High fiber foods
High fiber foods
Unmasking the Dangers of Processed Carbohydrates
On the other hand, processed, vitamin-vacant, low-fiber
carbohydrates that the body digests quickly – such as snack foods,
refined-flour breads, and sugary desserts – have been shown to cause blood
sugar swings that can lead to weight gain.
A Struggle for the Typical American
Eating processed carbohydrates isn’t a problem for lean, fit
people. In these people, the hormone insulin can easily keep glucose (blood
sugar) levels under control by shutting it out of the bloodstream and into
muscle cells, which use it for energy. The typical American, however, is
neither lean nor fit.
How High Blood Sugar Levels Lead to Weight Woes
In many sedentary, overweight people, insulin can’t do its
job properly, so too much glucose stays in the blood, and the pancreas may
respond by cranking out more of the hormone. High insulin levels prompt the
liver to convert sugar into fat, which is eventually shuttled into fat cells.
Blood sugar levels suddenly drop too low. In an attempt to bring them back to
normal, your brain calls for food, making you feel hungry even though you don’t
actually need the calories.
Blood Sugar, Insulin, and Heart Health
Chronically high levels of blood sugar and insulin do more
than make you fat; they’ve also been linked to heart disease. In one of Dr.
Willett’s studies on thousands of nurses, those who consumed the highest
amounts of quickly digested carbohydrates also had the highest incidence of
heart disease.
The Fiber Factor
Generally, the more fiber a food contains and the less
refined the food, the less it will affect blood sugar. Because foods loaded
with refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and snack crackers, raise blood
sugar levels and lack nutrients, a growing number of nutrition experts now lump
them into the same category as junk food.
The Call for High-Fiber, Slow-to-Digest Carbohydrates
The World Health Organization and the IOM now promote high-fiber,
slow-to-digest carbohydrates such as beans, whole grains (including brown rice,
whole-wheat cereals), and many fruits and vegetables over refined
carbohydrates.
Rethinking Grain Consumption for Better Health
Grains currently make up the base of the food pyramid, and
no one is arguing that we should eat less of them. We should, however, eat less
of some types (refined) and more of other types (whole or minimally processed).
Since refined carbohydrates such as pancake syrup, high-sugar breakfast
cereals, and cookies are a major part of many people’s diets, this switch may
be the most important one to make.
