It’s been one of the many ways people try to lose weight- cut carbs. But like we shared in a previous post, cutting carbs is only beneficial when you are trying to lose weight if you are mindful of what you replace them with. The “what” has to be high-quality plant-protein based foods (according to a large-scale study). New research sheds even more light on the topic, with data indicating that if you keep specific types of carbs in your diet, it isn’t necessary to reduce your intake.
The study, published in BMJ, included more than 137,000 people in the U.S. over a period of two decades. Participants who ate more whole grains, fruit and non-starchy vegetables — such as broccoli, carrots and spinach — and fewer refined grains, starchy vegetables and sugary drinks gained less weight over the period of the study.
This shows “the quality of the carbohydrates in a person’s diet is much more important than the amount,” said its senior author, Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “You want to increase whole grains and limit starchy vegetables.”
One of the more interesting takeaways, as stated by Willett “Is sugar the villain? It should be behind bars,” he said. “But interestingly, there are bigger villains. Overall, starch is a bigger villain.”
Another study published in the Journal of Hepatology in May 2019 shows that people who switched to a low-carb Mediterranean diet experienced significant reductions in visceral fat mass and liver fat content. The benefits were even greater for those who committed to regular exercise.
Visceral fat and a higher liver fat content can increase the risk for:
- Heart disease
- Breast cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
- Colorectal cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease
- High blood pressure
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Respiratory disorders
To better understand the studies and how their findings impact what we eat on a day-to-day basis, we need to better understand carbs and starchy foods.
Dietary carbohydrates have three main categories:
- Sugars. These are sweet, short-chain carbohydrates found in foods. Examples are glucose, fructose, galactose, and sucrose.
- Starches. These are long chains of glucose molecules, which eventually get broken down into glucose in the digestive system. A few examples include breads, pasta, rice, oats, and starchy vegetables.
- Fiber. Humans cannot digest fiber, but the bacteria in the digestive system can make use of some types.
Many starchy foods also tend to be lower in fiber, which is essential when trying to lose weight in addition to helping lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, and support cardiovascular health. There are two types of fiber:
- Soluble fiber: This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. Soluble fiber is found in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.
- Insoluble fiber: This type of fiber promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk, so it can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools. Whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables, such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes, are good sources of insoluble fiber.
Examples of non-starchy carbs include:
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Bean sprouts
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Eggplant (also known as aubergine)
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Peppers (also known as capsicum)
- Salad greens
- Spinach
- Tomato
- Turnips
- Zucchini
- Unprocessed meat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products
- Healthy oils (read here about the difference in dietary fats)
- Avocado
It isn’t all black and white- many foods that contain starches, like oatmeal, legumes, and some vegetables (like sweet potatoes, corn, and peas) are beneficial to our health. However, the more you reduce refined grains and sugary foods, the better. The big picture is to not categorize all carbs into the same group- some are better limited, while others can benefit your health, including in aiding weight loss.
-https://dceg.cancer.gov/news-events/news/2020/plant-animal-protein-mortality
-https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-carbs-per-day-to-lose-weight
-https://www.eatthis.com/best-bad-carbs-for-weight-loss/
-pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1322448/
-https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(19)30274-0/fulltext
-acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M14-0611?articleid=2118594&
-pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1851150/
-https://www.md-health.com/Visceral-Fat.html
-https://byjus.com/biology/visceral-fat/
-https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lose-visceral-fat
-https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/starchy-vs-non-starchy-vegetables#definition