Correct Carbohydrates - Popular Diets: Obesity

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Correct carbohydrates

Books: Sugar Busters; Glucose Revolution

These diets share some similarities with the South Beach diet in that they don't banish all carbohydrates, just the refined ones.

Rationale. Right-carb diets rely heavily on the glycemic index and glycemic load (see "The glycemic index and obesity"). In theory, foods with a low glycemic load generate small but steady increases in blood sugar that help stave off hunger. In contrast, the rapid increases in blood sugar and insulin that follow consumption of foods with a high glycemic load are followed by equally steep drops that soon get your internal hunger alarm ringing. These plans don't ban carbohydrates. Instead, they embrace "correct" carbs while shunning "harmful" ones. In a nutshell, this means eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and cutting back or cutting out refined sugars (white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, etc.) and processed grains.

Bottom line. In general, right-carb diets promote healthy eating by focusing on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But you don't really need to rely on the sometimes contradictory glycemic index and glycemic load tables to tell you that. Plans that prohibit refined sugars also make dieting and healthy eating more complicated than it needs to be. Refined sugars aren't toxic; they just add unnecessary calories.

Last updated:	June 20, 2007