Are starches as bad as we think?

Earlier this week I spent some time with my delightful family. My Nan, who is 92 (bless her) has just come out of the hospital so I thought I would pop down and see her and give her my best wishes.

My gran has the most voracious appetite of any old lady I have ever soon. It is fairly common place to see an old dear nibbling on a piece of lettuce and being satisfied for several days. However, my Nan is the exact opposite. I recall that on once occasion we went out for a meal together as a family and for dessert we ordered the sharing platter dessert (notice the deliberate emphasis on sharing there). Once the dolce had arrived, no sooner had it been placed on the table whereupon my Nan lunged into it like a crack addict going towards their next hit. She gobbled up at least three quarters of the tasty morsel herself- The greedy BITCH!

I digress. My Nan, is as thin as a rake and has been for as long as I have known her. I do recall reading somewhere that Insulin control has been linked to longevity (a future post methinks). When I questioned her about what she ate when she was younger, there was no fruit and hardly any sugar. She did eat a lot of potatoes and some bread but never had a problem with her weight. Oh and she ate copious amounts of fat and butter. Incidentally, this was also the staple diet of my mother (bread and dripping anyone?).

Some research recently has suggested that the carbs we eat from starches may not necessarily impact people as badly as was previously thought. Certainly once a person is insulin resistant, then starches do cause a serious problem if you can no longer tolerate carbs. However, the damage may not be from starches themselves but the combination of excess sugar in the diet that gives the insulin system a damn good battering for several years and buggers up the system.

Potentially, this could mean that once you have "healed" your metabolic conditioning, you may be able to introduce starchier food without the same detrimental effects.

dietary wisdom

I just finished a great book by Gary Taubes called the Diet Delusion. A brilliant read.
He states the following conclusions based on 70 YEARS of scientific research....... eye opening I think

1) Dietary fat, saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilisation

2) The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis. The more easily digestible and refined the carbs, the greater the effect on our well-being, health and weight.

3) Sugars- sucrose (table sugar) and high-fructose corn syrup specifically- are particularly harmful. The simultaneously elevate insulin levels and overload the liver with carbohydrates.

4) Through their direct effect o insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes.

5) Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behaviour.

6) Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss- it leads to hunger!

7) Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance - a disequilibrium - in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and ft metabolism. Fat synthesis and storage exceed the mobilisation of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this balance.

8) Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated - either chronically or after a meal - we accumulate fat in the fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from the fat stores and use it for fuel.

9) By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume the leaner we will be.10) By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

10) By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.