Don't Play a Numbers Game, Experts Say, Just Eat Your Vegetables

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

september 14, 2004

the consumer

don't play a numbers game, experts say, just eat your vegetables

by mary duenwald

ow-carbohydrate diets are everywhere, and the glycemic index has become the trendiest new concept in weight loss. dr. atkins' "new diet revolution," "the south beach diet," "the zone" and even "the idiot's guide to weight loss" teach readers that all carbohydrates are not alike and that the way to judge which are good and which are bad is by how fast they are digested.

carbohydrates with high glycemic index values - potatoes, white rice, bagels and many breakfast cereals, for example - are digested quickly, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar. whole oats, apples, beans and other carbohydrates with low index values are digested more slowly. choose low index carbohydrates over high, the books advise, and your blood sugar will hold steady. theoretically, that keeps hunger at bay and makes it easier to lose weight.

scientists have yet to conduct the long-term studies that could confirm whether eating carbohydrates low on the glycemic index actually helps people lose weight. but short-term studies offer some evidence for this. and other research suggests that low-glycemic index diets may protect against diabetes and heart disease.

the american diabetes association, the american heart association and the experts who determine the federal government's dietary guidelines do not advise people to consider the glycemic index of the foods they eat - in part because the science behind the concept is incomplete, and in part because they consider it too narrow an aspect of diet to focus on.

nevertheless, the gathering evidence in support of low-glycemic index eating has lent new validity to a bit of age-old nutritional wisdom: a healthy diet includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts, and relatively few sugary foods and drinks and refined starches.

full story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/health/14cons.html?8br

[Bekahlynn]

Amen!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so over low carb, no carb.

[LadyMadonna]

Those low carb diets are not only very constipating and dehydrating but downright boring, and of all the people I know who have tried these fad diets, none of them were able to keep it up. Not that it is some kind of personal flaw on their part, but because it is so unnatural.

What's wrong with simple moderation and being more conscious of what we eat?

I wish these fad diets would just go away.

[Ross1]

Remember the low-fat craze of 10 year ago and where did that get us. Americans are more obese then ever. Now everything is low carb....I've even seen low carb ice cream. When will people learn that fads are not the answer to lifelong bad eating habits (myself included). Sensible balanced meals, portion control, and exercise is the key. And in my opinion, portion control is probably the hardest aspect of this formula. It is getting harder and harder to consume sensible portions. Just the other day, I had a craving for an ice cold coke (one of my major treats) and I could not find a single vending machine that sold 12 oz cans.......only the 20 oz bottles. As with most people, I purchased that 20 oz bottle and drank the entire thing. Am I too blame? Absolutely....I could have consumed half and saved the rest or threw it out.........but the constant emphasis on larger portions does make it much harder for people to eat sensibly.

[not now, RN]

The carb thing is driving me nuts, my grandmother can't read the exchange rate on most food labels (writing is too small for her) but the number of net carbs is plastered across the front.

The "Low Carb" section of my local grocery store also bugs me.

[Sheri257]

Low carb diets like Atkins are popular because you can eat a ton of fat (up to 60 percent). So, people like the idea of losing weight while still being able to eat a ton of fat and meat.

However, it is true that compliance is pretty bad. Most studies show people give up on Atkins within a year.

This low carb thing is pretty insane. You even see it in beer commercials now.

[Sheri257]

Remember the low-fat craze of 10 year ago and where did that get us. Americans are more obese then ever.

Well, it might have something to do with the fact that people didn't stick with low fat diets and, instead, ate at McDonald's.

People who do stick with low fat diets aren't obese. The problem is that most people prefer fast food over low fat diets.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Woot! I've always been amazed by the number of people that don't eat fruits or vegetables.

Don't ask, but we were talking about constipation at work and a coworker complained of that problem. Turns out the only vegetable she eats are french fries and doesn't eat fruit.

The body can be very forgiving of a lot of things if you get lots of fruits and vegetables.

[Jamesdotter]

There was a period when it seemed as though all the preeclamptic patients had one thing in common; they didn't like vegetables. I don't think that's necessarily true, but I still wonder if there is some relationship there--does an avoidance of those foods increase the risk for preeclampsia, for example.

[talaxandra]

Well, it might have something to do with the fact that people didn't stick with low fat diets and, instead, ate at McDonald's.

People who do stick with low fat diets aren't obese. The problem is that most people prefer fast food over low fat diets.

All though that's popularly believed, it's not actually true. I eat fast food less than once a month (and 'fast' is something of a misnomer - Grill'd, the awesome gourmet burger store takes a good fifteen - twenty minutes from order to purchase). The only flesh I eat is fish, my fat intake is less than 25% of my total caloric intake, and less that 30% of that is saturated. This isn't a diet, it's just that I tend to prefer fruit, vegetables, multigrain cereals, and like the taste of low-fat dairy products. Although I don't weigh myself, my dimensions have changed at all in over fifteen years, and I am fat. Fitness is a way better determiner of physical wellbeing than weight, humans evolved as the most omnivorous being there is, and any exclusionary diet is bogus :)

[renerian, BSN, RN]

I can always count on your for good information/articles.

renerian

[Sheri257]

All though that's popularly believed, it's not actually true. I eat fast food less than once a month (and 'fast' is something of a misnomer - Grill'd, the awesome gourmet burger store takes a good fifteen - twenty minutes from order to purchase). The only flesh I eat is fish, my fat intake is less than 25% of my total caloric intake, and less that 30% of that is saturated. This isn't a diet, it's just that I tend to prefer fruit, vegetables, multigrain cereals, and like the taste of low-fat dairy products. Although I don't weigh myself, my dimensions have changed at all in over fifteen years, and I am fat. Fitness is a way better determiner of physical wellbeing than weight, humans evolved as the most omnivorous being there is, and any exclusionary diet is bogus :)

Actually, there's a myth that 25 percent fat is low fat diet. It's actually a moderate fat diet, particularly when you consider that average dietary fat intake is somewhere around 30-35 percent.

True low fat diets cut fat to 10-15 percent. And, this is where you see best weight loss, reduced cholesterol and other results in studies where participants also exercised regularly. (Of course, exercise is also key to losing weight under a low fat diet.)

However, because it's so difficult to convince people to cut fat out of their diet, a lot of organizations encouraged people to adopt less extreme moderate fat diets with the hope that cutting some fat was better than cutting no fat.

Consequently, people began to believe that 25 percent was a low fat diet when, actually, it's not. So, if you haven't lost much weight at 25 percent, I'm not surprized.