No such thing as bad carbs?
If you find it difficult to say no to so-called "bad' carbs like white bread, potatoes, and sweets, Dr. Glenn Gaesser has good news for you! Having analyzed hundreds of studies on the effects of carbs and weight gain, Dr. Gaesser has concluded that high-carbohydrate or high-glycemic diets don't lead to weight gain. (Read more about the glycemic index on our Gycemic Index topic page.)
According to Dr. Gaesser, author of It's the Calories, Not the Carbs, people who eat high carbohydrate diets tend to be thinner and healthier than people who don't. Furthermore, he says, high glycemic foods are not necessarily unhealthy and do not impede weight loss efforts.
Of course, this runs contrary to the current dietary dogma, which holds that excessive consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates (foods that cause a quick, sharp rise in blood sugar) can increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Most nutritionists also advise dieters to emphasize low-glycemic (or "good") carbohydrates for better appetite control.
My take on Dr. Gaesser's contrarian view?
I agree with Dr. Gaesser that a high carbohydrate diet--even one full of high glycemic foods--can work for weight loss as long as the total calorie intake is low enough. But I still believe that a healthy diet (whether for weight loss or not) should emphasize mostly low-glycemic carbohydrates for several reasons: They tend to be higher in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytonutrients. They also keep your energy and hunger levels steadier than high gycemic foods.
Dr. Gaesser concedes that the scientific literature does show that diabetics and those who are obese are better off on a low-glycemic diet. And last I checked, that describes a large portion of Americans. So I'm not sure that "no bad carbs" is the most helpful message to be putting out. What do you think?
Do you think you would change your views or practices based on Dr. Gaesser's research?
