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Is it true that all the tastiest things in this world lead to obesity? We deal with a nutrition specialist.
The harm of starchy foods and its effect on the process of losing weight
“Flour is bad for the figure” – we hear at every corner and still continue to eat it. Let’s figure out once and for all whether this is really so.
Nutritionist-nutritionist
What foods are considered flour
Flour is everything that is made from flour:
Confectionery – all kinds of pastries, cakes, made from premium flour, with the addition of fats and sugar.
Culinary products – semi-finished products such as dumplings and pasties, pasta, also consisting of white flour, but already without sugar and fat.
Which of these is safe for the figure? Let’s figure it out.
When we say flour, we mean premium white wheat flour. Bread has become a nearly universal dietary component around the world. And even at the heart of the nutrition pyramid, up to 50% are cereals and grains.
The average Russian eats about 130 kilograms of bread per year. This is fifty kilograms more than the Germans eat and sixty more than the Italians. According to statistics, we get up to 1/2 of all calories consumed from bread.
“But our ancestors ate flour for many centuries and did not suffer from it!” – you can argue. It is, but the difference between wheat 50 years ago and wheat now is colossal. Genetic modifications of wheat have led to an increase in its yield, resistance to pests and frost. And at the same time they changed the composition of the grain. Even wheat looks different now: undersized, with grains, practically without husks.
Modern wheat contains a huge amount amylopectin-A, which helps to increase blood sugar levels. This explains why wheat increases blood sugar levels much more than beans or potato chips, for example.
Amylopectin-A, found in wheat foods, can be safely called a “super carbohydrate”. Even wheat-based complex carbohydrates, when consumed regularly, can be worse than simple carbohydrates such as sucrose.
It’s all about the glycemic index of foods
In 1981 at the University of Toronto, the concept was introduced glycemic index (GI) – an indicator that characterizes a particular product by an increase in blood sugar levels after consumption. In other words, GI reflects the rate of splitting and transformation
into the glucose of a particular product. The more the blood sugar increases in comparison with pure glucose, the higher the glycemic index of the product. Revealed that The GI of white bread is 69, and that of whole grain is 42.
However, the GI is an indicator that is not an axiom. Later, another, more objective indicator was introduced to determine the effect of a particular carbohydrate on the body, namely glycemic load (GB). GBV helps predict how much a food will raise blood sugar and how long it will stay high. If GI helps to assess the quality of carbohydrates, then GI refers to their quantity.
The glycemic load is calculated using the formula:
GN = (GI × Carbohydrates in grams) / 100.
Glycemic load (GN) gradation:
low to 10;
average 11-19;
high 20 and above.
The amount of daily GN should not exceed 100; for those who are losing weight, it is better to reduce this indicator to 60–80.
Tricks that can lower or increase the glycemic index of foods:
Industrial processing of grain leads to an increase in its GI. For example, corn on the cob has a GI of 70, corn flakes is already 85.
Cooking causes the starches to digest and increases the GI.
Pastification lowers the glycemic index. In the production of pasta, they are passed through a die (holes in the mold). Heating occurs and a natural film is formed. It does not allow starches to gel quickly. Al dente pasta – GI 35.
The more thoroughly the product is crushed, the higher its GI. Therefore, all products made of premium flour have a GI of 70-95. Whole grain bread is 35.
Life hack: adding protein to carbohydrates can reduce their negative effects in the form of a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. If you want something sweet, add protein.
What is gluten and what you need to know about it
Wheat is also the main source of gluten in the human diet. Now everyone is obsessed with his intolerance. There are gluten-free products with high price tags. How to deal with him?
If you add water to wheat flour, knead the dough, and then rinse the rolled ball under running water to get rid of starch and fiber, you get pure gluten… Gluten gives the dough its characteristic properties: it rolls out and molds well. Thanks to gluten, the dough rises as the yeast ferments
tiny air pockets appear.
