False dichotomy. It's not an all or nothing proposition. Also, it's not an obligation, it's a choice. You don't have to cut out all carbs, but you can. You don't have to eat any particular food, but you can. The only thing that isn't a choice - you gotta eat something.
Quote:
|
And, if you truly cut out all carbs, you'll have to give up fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans — which are the building blocks of a healthy diet.
|
Yeah, that. If these are the building blocks, it's reasonable to ask what makes them so, right? So let's just start with whole grains. What makes whole grains building blocks of a healthy diet? Before we answer, we must acknowledge that wheat flour (for example) is fortified, therefore is deficient a priori. I know it's a half-assed conclusion but it allows us to formulate a better answer. Is it the fortification that makes it a building block? If it's the only thing, we can fortify other stuff and get the same building block - it's not a unique property of whole grains. With this idea, we can formulate a better answer for the other things - fruits, veggies, beans. Once we get through all possible permutations, we end up with just one thing that can be found in all that stuff but nowhere else - fiber. That's it. So now the question is whether fiber is a building block of a healthy diet. Oh we could go through all the arguments in favor and against, but none of that matters. What matters is whether any diet that does not provide fiber - that does not contain fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans - in any significant amount can still lead to good health. There are, just need to find one though.
Quote:
|
"When you eat a whole-kernel, minimally processed grain ... they take a while to digest. Blood sugar rises relatively more gently. You produce less insulin calorie for calorie," Ludwig explains. Think of whole grains as slow carbs because of this slow digestion. (Other slow carbs include fruits, vegetables, beans and grains.)
|
Oh, so grains are processed foods? Good to know. In fact, if they weren't processed, there would be exactly zero effect on blood sugar, cuz we can't digest un-processed grains, can't absorb whatever is contained therein - starch. So this is a choice between processed foods and processed foods. Got it.
Quote:
|
Whole grains — which include everything from whole wheat to brown rice to steel-cut oats and farro — are also rich in fiber. A new study published in The Lancet finds that people who eat a diet rich in fiber and whole grains have a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer. (For more, we have this primer on whole grains. )
|
Told ya.
Quote:
|
But with white bread, all this good stuff has been stripped out during processing. All that's left is starch, which is one step away from turning to sugar in your body. "Refined starch is the hidden sugar," says Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the nutrition school at Tufts University.
|
Lie. Wheat proteins such as gluten are present. If they weren't, the bread would fall apart. The proteins effectively serve as the glue that holds the bread together. In fact, dough is formulated for specific purposes such as sandwich bread, pizza crust, etc, by recombining the various constituents which were separated by processing in specific proportions. Literally, recipes. The same is true for everything called "whole" like whole-wheat bread and such.
Quote:
|
I've experienced this. I know if I eat a scone or chocolate croissant for breakfast, I'm hungry an hour later. But, if I eat an egg and a piece of whole grain toast, I'm set until lunch. That's because I'm getting plenty of fiber — which slows down digestion — as well as fat and protein that leave me feeling sated.
|
Well, if you're experienced this, we should all do what you do! Nah, Ima go with science and if there ain't no science to go by, Ima go with my own personal experience. After all, that's what you did, Dave. While I'm at it, Ima go with my own conclusions (cuz that's what you did, Dave - go by your own conclusions) and not eat that piece of whole grain toast. Is that OK with you, Dave? I mean, if you wanna go and eat that piece of whole grain toast, it's totally fine by me.
Quote:
|
So I've cut back on refined carbs. And the science suggests this is the way to go. The authors of the latest Lancet study say their findings "provide convincing evidence for nutrition guidelines to focus on increasing dietary fiber and on replacing refined grains with whole grains." U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that at least half of your daily grain consumption should come from whole grains. But currently, most Americans under-consume whole grains and exceed the recommended limits on refined grains.
|
And so you have and so it does. Does that science thing suggest anything about processed foods? I mean, if fiber is such an important building block for a healthy diet, seems to me you don't need to eat processed grains. You can just eat grains whole and intact, cuz you see, the fiber is on the outside! Brilliant idea, Dave! You go ahead and do just that.
Quote:
|
Here's how she thinks about building a quick and easy dinner meal. Pick a protein, whether it's plant-based — such as tofu — or meat. Include some healthy fats, such as olive oil. Chop up some vegetables. "Then, have the wholegrain be the side dish," she says. To tie the meal together, try one of her sauce recipes below. (For an example of a complete meal, check out this recipe for Dawn Ludwig's Japanese Buddha Bowl.)
|
Cuz it's a great idea to eat something that was originally used to make industrial glue, right? Yeah, glue is good for ya, especially when you eat it. And cuz it's a great idea to eat fats that contain exactly none of the essential fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, K. That's what makes them so healthy, Dave.
Quote:
|
"I do a lot of really simple five-minute sauces that I have in my fridge that I can pull out" for dinner, Ludwig says. She tosses all the ingredients for the sauces in Mason jars and mixes them in the jar with one of those stick-like immersion blender, so there's not much clean-up involved and they store well in the refrigerator.
|
Yeah, cuz sauces and convenience are building blocks for a healthy diet.
Lemme see if I get this straight. Processed whole grains (spike BG more than sugar), fruits, veggies, beans, fiber (to fight the BG spike from the processed whole grains), industrial glue (cuz it's NOT meat!), "healthy fats" (absent essential fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, K - but healthy cuz it's NOT butter!), sauces and convenience, that's a healthy diet. Did I get this right, Dave?
Mkay, Ima go low-carb instead cuz there ain't none of the BS above. BG spike is addressed by dealing directly with the very thing that causes it - carbs of all forms, whether refined, processed, whole, natural, or whatever. And it's dealt with directly by way of absolute quantity, cuz that's the primary determinant of BG spike. The more carbs, the higher the spike; the less carbs, the lower the spike. That's it for that. Also, essentials are dealt with directly by way of including the stuff that provides them such as animal fats (butter and lard and whatever fat is contained in meat primarily) that contain ample essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. Then, emphasis is put towards whole un-processed foods such as fresh meat and fresh veggies, rather than towards processed foods such as grains and ready-made frozen meals. In a way, low-carb is quite convenient cuz we focus on just one thing - carbs, and then just one thing about that - the absolute quantity, and it's easy to count up to 50 grams or whatever number your plan warrants. Low-carb is even more convenient and easy to apply with its emphasis on whole un-processed foods - just check whether it comes pre-packaged with a nutritional label. And if we're still worried about fiber for some reason, low-carb can include all kinds of fiberous veggies without even knowing anything about fiber or what it does or whatever, we're good to go just like that. Then low-carb can be ultimately convenient even if the only thing you know about it is that this meal and every meal has to have meat and veggies.
You gotta eat something. Might as well be food.