Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 428 of 3212

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Low Carb ice creams aren't all they're cracked up to
be. 

In the ones I've looked at, the main ingredient is
Maltodextrin, which is a glucose polymer. Table sugar
is made up of sucrose, which is known as a
"disaccharide" which means it's made up of two
different sugar molecules: glucose and fructose. 

Glucose, by the by, is also known as blood sugar: it's
the stuff that (typically) powers the brain, gives us
sensations of hunger, etc. When you get shaky or
hungry or cranky, it usually means your blood is low
in glucose.

Kosher so far? 

A while ago, the USDA thought, okay, there are
basically two types of carbohydrates: "complex" and
simple. Simple are things like table sugar (just a few
sugar molecules) and "complex" are things like pasta,
bread, etc. (i.e. long chains of sugar molecules). The
"complex" carbs (at least in theory) are absorbed more
slowly and don't kick up insulin levels as much (which
is, in part, the fat storage hormone). At least that
was the idea--eat bread and potatoes and have a nice,
constant drip of glucose into the blood stream. 

The problem is, this isn't a good distinction, as some
"simple" carbs (like fructose) are absorbed much less
quickly than some "complex" carbs (like maltodextrin).


So at the beginning, I said that maltodextrin is a
glucose polymer. What that means is that it's actually
a long chain of glucose (blood sugar) molecules.
Changing maltodextrin into blood sugar is trivially
easy for your body: in fact, it peaks your insulin
levels faster and higher than any other substance
known to man. Which isn't a big problem, if you know
about it. The problem is, since it's not "simple" in
form: (i.e. it's not one or two molecules attached
together, but a whole chain) they don't label the
stuff as "sugar" on the package. So it's actually
possibly WORSE (in certain ways) than regular ice
cream.

By the way, the "low fat" ice cream has similar
problems, and all the "low whatevers" make you think
that you can have them every day. Not true. MUCH
better to have some REAL ice cream, as long as you
aren't eating it more than once a week or so, and it's
MUCH more psychologically satisfying, too. 

I actually think "diet food" is pretty much a crock.
If you want to lose weight, eat less REAL food. You
already know what's good for you and bad for you,
listen to your "inner granny". "Got to eat your meat
and your vegetables before you can have dessert!"

Dan 

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