 |
| View graph |
No carbs, low carb or slow calories release ?
Successful weight management requires caloric reduction. But caloric reduction does not mean the absence of carbohydrates or calories. Zero-carb diets can be successfully utilized by overweight people to achieve significant weight loss. However, they are not recommended for consumption over long periods of time due to their excessive fat and protein content.Instead of dramatically suppressing carbohydrates or calorie intake, the WHO and AFSSA recommend carefully balancing energy needs with energy expenditure while simultaneously restricting energy obtained from carbohydrates to between 55% and 65%. Thanks to their ability to absorb water, most carbohydrate foods also offer low energy density. A fundamental way to meet low-calorie requirements is to focus on selected low-GI (glycemic index) carbohydrate ingredients because these result in lower blood glucose fluctuations and hence better appetite control.
A low glycemic index diet appears to be beneficial to both overweight and normal-weight subjects. However, the glycemic index alone is not a complete description of a food's glycemic response. The most important factors influencing calorie reduction are:
- glucose and insulinemic peaks
- the way glucose appears and disappears in the bloodstream
- the way energy is delivered in the body.
Increased satiety leads to a reduction in calorie intake
Reduction in calorie intake could be obtained through the slow release of calories from the diet during digestion, resulting in a reduced sensation of hunger for a longer period. In fact, digestion of some selected carbohydrates may make it possible to release energy slowly through:
- slow glucose diffusion in the small intestine, inducing a low glycemic response
- slow diffusion of short chain fatty acids from fermentation in the colon.
Slow calories release concept: the benefits
There is good evidence that the slow cal concept can contribute to:
- better weight management
- low insulin secretion
- an extended energy profile
- improvement in satiety
- sustained mental alertness.
How to select the optimum ingredients
- Select ingredients that slow the rate of digestion
- Select ingredients that induce:
- low insulin secretion
- a low glycemic profile (maintained for more than 120 min after ingestion).
- Select ingredients that provide a gentle but sustained fermentation in the colon that is well tolerated by the consumer and does not cause any discomfort.