More Protein, Less Refined Starch Important for Dieting

[Tank]

More Protein, Less Refined Starch Important for Dieting, Large Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2010) â€" Researchers at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE), University of Copenhagen, can now unveil the results of the world's largest diet study: If you want to lose weight, you should maintain a diet that is high in proteins with more lean meat, low-fat dairy products and beans and fewer finely refined starch calories such as white bread and white rice. With this diet, most people can also eat until they are full without counting calories and without gaining weight...

Makes very interesting reading!

[Croaker]

Interesting stuff!

The one complaint I have about diets like these is the way Americans end up interpreting them. The 'no-carb' diet idea has been around for a few years, and it is reaching a saturation point where the number of people who declare themselves 'gluten intolerant' has drastically increased. Take P.F. Chang's for example - in the last two years, they had to introduce a full 'gluten free' menu page to meet demands.

I work in the foodservice industry as a pastry chef, and low-carb people are among the most annoying. Most of them label themselves as having an all-inclusive gluten allergy (which is a misnomer, since a food allergy is generally specific to specific types of gluten) or Coeliac disease (or celiac, depending). Coeliac's is a serious problem, but I believe it is being over diagnosed. The percentage of the population who has it is ~< 1%, but the number of guests we have coming in stating a severe gluten allergy is way above this number. I don't know where this is starting from, if doctors are just telling people they have a gluten allergy, or if the people are saying that - instead of just asking for their sandwich without bread.

This may not seem a big deal to a diner, but to the person making their food, any request for something 'without' whatever is typically viewed as stemming from an allergy, and the rest of the dish must be analyzed to see if it contains anything similar. It may seem like us cooks are being over-reactive, but if someone asks for 'no-onion' on a sandwich but fails to mention that they're actually allergic, and we give them an aioli with onion in it, we can be liable - so we always view these things as severe.

The two problems, then, are that these 'gluten-allergy' customers don't understand what gluten is, and confuse all starches with gluten (rice is not gluten, for example, but many people think it is) and that there are actually lots of products with potential gluten in them - some soy sauces, Worcestershire, even some spices as a filler. We've been put on the defensive in an extreme way, going every extra step to insure no gluten in an item, all for a customer who probably has no idea what they are talking about.

I'm not saying this applies to everyone - yes, there are people out there with actual allergies - but I think the FDA (and doctors) need to go the extra mile to explain to patients the specifics of these 'low-starch' diets and how they don't advocate a 'gluten free' diet. For example, the link posted above has a sample diet with lots of gluten in it (whole wheat bread) but for some reason, most Americans ignore that and focus on the 'low carb' part and tell everyone they have an allergy.

The other thing is that people should be cutting out all the fatty, sugary sauces, and think they can eat the 'all-meat' burger with a shake and still be on a diet since it doesn't have any carbs - but no one's told them about all the damn carbs in the shake itself, or that huge soda they are drinking.

I could probably keep going, but I think I'm just ranting now.  

[Will]

Sweet! I've been saying for years, when it comes to diet, simple is key: eat mostly plants (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds) and lean meats and you'll be just fine. No need for 700 page books with extensive lists or super-restrictive diets, just common sense.

Breads and sugars are super high in calories but relatively low in nutrients, which makes them efficient for simple energy, but ultimately less efficient for overall dietary needs. Nutrient density is a good indicator of whether something is healthy. I'm a big fan of collards, kale, bok choy, spinach, chard, and such.

[KDbeads]

I'm not saying this applies to everyone - yes, there are people out there with actual allergies - but I think the FDA (and doctors) need to go the extra mile to explain to patients the specifics of these 'low-starch' diets and how they don't advocate a 'gluten free' diet. For example, the link posted above has a sample diet with lots of gluten in it (whole wheat bread) but for some reason, most Americans ignore that and focus on the 'low carb' part and tell everyone they have an allergy.

I totally understand, 2 members of my family are actually celiac and now they are getting rolled eyes when they mention they can't have something due to their issues because of all these other people that have jumped on the latest fad of no gluten.  There are also people like me who have an allergy to solanine, which is odd in itself for many reasons, and can't have nightshade fruits or skin on potatoes. I explain but am now ignored due to this fad of allergies and have had to quit eating out expect in places where the people know me and know I have to keep my meds on hand just in case, some of which have seen me have an attack.  They know I'm not lying for a fad.

For the back on topic....
Well this is a 'well duh'... didn't man evolve to eat mostly meats/veggies/whole grains and not white bread?  Just saying