As we hear more and more about good and bad fats, diet gurus are starting to talk more about good and bad carbohydrates. And the word is around.
in her television program, Oprah Winfrey claimed to have lost weight, changing bad carbohydrates for good. Likewise, many diet programs such as body for life, tissues the health benefits of good carbohydrates. But is there really things like good and bad carbohydrates?
"Some carbohydrates are better than others, but it is not really a matter of a carb being" good "and a" bad "being, says Jack Alhadeff, PhD, biochemistry teacher at Lehigh University, PA. / P> .
"If you are eating to get energy for physical activity immediately, simple carbohydrates - macaroni, white bread, processed cereals and similar - work well. If someone is heavy or wants to manage weight, it is smart to choose carbohydrates from High fiber. "
Why? Because all carbohydrates are divided into sugar, or glucose, which is the fuel of the body. Carbohydrates with little fiber breaks quickly. These fiber carbohydrate feeds takes longer to break. The rate in which this happens can be represented in what nutritionists call the glycemic index.
Foods at the top of the glycemic index for glucose quickly. But this speed can cause a peak at hormonal insulin levels, which body needs to process glucose in physical energy. Low Foods in Index - Sweet Potatoes, Integral Rice, Fronding Vegetables, Fat Milk - Slowly Collapse and result in lower insulin levels.
Unless you are a diabetics index, the glycemic may not be so important, "says Alhadeff, who adds that, since most of us eat a variety of food in a meal, the index accuracy can be Questionable. / p>.
But and the notion that high index food glucose is more likely to be stored as fat?
"Scientific literature is very clear that eating carbohydrates that are incorporated into the planting - complex carbohydrates - it is always better," says Nagi Kumar, PhD, clinical nutrition director at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Human Nutrition Professor. At the University of South Florida in Tampa. "But the reasons why it is best is not because somehow decreases or changes fat storage."
Weight Loss Surgeon - Carbs for Weight Loss?
She says that carbohydrates rich in fiber increase most of the meal, making you feel fuller. This, in turn, helps moderate the amount of food you eat.
So, what is fiber, exactly?
There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Nutritionists describe soluble fiber as a sticky substance that is found in fruits, vegetables, dry beans and peas, and oatmeals. Insoluble fiber, which is gritty in texture, bills for 70% of fiber in our diets, especially wheat bran.
We ate many calories and many empty calories, "she says." Fiber can help you avoid eating too much. We also discovered that fiber can connect with cholesterol in digestive tract, thus reducing blood cholesterol. "
Another important point about fiber-rich foods is that they tend to be loaded with phytochemicals that seem to have anticancer functions, says Kumar.
"Belongs to cancer, we find 65 or more non-nutrients and nutrients that have action against cancer," she says. "We have seen soybeans, lycopene, bicarbanol, to quote only a few of them, have a significant effect against various cancers."
Along with these benefits and its role in weight maintenance, fiber helps prevent the following:
- Constipation
- Hemorrhoids
- Appendicitis
- Diverticulose - an intestinal disease where pockets, which can be infected, develop in intestinal coating
Next time you have a choice about what to buy in the store - for example, between soft, white bread and a dark brown bread of whole wheat - what do you do?
"Buy the bread you have to drag out from the store, because the bread is so heavy and dense," says Kumar. "Everything comes down to the amount of fiber you can get into your food."
