Hanneke van den Berg
Yesterday at 10:00
Good and bad carbohydrates. We all know they exist, but what’s the difference?
Bad, fast carbohydrates are in highly processed products. Good ones are in unprocessed, whole grain products. The slow ones are good in themselves, because our body gets energy from them, the fast ones, our body can usually do nothing with, except athletes. Exceptions are raisins and dates. Those are also fast carbohydrates, but not bad. They are unprocessed and contain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Cookbook author Pascale Naessens has made it her life’s work to teach people to eat low-carbohydrate. That is, she banishes the bad, fast carbohydrates from the diet. I cook a lot from her books, but I have to admit that I do that mainly because the recipes are often so nice and simple. Unlike Jamie Oliver, who says that you can put an extensive meal on the table in fifteen minutes, but can’t always live up to it, Naessens’ recipes are often really simple and quick to prepare. That they also help with weight loss is a bonus. So basically everyone should start eating low carb, right? We ask the experts.
Positive:
Martine Dogger of Dieet&Co: “In principle, that is something that we as dieticians also recommend. Taking fewer fast carbohydrates is good for everyone. You get fewer peaks and troughs in your blood sugar and make less insulin. Too much insulin makes you store more fat and especially the belly fat is really bad for you.”
Jet Timmer of The Feelgood Company: “In the West we eat a lot of processed food with a lot of fast carbohydrates. A low-carb diet creates a better awareness of that eating pattern and that is very good. This diet focuses on eating healthy fats and proteins, which have a satiating effect, so that you also have less appetite for bad snacks and get a better energy level.”
Negative:
Martine Dogger: “Eating low-carb is good, but I don’t think it’s useful to pick up a cookbook every day. It’s easiest, especially if you’re cooking for a family, to just adjust your own portions on your plate if you’re on a diet. Then you just opt for lots of vegetables, a small potato and a piece of meat and let the rest of the family serve what they want. That is easier to maintain than cooking according to a recipe every day.”
Jet Timmer: “I think a big disadvantage is that many people get the idea that carbohydrates are by definition bad and are no longer allowed. Then it can turn into an obsession and you get a huge appetite for those things. It also takes time to learn to cook low-carb, so you have to feel like it.”
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