In case of illness celiac disease (intestinal disease), gluten proteins, primarily alpha-gliadin, trigger an immune response that inflames the small intestine, causing stomach cramps and diarrhea. This is a severe genetically determined autoimmune disease that, fortunately, occurs in no more than 1% of humanity. There can be only one treatment in this situation: a complete rejection of any products containing gluten.
Gluten contains in oatmeal, barley, rye, semolina, triticale (a special hybrid of rye and wheat, common in the USA). And this is almost our entire diet: bread, pastries, wheat pasta, bulgur and couscous, soy products, sausages, semi-finished products, sauces, canned food, fast food, sweet syrups, ice cream, alcoholic beverages.
How gluten allergy manifests itself:
bloating;
nausea;
loose stools;
skin manifestations in the form of a rash;
increased body temperature;
weakness;
fatigue;
anxiety;
migraine;
labored breathing.
Inadequate absorption of nutrients – gluten is also to blame. Once in the intestine, it not only irritates its walls, but also interferes with vitamins and other useful substances from being absorbed normally. As a result, we overeat, we just can’t get enough of food. In this case, eliminating foods containing gluten in combination with bowel detox programs will help. restore normal digestibility of food.
Eat delicious and healthy gluten-free cereals: buckwheat (regular and green), millet, amaranth, rice, corn, quinoa.
Key questions about losing weight when eating flour products:
1. Will I lose weight if I eat gluten-free baked goods?
No! Regardless of the presence or absence of gluten, the cake remains a cake.
2. Are any baked goods harmful?
Not any. If you bake yourself with healthy flour, low GI and no sugar, this is the best thing you can do. See what kind of healthy flour is and what kind of GI it has. Of course, such pastries are unsweetened and will not rise, but they will be useful.
3. Is rice flour healthier? Many PP recipes are based on rice flour.
The GI of rice flour is almost equal to that of wheat. This means that it will also sharply increase blood glucose. Any nut or coconut flour is much healthier. Try to eat foods with a GI of less than 70.
4. Can you have cheat meals sometimes?
Of course. Only in moderation. No guilt that you are doing this. For example, if you want to try a dessert – try it, savor it. You don’t have to eat it whole. You can indulge your taste buds with a small bite, eaten slowly. You will not want to finish it. You will be satisfied with the taste.
5. What is the best bread to buy?
I recommend learning how to bake bread yourself, for example, from green buckwheat, or buy from trusted suppliers. Let it be bread made from whole grain flour, wholemeal flour, with cereals. A slice with protein in the morning – for example, breast or cheese – will give you long-term satiety and a ton of vitamins. It will be the perfect breakfast if you add a couple of lettuce leaves and a cucumber. In the evening, we no longer eat bread, and indeed any carbohydrates. All carbohydrates should be eaten before lunch.
6. Is it okay to eat bread instead of bread?
Look at the composition. They usually contain a lot of salt, flavor enhancers and other harmful ingredients. Use only whole grain bread. But without additives, they will not taste good, and therefore they are practically not found. Better to do it yourself.
7. Will expensive bread in good bakeries make me fat?
It all depends on the quality and composition, not on the price. And also on the quantity. No more than 50 grams of whole grain breads without trans fat and sugar per day will help you maintain both shape and health. It will not get fat if you know when to stop and use it on time (before lunch).
8. Why can’t you give up baking for good?
Baked goods contain sugars and fats, which in combination act like a drug. Their combination reduces pain and stress. For many, baking is the most accessible source of positive emotions. Learn to enjoy the other. Find your source of pleasure besides food.
conclusions
If you choose the right composition of cereals and eat in moderation, you will receive only benefits.
By consuming too much bread, we reduce the proportion of healthy vegetables in our diet. Shift the emphasis towards vegetables, and the result will not keep you waiting long.
Only flour made from white refined flour is harmful. Use flour from non-starchy plants – chickpea, pea, coconut. Any flour with a glycemic index up to 40-50 will do.
Remember: excess body weight is influenced not only by what and in what quantities you eat, but how you spend the received energy.
Fat on your sides is not an overdose of fat in your food! This is an overdose of carbohydrates in your diet!