Eat carbs, lose weight

by Christine Morgan (Subscribe to Christine Morgan's posts)
Jul 29th 2010

Categories: Diet & weight loss, Healthy eating, Diet du jour

For quite a few years carbohydrates have been public enemy number one where weight loss is concerned. But as anyone who's tried to stick to a low-carb (or, worse, no-carb) diet for more than a couple of weeks knows, giving up carbs isn't the easiest thing to pull off. Now, however, experts are saying some carbs aren't fattening at all, and that eating them can help you lose weight – and keep it off.

The carbs in the current spotlight contain an ingredient called resistant starch. Eating foods containing resistant starch may help you feel fuller for longer, boost fat burning (especially tummy fat), reduce cravings and even keep your blood sugar stable.

Resistant starch 'resists' being digested in your intestines – much in the same way as dietary fibre. Exactly how it works is explained in The CarbLovers Diet, a book written by the editors of US-based Health magazine. But for the time being, here's a quick guide to the foods you can find resistant starch in:

Potatoes Yes, the good old spud is back on the menu. Eat cold – as in potato salad – for added resistant starch power.

Pasta and rice These are also richer in resistant starch if you serve them cold, which is great news for sushi fans. Wholemeal varieties are even better.

Beans Chickpeas, lentils and white beans (such as cannellini beans) are full of resistant starch. Add them to salads, soups and stir fries.

Oats Yet another good reason to have porridge for breakfast. Top with a sliced banana, as bananas and plantains are also a great source of resistant starch.

Pearl barley You may remember this grain from your gran's cooking (though it's not popular nowadays). Try adding it to stews, casseroles and salads for a resistant starch boost.

Can carbs ever be cool again (or has Dr Atkins and his gang put paid to that idea)? Are you bored with the whole carbs vs protein thing? Let us know if what the experts say has any effect on your eating habits.

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Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

The Pure Package 06-8-2010

It’s unfortunate that diets such as Atkins and the South Beach diet almost demonised carbohydrates because they are part of a balanced diet. Of course, there are many carbohydrates that should be avoided, as they don’t really offer too much in the way of nutritional value, but at the same time, carbs are a vital source of energy, so shouldn’t be cut from the diet altogether.

We run a diet delivery company (http://www.purepackage.com) and our programs include a very healthy balance of all the essential food groups that people require in their diet. However, the carbs we include are the valuable ones like you mention such as beans, oats and brown rice, not the useless ones that supply very little else than a quick energy fix, and no feeling of fullness.

CAT 20-8-2010

these are not the best resistant starch sources you could have picked

I dont see too many people joyfully eating them either

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