Читать книгу Low-Carb Diet For Dummies - Katherine B. Chauncey - Страница 58

Very-low-carb diets, allowing no more than 15 to 30 grams of total carbohydrate per day, restrict many healthy foods and do not represent balanced lifetime nutrition. However, moderate restriction of carbohydrates — below the 60 percent recommended by the USDA, but not to the extreme — can produce positive benefits in many individuals.

Not all carbohydrates are created equally. Certain types of carbohydrates can keep you satisfied longer, and eating a variety of foods keeps you interested in the diet. So which carbs are good and which are bad, and how can you tell the difference? It all depends on the glycemic load of the food. Check out Chapter 3 and Appendix A for more information on glycemic load.

Looking at the changes in food intake and the increase in obesity in the past 20 to 30 years, it’s pretty obvious that Americans have gotten away from eating basic whole foods. Much of what Americans eat is processed, refined, or somehow changed from its original form. The intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein sources, and good fats is severely lacking.