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CNN Live At Daybreak

Myths of Carbohydrates

Aired September 17, 2002 - 06:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: If you're trying to lose weight, chances are you've tried the Atkins diet or some variation. That's the eating plan where you stay away from carbohydrates. But there is a lot of conflicting information out there about carbs.
Our favorite dietitian, Lisa Drayer, is back with us this morning from New York with more on the myths of carbohydrates.

Good morning, Lisa.

LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Why have carbohydrates become the great evil?

DRAYER: Gosh, you know, we hear it all the time, carbs are the enemy and, you know, the government has lied to us. They told us to consume a high carbohydrate diet. What was everyone thinking?

But the truth is we need carbohydrates in our diet. They're our most important source of energy for our bodies to function properly so.

COSTELLO: So they're the fuel? They're our gasoline? They're our...

DRAYER: Absolutely. Absolutely. Not having carbs in your diet is like trying to start your car without having any gas.

COSTELLO: And I think a lot of people feel that carbs are found only in things like breads and pasta and rice. But that's not true, is it?

DRAYER: Absolutely not. Carbs are found in breads, pastas, rice, cookies, cakes. However, carbs are also found in fruits in vegetables and even in the milk that we drink. An eight ounce glass of skim milk has 12 grams of carbohydrates, almost the same amount as one slice of bread. So you do get your carbs from different foods and this is a good thing, because they're so important in our diet.

COSTELLO: OK, let's go down now and head to another myth, since we're talking myths here this morning. You say that all carbs are created equal. That is a myth. And why?

DRAYER: Absolutely not. In fact, there are good carbs and bad carbs. And it comes down to simple versus complex. Those are the main two types of carbohydrates. Generally speaking, it's the complex carbohydrates that are the good ones. These are the whole grains, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread and also vegetables. Vegetables are complex. And complex simply means that they're very long chains of sugars. All carbs are made of sugars. However...

COSTELLO: And these are good to eat because they fill you up for a longer period of time so you don't eat as much?

DRAYER: Absolutely. You just hit it. They are high in fiber and fiber makes us feel full. Fiber can help us for weight loss for that reason and it can also help protect us against various diseases.

COSTELLO: Which brings us to myth four, carbohydrates make me fat.

DRAYER: Yes, we hear it all the time, you know, I'm eating too many carbs, it's causing me to gain weight. The truth is it's extra calories that cause us to gain weight, whether it's from protein, carbs or fat. In fact, one gram of carbohydrates only has four calories, whereas one gram of fat has nine or more than double the amount.

COSTELLO: Ugly.

DRAYER: So -- yes, it's, fat is much more dense.

COSTELLO: So let's go to myth five now. A low carb diet is the best diet for optimal health.

DRAYER: Right. We hear that a lot. Certainly not the very low carb diets like Atkins, because those are very high in saturated fat, which can boost cholesterol levels. However, some people may benefit from a reduced carbohydrate diet and this is the basis of the new dietary recommendations. Some people with diabetes or insulin resistance, a condition where the body has trouble metabolizing large amounts may benefit from a reduced amount.

However, athletes, for example, benefit from having a larger amount of carbs in the diet, perhaps up to 65 percent, because they need it for the muscles. That's why a lot of marathon runners carb load. So it's very important to understand what your body is like, what your dietary style is like, what your medical history is and your lifestyle to determine the proportion, the correct proportion of carbs, fats and proteins in the diet.

COSTELLO: So I guess the bottom line is eat a balanced diet kind of designed for your own body?

DRAYER: Exactly. And a registered dietitian can work with you to help you figure what diet is best for you.

COSTELLO: OK.

Lisa Drayer, thanks for bursting some of the myths for us this morning on DAYBREAK.

DRAYER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We'll see you next week.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 17, 2002 - 06:22   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: If you're trying to lose weight, chances are you've tried the Atkins diet or some variation. That's the eating plan where you stay away from carbohydrates. But there is a lot of conflicting information out there about carbs.
Our favorite dietitian, Lisa Drayer, is back with us this morning from New York with more on the myths of carbohydrates.

Good morning, Lisa.

LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Why have carbohydrates become the great evil?

DRAYER: Gosh, you know, we hear it all the time, carbs are the enemy and, you know, the government has lied to us. They told us to consume a high carbohydrate diet. What was everyone thinking?

But the truth is we need carbohydrates in our diet. They're our most important source of energy for our bodies to function properly so.

COSTELLO: So they're the fuel? They're our gasoline? They're our...

DRAYER: Absolutely. Absolutely. Not having carbs in your diet is like trying to start your car without having any gas.

COSTELLO: And I think a lot of people feel that carbs are found only in things like breads and pasta and rice. But that's not true, is it?

DRAYER: Absolutely not. Carbs are found in breads, pastas, rice, cookies, cakes. However, carbs are also found in fruits in vegetables and even in the milk that we drink. An eight ounce glass of skim milk has 12 grams of carbohydrates, almost the same amount as one slice of bread. So you do get your carbs from different foods and this is a good thing, because they're so important in our diet.

COSTELLO: OK, let's go down now and head to another myth, since we're talking myths here this morning. You say that all carbs are created equal. That is a myth. And why?

DRAYER: Absolutely not. In fact, there are good carbs and bad carbs. And it comes down to simple versus complex. Those are the main two types of carbohydrates. Generally speaking, it's the complex carbohydrates that are the good ones. These are the whole grains, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread and also vegetables. Vegetables are complex. And complex simply means that they're very long chains of sugars. All carbs are made of sugars. However...

COSTELLO: And these are good to eat because they fill you up for a longer period of time so you don't eat as much?

DRAYER: Absolutely. You just hit it. They are high in fiber and fiber makes us feel full. Fiber can help us for weight loss for that reason and it can also help protect us against various diseases.

COSTELLO: Which brings us to myth four, carbohydrates make me fat.

DRAYER: Yes, we hear it all the time, you know, I'm eating too many carbs, it's causing me to gain weight. The truth is it's extra calories that cause us to gain weight, whether it's from protein, carbs or fat. In fact, one gram of carbohydrates only has four calories, whereas one gram of fat has nine or more than double the amount.

COSTELLO: Ugly.

DRAYER: So -- yes, it's, fat is much more dense.

COSTELLO: So let's go to myth five now. A low carb diet is the best diet for optimal health.

DRAYER: Right. We hear that a lot. Certainly not the very low carb diets like Atkins, because those are very high in saturated fat, which can boost cholesterol levels. However, some people may benefit from a reduced carbohydrate diet and this is the basis of the new dietary recommendations. Some people with diabetes or insulin resistance, a condition where the body has trouble metabolizing large amounts may benefit from a reduced amount.

However, athletes, for example, benefit from having a larger amount of carbs in the diet, perhaps up to 65 percent, because they need it for the muscles. That's why a lot of marathon runners carb load. So it's very important to understand what your body is like, what your dietary style is like, what your medical history is and your lifestyle to determine the proportion, the correct proportion of carbs, fats and proteins in the diet.

COSTELLO: So I guess the bottom line is eat a balanced diet kind of designed for your own body?

DRAYER: Exactly. And a registered dietitian can work with you to help you figure what diet is best for you.

COSTELLO: OK.

Lisa Drayer, thanks for bursting some of the myths for us this morning on DAYBREAK.

DRAYER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We'll see you next week.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com