Carbohydrates get a bad press of these days for
a variety of different reasons but a number of widely held beliefs do bear
closer examination.
Weight loss
We are often told that cutting carbohydrates
will lead to weight loss and thousands, if not millions, of diet books have
been sold explaining why.
However,
not all research backs this up and whilst it may be true that some studies have
found low-carb diets to be more effective for weight loss than low-fat diets in
the short-term, in the longer term both approaches produce modest weight loss
at best.
A 2015
review of the research on different types of diet found that low carb diets marginally
outperformed the low-fat diet. However the difference in weight loss on the
groups of dieters was tiny with the low-carb dieters losing about one girl
kilogram more after 12 months.
One expert advised that the best way of losing
weight was simply to eat less of everything in a way that can form a habit and
be maintained over a long period. That sounds less complicated to us!
A low-carb diet
is healthier?
This is what we are led to believe but as
carbohydrates come from plants i.e. greens, fruit and vegetables, if we make
the decision to restrict this type of food in our diet our overall health is
likely to suffer. Many plant foods are rich in the vitamins, minerals and fibre
that we need to stay healthy.
However,
there is a big difference between unrefined and refined plant foods.
A diet high in unrefined whole grains protects
against cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes, but swap these for refined
grains like white flour, white bread, sugar and white rice and your risk of
poor health will increase.
Wholegrains
and carbohydrate rich foods such as legumes also encourage a healthy diversity
of gut bacteria, something that is linked to reduced inflammation, better
immunity and improved mental health.
One recent study found that switching to a
high-fat, no carb diet lowered the number of beneficial bacteria residing in
the gut.
Avoid fruit –
really?
Fruit contains sugar so some people believe that
fruit can be bad for you but this simply isn’t true. The sugars in fruit are
absorbed slowly and steadily so making fruit your go to snack will mean that
you will get essential nutrients fibre and antioxidants all wrapped up in a low
kilojoule package.
Where fruit can be a problem however is when
it’s juiced. Drinking fruit as juice makes it easier to ingest more kilojoules
and also releases the fruit sugar (fructose) faster into your bloodstream. You
will also reduce some of the benefits of the fibre by pulverising fruit so
finely that it changes the physical structure. Some commercial juices will even
remove the fibre altogether. On balance it is best to stick to whole fruit.
We hope
that this clarifies some of the myths surrounding low-carb diets.
Mayfair, we care.