It seems that by not getting enough of those "bad carbs" we once did because of these new diet fads such as the "Good carb, bad carb" diet is being strutinized as not being the most effective strategy to help you lose weight.
A recent study, published in the February issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, suggested new correlations between the "glycemic index" of foods and a person's blood-sugar levels. Though made popular by the South Beach and Atkins diets, many well known nutritionists have been increasingly slow to embrace the diets' central belief that avoiding all foods that enter the blood stream quickly will keep blood sugar levels low and suppress appetites.
Dr. Beth Winthrop, the chief dietician for Southcoast Hospitals Inc., suggests that the glycemic index is an more often than not a harder concept to follow and it can give many people a flawed message that all carbs are unhealthy to the body.
"Usually, when we're talking to patients, whether they have diabetes or they need to lose weight, the glycemic index is very low on the list of priorities," Dr. Winthrop said. "People usually have 20 more changes in their diets they could make that would have more of an impact on their health."
The standard glycemic index has a 100-point measuring system that lets physicians and individuals understand how quickly many foods are absorbed into the bloodstream. The belief in this system states that people should avoid high glycemic foods like white breads, which has a 100 ranking on the scale, and other foods like potatoes because they more quickly raise blood glucose levels in most individuals.
Low-glycemic foods such as carrots, meanwhile, are absorbed slowly, supposedly making a person feel fuller longer, reducing cravings and stabilizing blood sugar levels. The study, conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Mayer-Davis of the University of South Carolina, did not find the glycemic index of a person's diet was related to any measures of blood glucose levels. Researchers tracked more than 1,000 people with varying glycemic-indexed diets over a five-year span and tested their blood sugar twice, finding no conclusive link.
So, what do you think about the good carb, bad carb debate? Are bad carbs really that bad for you?
