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Dietary Misconceptions of Food Causng Weight Gain
Dietary Misconceptions of Food Causing Weight Gain
You have probably heard a friend or relative tell you they have cut out a particular food and have lost many kilos and are feeling fantastic. Cutting out potato, pasta, rice, red meat, dairy or bread have been popular tactics in the fad diet world. Could it possibly be one food that is to blame for all the excess kilos our population is carrying around?
White Potato vs. Sweet Potato
Many people have cut out white potato believing it is the evil twin of the much greater promoted sweet potato. It is widely believed that sweet potato is lower in kilojoules, lower in fat and lower in carbohydrate. This misconception may have arisen due to the advice to eat lower GI in comparison to high GI vegetables. Many people have increased the serving sizes of sweet potato while cutting down on white potato. Apart from the differences in GI, eating more sweet potatoes in comparison to white potato is not more beneficial to weight loss.
100g Raw | Kilojoules | Fat (grams) | Carbohydrate (grams) | Fibre (grams) | GI Boiled with skin | GI Baked wit skin |
White Potato | 280 | 0.1 | 12.9 | 1.6 | 50 | 85 |
Sweet Potato | 297 | 0.1 | 14.1 | 3 | 46 | 82 |
From the table we can see that there is very little difference between the two potato types. In terms of nutritional values, neither of them will make you gain more weight than the other. Sweet potato is a lower GI, but this will of course depend on how it is prepared and how it is eaten. It’s the amount of potato eaten, white or sweet that will affect overall kilojoule intake and thus affect weight gain. What will have even greater impact on weight is how it is cooked and the accompaniments. Eating white potato deep fried in the form of hot chips is obviously less healthy than a baked sweet potato but roasting sweet potato chunks in a large amount of oil will be much less healthy than a white potato boiled in its skin. So bring back the white potato, just hold the sour cream and butter.
Does Pasta, Rice & Bread Lead to Weight Gain?
Pasta, rice and bread are common foods that get a bad rap when it comes to weight gain. Many people say they have cut out these foods on a weight loss diet and attribute their weight loss solely to this. What people fail to recognise is that they have cut out an entire food group, one that they were very likely over eating in the first place. When someone cuts out any food that previously made up a large portion of their daily intake, the result is an overall decrease in kilojoule intake. However, cutting out such core foods can lead to over consumption of other foods. These other foods may not necessarily be unhealthy, but are they any lower in kilojoules than pasta, rice or bread? Let’s take a look.
Appropriate Serving Size | Kilojoules | Fat (grams) | Carbohydrate (grams) | Fibre (grams) |
1 cup cooked pasta (150g) | 876 | 0.5 | 42.6 | 3.2 |
1 cup cooked white rice (160g) | 1074 | 0.2 | 57.6 | 1.6 |
2 slices wholegrain bread | 893 | 3.1 | 33.7 | 6.1 |
130g cooked red meat | 962 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 |
160g cooked chicken | 1104 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 |
2 large boiled eggs | 752 | 13.4 | 0.4 | 0 |
1 cup 4 bean mix (228g) | 1133 | 1.6 | 36.9 | 18.5 |
Sweet Potato Baked (200g) | 724 | 0.2 | 34.4 | 7.4 |
What we can see is that by cutting out carbohydrate rich foods and replacing them with higher protein foods such as beef, chicken or eggs, the fat intake of the diet will increase, and in turn increase overall kilojoule intake. The diet will also be lower in carbohydrate and fibre, the bulking nutrients that keep us feeling fuller for longer, and prevent us over consuming other replacement food. If one were to replace the pasta/rice/bread with a moderate carbohydrate and high fibre vegetable source such as legumes or sweet potato, the kilojoule difference is negligible. In terms of cutting down kilojoules, cutting out pasta, rice or bread altogether and replacing it with another healthy food source will not lead to long term weight loss. What we do know is that it leads to depletion in energy for the brain, leading to fogginess, mood swings, and lethargy. This can lead to sugar cravings. When eaten in sensible quantities, pasta, rice and bread form a very important part of the diet, for both physical and mental wellbeing.
Do Wheat and Dairy Intolerance Lead to Weight Gain?
Dietitians will often see clients who say they feel bloated and puffy, blaming this and their excess weight to being ‘unable to process’ wheat and/or dairy foods. This statement makes very little sense. Yes, if intolerance was occurring, one may feel bloated and puffy. However, if foods were not being processed this would mean that they are not being broken down and thus the kilojoules and nutrients would not be absorbed. This would in fact lead to weight loss, not weight gain. There is no scientific evidence that an intolerance or allergy can lead to weight gain. In reality, if an intolerance or allergy forced one to remove entire food groups from the diet, this would likely lead to weight loss and nutrient deficiency.
There are likely many explanations for the weight gain someone may experience if they are feeling bloated and unwell for an extended period of time. They are less likely to exercise and more likely to over consume high sugar and high fat foods to give themselves instant energy. If you are feeling tired, bloated and have gained weight and believe you may have an intolerance to a particular food, it is wise to speak to a dietitian. They can help to investigate if there is a true intolerance and help to tailor a diet that will ease symptoms of bloating and malaise. This in turn could have a positive effect on weight loss.
Added to site on : Monday, 17 March 2014