Diet Matters

Welcome to Diet Matters, where you can find reliable information on today’s popular diets and the role of complex carbohydrates such as pasta. It is an extension of our nutrition communication mission to set the record straight with sound science and current dietary recommendations. Below is information reviewed by Dr. Barbara Levine, Ph.D., New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

In addition, we’ve compiled links to other reliable resources on the topic of dieting and encourage you to visit these sites. Over time, Diet Matters will evolve to include a variety of health-related issues capturing news headlines.

Click here for a review of "Volumetrics: Feel Fuller on Fewer Calories," by Dr. Barbara Rolls.

Links

• The American Heart Association (AHA): You’ll find several documents on its site covering fad diets, weight control, and a review of the Atkin’s diet by AHA’s Robert H. Eckel, M.D.
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension: The University’s Food and Nutrition Service offers an overview on low-carbohydrate diets by Dr. David Levitsky, a professor in Cornell’s Division of Nutritional Services. Questions and answers of general interest are also posted on the site.
• The Heart Information Network: This site offers, "The Reincarnation of the High Protein Diet," by Lisa Hark, Ph.D., R.D., and Lisa Stollman, M.A., R.D., C.D.E. You’ll also find related articles on this topic.
• The International Food Information Council: You can tap into, "The High Protein Myth," from the association’s newsletter Food Insight, Sept./Oct. 1998. IFIC is a non-profit trade association based in Washington D.C., specializing in nutrition and food safety issues.
• Johns Hopkins University/Medical Center: This site offers scientific research on how a low-protein diet may reverse kidney disease. On the home page, click on "John Hopkins Medicine" and search for Dr. Mackenzie Walser’s paper on low-protein diets and reversing kidney disease.
• The Mayo Clinic: Donald H. Hensrud, M.D., a physician nutrition specialist from the Rochester, Minn.-based clinic, provides thoughts on the latest diets and advice on weight loss programs. There’s also a Q&A section — "Ask the Mayo Dietitian" — covering the dangers of eating low-carbohydrate diets.
• Medscape: This site provides daily news and features on health and medicine. You can also search for past articles such as "The Protein Controversy: What to Tell Your Patients, Council on Nutrition Sciences and Metabolism," by G. Stephen DeCherney, M.D., M.P.H. You can also click on CBS Healthwatch on Medscape’s home page and tap into, "High Fat, Low Carbs, What’s the Harm," by Jean Lawrence, a medical journalist.
• The University of Missouri Cooperative Extension: Here you’ll find, "What’s Wrong with New High Protein Diets," (May 21, 1999) by the University of Missouri’s Associate State Extension Nutrition Specialist Melinda Hemmelgarn.
• Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter: Check out the February 1999 issue featuring, "Should You Eat More Fat and Fewer Carbohydrates. "Another article on this topic is "Phony Baloney," debunking the high-protein diet health claims.
• St. Joseph’s Hospital: The Hot Springs, Ark.-based hospital offers, "The Truth About Fad Diets," an article from its Health Matters newsletter (Spring, 1998).
• The Wheat Foods Council: WFC offers a bevy of news and tips on eating healthy. You can also tap into, "Set The Record Straight," a PowerPoint presentation covering fad diets. WFC is a non-profit organization based in Denver, Colo.
• Mypyramid.gov Mypyramid.gov offers you a personal eating plan with the foods and amounts that are right for you.
• Glycemic.com The Glycemic Research Institute (GRI) is organized to serve clients worldwide, with specific glycemic government registered Certification Mark authority in the United States, Canada and UK.

Pasta Power: The Benefits of Complex Carbohydrates

Question: Will I lose more weight on a high-protein diet than a high-carbohydrate diet?

Answer: No. Health experts say the best way to lose weight is still a low-fat, high-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet. Portion control and serving size, coupled with a healthy lifestyle including exercise, are key elements in any attempt to shed pounds. If carbohydrates are restricted, particularly to less than 60 grams a day, water and salt loss occurs, not fat. When carbohydrates are reintroduced in the diet, the water weight is regained. There is no quick and easy weight to lose weight; it's basically a question of calories taken in versus calories burned.

Question: What is insulin resistance?

Answer: Insulin resistance appears to affect a small percentage of Americans and is most common among overweight individuals. It is related to a form of diabetes called Type II diabetes. In an insulin-resistant person, the pancreas produces too much insulin after he or she eats sugars or starches. Additionally, cells in insulin-resistant Individuals' bodies may not respond to insulin, causing their blood sugar to stay abnormally high after a meal or snack.

Question: Can a high-carbohydrate diet cause insulin resistance?

Answer: No, the reality is that being overweight causes insulin resistance. A high-carbohydrate diet does not make an insulin-resistant person overweight, nor does it cause insulin resistance. Adopting a high-carbohydrate diet actually enhances insulin function for most people by lowering insulin levels. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose in the body and insulin helps cells utilize glucose for energy. While it is true that insulin is a key hormone in the maintenance of blood sugar, eating more carbohydrates does not mean insulin will increase. Even if you do have an elevated insulin level, it is still wiser to cut back on consumption of saturated fats and increase your consumption of carbohydrates, preferably in the form of grains, fruits and vegetables.

Question: Will I gain weight if I eat a lot of foods high in complex carbohydrates?

Answer: Weight gain cannot be blamed on any single food or food group. Eating too much of any food can make you gain weight. Complex carbohydrates are not fattening. It's what you add to them that is, such as butter, margarine, sour cream, mayonnaise, gravies and cream sauces. Remember that a gram of fat has nine calories which is more than twice the calories of a gram of carbohydrates.

The reality is that all calories count. Even if you eat large amounts of fat-free foods, you may find yourself gaining weight. No matter how boring it may sound, the key is to eat all foods in moderate portions, and in the context of an overall healthy diet coupled with regular exercise.

Question: What is the Mediterranean diet?

Answer: The Mediterranean diet, which is high in complex carbohydrates, is one of the healthiest diets in the world. It is low in fat, includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, pasta, legumes (dried peas and beans), and whole grain breads, plus small amounts of dairy products and meat, poultry and fish. Mediterranean countries like Italy have lower rates of obesity and heart disease than the U.S. does, although a definitive link between this diet and one's health has not been (scientifically) established.

Question: How can I tell if I'm eating right?

Answer: The best guide to healthful eating is the Food Guide Pyramid, a moderate and balanced diet that includes neither too much nor too little of any one food group. The Pyramid shows you how many daily servings you should eat from each of the five food groups: the grain group which includes pasta, bread, cereal and rice; the fruit group; the vegetable group; the dairy group; and the meat and protein group, encompassing beef, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and legumes. For example, you should eat six to 11 daily servings from the grain group. Since a typical serving of grains is one-half cup of cooked pasta or cereal, or one slice of bread, most of us eat more than one serving at any given meal -- for instance, a one-cup portion of pasta equals two servings from the grain group.

Food Guide Pyramid

The National Pasta Association supports the dietary recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Guide Pyramid, which recommends eating six to 11 servings per day from the grain group. Diets built on a base of pasta, bread, cereal, and other grain-based foods tend to be low fat. A low fat diet, along with regular exercise, helps to achieve an overall healthy lifestyle.

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