Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
I should say a word about the recent New England
Journal article on carbohydrates. This article made a
splash and has made starches into the "bad boys." Starches
are very filling and provide an instant energy source. They
fill glycogen stores, which is quick energy when needed.
Excess starches are stored as fat and that, as we know, is
not good. Recently many have jumped on the bandwagon to
condemn carbohydrates.
The study, while being published in the premier journal of
medicine, was nevertheless poorly done. It could be true that
they are bad, but the alternatives aren't great either. Fats
are for sure bad and, while they are filling and tasty, they
are hard to get rid of once absorbed as fat in the body.
Proteins are complex and hard to digest -- excesses of those
will be turned into fat as well. Seems like you can't win,
but you can come close. Here are some ideas.
Limit intake of eggs and bread. Dairy products, lean meats,
fruits and vegetables are great. Cutting things out
completely will not be successful, but perhaps do with a
little less. Reducing sugars will also help. You can flavor
well with spices, fruit juices and if you need to fry, stir
frying is the healthiest. A wok is a good investment, a deep
fryer may not be, although this really depends on how you do
it--a second in the deep fryer may be healthier than 5
minutes in the frying pan. Again this is if you must fry.
Baking is much better.
While we are on the subject of eating, I would like to speak
about eating disorders. One is Anorexia Nervosa, a disease of
young women who think they are too fat and refuse to eat.
These women can die of starvation. Bulimia is related, where
overeating-binging is common followed by purging-vomiting.
These are both very sad disorders and we will discuss them
next week.
Write me in care of the Yated.
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