at Harvard Medical School (Boston). In recent years, several studies have labeled low-fat diets as ineffective over the long term, resulting in increased triglycerides, explains Dr. Since then, scientists have linked mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs and PUFAs) with many health benefits (brain and eye development in children and adults, along with the reduction of LDL cholesterol). dietary recommendations, which discourage fat intake, have not changed since 1992. The same is true for consumption of either of the other macronutrients (fats and proteins).”Īll Fats are Not Created Equal U.S. Participants are asked to reduce their pasta servings to between one half to one cup during the lifestyle maintenance phase, as opposed to the suggested one cup by the USDA and two cups by Oldways.Īccording to one consensus participant, “Over-consumption of carbohydrates, in any form, promotes weight gain and may precipitate disease. In an Atkins diet, even pasta, which has a low GI, should be avoided during the first two phases. They can gradually be reintroduced in a stepwise manner, depending on their Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE). Regardless of a particular foods' GI, Atkins participants are advised to significantly reduce carbohydrates (20 net carbs in the induction phase which, according to Heimowitz, allows five servings of vegetables) at the beginning of their weight loss plan. The Mediterranean Diet prescribes that protein-dense foods containing more saturated fat, such as meat, be eaten only a few times a month, whereas the Atkins diet permits dieters to eat meat daily. “It is false that Atkins is remotely similar to the Mediterranean Diet,” opines Gifford. Unlike diet plans that espouse the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, which is based mostly on the GI invented by Jenkins, many reduced-carbohydrate diets discriminate according to the carbohydrate content and not the GI, say Oldways scientists. However, that may be where the similarities end. “The Atkins Glycemic rating incorporates the glycemic index and simplifies it, eat regularly, in moderation and sparingly,” explains Heimowitz. Atkins (The Atkins' Nutritional Approach), who purport to also use forms of the glycemic index. “They eat a pasta meal-pasta with other ingredients.” The multiple ingredients carry with them their own health-promoting benefits, providing essential macronutrients in desirable forms.įollowing a different premise, controlled carbohydrate dieters adhere to the edicts of doctors and authors like Arthur Agatston (The South Beach Diet) or Robert C. Nobody eats a single ingredient,” says Gifford. “Pasta's partners on the plate are tomatoes, olives, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, eggs, legumes, beans, chick peas and other low-glycemic index vegetables. Throughout history, semolina pasta made from coarsely ground triticum durum wheat has been associated with the Mediterranean communities where pasta is eaten with fat in the form of olive oil, nuts, whole grains and plenty of fruits, vegetables and fish. Pasta conference participants reiterated that pasta represents a vehicle by which other healthy foods enter the body. “A slow-release food like pasta is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease,” informs Jenkins.Īlthough pasta recently has been included in the lineup of usual suspects for the crime of abetting obesity, Oldways scientists have provided an explanation. Factors that determine gastric emptying rates include the presence of fats, proteins and alcohol, all an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. The consensus advises that slow gastric emptying is preferable to rapid dumping of glucose, because glucose uptake is beneficial when gradual, but harmful when abrupt. Factors influencing the GI are the rates of gastric emptying and glucose absorption. For example, the GI for a potato is 60 (baked) while the GI for most cooked pasta meals is 41. Glycemic Index Defined The glycemic index (GI) measures how rapidly a carbohydrate-laden food triggers a rise in blood sugar the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response.Įvery food has a different GI, and it is not dependent on the amount of carbohydrates contained. David Jenkins, a professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of Toronto (Canada). high-carb foods but rather in which foods will impact a meal's “glycemic load,” a term coined in 1981 at the University of Toronto by Healthy Pasta Consensus Committee Chair Dr. According to Oldways scientists, the truth lies not in low-carb vs.
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