OH! I was totally loving this article UNTIL...
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Originally Posted by nobimbo
Unlike the popular Atkins diet, which seeks to minimize carbohydrate intake, the low-GI diet makes distinctions among carbs. It avoids high glycemic-index foods, such as white bread, refined breakfast cereals, and concentrated sugars, which are rapidly digested and raise blood glucose and insulin to high levels. Instead, it emphasizes carbohydrates that release sugar more slowly, including whole grains, most fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes.
''The Atkins diet tries to get rid of all carbohydrates, which we think is excessively restrictive,'' says Ludwig. ''You don't have to go to this extreme if you pay attention to the glycemic index and choose low-GI carbs.''
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1) Glycemic index alone is insignificant. Glycemic
load is all that matters. Glycemic index is but one of two major
factors of glycemic load. The second major factor is
total amount of carbohydrate consumed.
To calculate glycemic load, multiply the glycemic index of the carb by the total amount consumed, and divide by 100 (the "control" GI - that of white bread).
The low-GI mice did so well only because they were compared to a group which was on a diet which contained the same amount of carbohydrate. The only difference between the groups was the carbohydrate in the other group was far more "potent" in its destructive potential.
What do you think would happen if they not only tested the affects of various types of carbs (differentiated by GI), but also if they tested the affects of various
quantities of carbs? As I said, both are significant factors of glycemic load, and the ultimate goal is to keep glycemic load very low.
It's as if you took 2 groups of teenage boys, and you told group 1 to consume a quart of vodka daily, and group 2 to consume a quart of Budweiser daily. Of course the first group is going to be in worse shape than the second group. Does this mean drinking a quart of Budweiser daily is the ideal way to live your life, and a healthy addition to one's diet?
Now, how do you think the results would turn out of group 1 was drinking only 2 tbsp of vodka, but group 2 was still chugging a whole quart? Sure, the vodka is more potent than the Budweiser, but if you are consuming so much more of the later, you WILL be affected more. Odds are group 1 would be way better off than group 2 at the end of such a study.
2) The atkins diet does NOT try to get rid of all carbohydrates. What a ridiculous lie. First of all, people often use the term carbohydrate incorrectly. All carbohydrate is, is sugar of some sort. However people often call whole foods like berries, spinach, and avocado "carbs" simply because these beautiful foods happen to
contain carbs. Yes, sucrose (table sugar) is a carb. So is corn syrup. It contains nothing but carbohydrate making it a carb. It has no nutritional value other than the raw sugar energy. No, berries, spinach, and avocado are not carbs. These foods merely
contain carbs - as well as many other vital nutrients.
With that said, Atkins does not seek to totally eliminate carbohydrate from the diet, and it definitely does not seek to totally eliminate carbohydrate containing foods either. Atkins teaches people how to eat healthfully. It teaches you the best foods to consume are those that are lowest in carbohydrate (sugar), and highest in nutrients (amino acids, fatty acids, phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, etc). I don't see how anyone can disagree with this.
3) Perhaps it is true that some people who have very good sugar metabolisms (or certain lifestyles) can afford only to eat low GI, and need not control for total amount of sugar consumed. However, I think this is not the norm. Look at the epidemics of disease we have in this country, rates of obesity, diabetes, CHD, being the most prominent. Anyone with a strong familiar history of these, or a personal history themselves, cannot afford NOT to control total carbohydrate consumption in addition to GI.