I want to lose weight – should I cut carbs?
There is no evidence that a low-carb diet supports weight loss. Most health professionals do not support any weight loss regiment that cuts out entire food groups or macronutrients. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy, so cutting them out may make you feel sluggish.
I want to lose weight, but I love carbs. Maybe going gluten-free is the answer?
A gluten-free diet is recommended only for people with a diagnosed case of celiac disease. Cutting out gluten is not a good weight loss strategy, and in fact may lead to nutrient deficiencies since gluten-containing foods provide vitamins, minerals and fiber that their gluten-free counterparts may not. Besides, a diet of gluten-free cookies is still a diet that includes cookies!
Aren’t grain foods fattening?
Grain foods, in their most basic forms, are low in total fat and saturated fat. A recent analysis of food intake data found that grain foods contributed to less than 15% of total daily calories while delivering 20% or more of daily fiber, folate and iron, and at least 10% of calcium, magnesium and vitamin A. In other words, grain foods provide lots of nutrients for little calories and fat!
There is data also showing that eating pasta, cooked cereals and rice is associated with lower body weight and waist circumference compared diets of people who eat no
grain foods.