2023-11-15 18:14:13
Lose weight healthily by reducing carbohydrates? “It’s fake news.” The experts of the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (Icqc), researchers, nutritionists, clinicians and epidemiologists from all over the world, gathered in Catania to share the most solid and recent scientific research that promotes carbohydrates, reject ‘low carb’ diets. and their role in the Mediterranean diet, where they represent up to 60% of calories. “Those who promote low-carbohydrate diets ‘accuse’ them of causing glycemic spikes – experts report – but in reality slow-absorbed complex carbohydrates cause a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels”.
On the contrary, “a diet high in slow-absorbed complex carbohydrates – such as pasta cooked al dente, vegetables and fruit – and fibre, of which fruit, legumes, oats, barley, foods based on whole grains, wheat bran and vegetables help control the glycemic index”. If the return of ‘carbophobia’ worries scientists, there are no doubts about the nutritional advantages of the Mediterranean diet, the anniversary of which is registered as a UNESCO heritage site on 16 November, supported by vast scientific literature. According to experts, the Mediterranean diet is the best for managing weight and preventing chronic non-communicable diseases, first and foremost type 2 diabetes.
It is not just a dietary model – the experts continue – but above all a lifestyle, in which there is room for every food, characterized by variety and an inclusive and non-punitive approach to food, which must be part of a behavior overall, in which education and nutritional awareness make the difference.
What are carbohydrates used for?
Carbohydrates are our main source of energy and some cells such as red blood cells, brain, muscles, whose energy metabolism is based on glucose, have a particular need for them. In reiterating the nutritional role of carbohydrates, scientists from the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium underline how the quality of these nutrients (fibre content, whole ingredients, glycemic index, minor components) can be preserved and optimized in the production process of foods such as bread , pasta and other foods rich in carbohydrates. For example, the selective grinding of cereals, which eliminates only the external layer of the grain, without touching the innermost aleurone layer, in which the proteins are concentrated, thus guaranteeing a greater supply of fibre, antioxidants and minerals. Or even some extrusion techniques that influence the digestibility of starches by reducing the glycemic index of the foods that contain them.
The added value of some cereal transformation processes puts more than a question mark on the scientific reliability of the classification of foods based on their processing proposed by Nova, which has already divided the scientific community and on which many of the Icqc experts also call for caution . This distinction between carbohydrate-based foods does not consider the quality of carbohydrates, leads to underestimating the advantages of foods with a low glycemic index, which is especially important for various categories of consumers (such as athletes, pregnant women, the elderly) and therefore does not help, at least as regards the carbohydrates themselves, to guide people’s food choices towards an overall healthier diet.
#nocarb #diet #work #fake #news