People often ask us what they should eat and one of the keys we discuss with them is the reduction in the amount of high glycemic index (GI) foods that they consume. By that, we mean that the vast majority of North Americans eat too much sugar and consume too many grains in the forms of bread and pasta. In fact, according to some estimates, the typical North American diet contains 100% to 200% more carbohydrates than needed!
This excessive consumption of carbs has many negative side effects that include weight gain (and we mean here fat gain, not muscle gain) and desensitizing your body to insulin. Now, an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has linked the consumption of high GI food with heart disease in women. In a study of over 47000 participants, researchers found that women consuming the most high GI foods had more than twice the risk of coronary disease than women who consumed the least high GI food!
Unfortunately, the article posted on BBC concludes that people should eat different types of grains rather than coming to the rather obvious conclusion that people should simply eat less grains and carbohydrate-rich food altogether!
Our conclusion? Eat breads, grains, pasta, and sugar in moderation; reduce their consumption as much as you can and get your carbs from eating plenty of vegetables and some fruit.
Article: BBC News