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Abstract

With the recent trends of high protein, low fat diets or even high fat diets getting popularity among health coaches and dieters to becoming an epidemic, carbohydrates – the once considered prominent feature of a healthy plate, seem to have been losing its importance. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and restricting them excessively can cause hypoglycemia with impeded brain functioning, loss of coordination, loss of muscle, weakness, fatigue, and excessive sweating. Restricting carbohydrates consequently restricts fiber which helps the body digest food, so without it, a person can become constipated and susceptible to infections in the digestive tract. An unhealthy, restrictive diet can also cause deficiencies in calcium, which can lead to loss of bone mass and joint problems. Restrictive dieting can cause adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands secrete hormones that respond to a person’s emotional, physical, and psychological environments. With too much stress from these environments, such as prolonged over-exercising or restrictive and extreme dieting, the adrenals can no longer compensate for the stress and become fatigued. The release of adrenal hormones is decreased, which affects energy levels, mood, cardiovascular systems, sex drive, and metabolism. Stressors of any kind add up and take a major toll on the body’s functioning. A poor diet is a stressor because the body cannot get the proper nutrients it needs to flourish. These kinds of fad diets which emphasize only on certain food groups and promote ditching others, have led to disruption of the healthy pyramid with their sustainability being questionable. As healthcare professionals, it thus becomes our duty to create awareness about the protein sparing action of carbohydrates, the glycemic index and glycemic load of various carbohydrate foods which can aid in obesity management and make it a more sustainable one. More so, emphasizing on the total nutrition profile of a meal rather than just calories is a key.

Biography

Ujjwala Baxi, a Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Educator, has been in the health industry since 11 years. She has helped thousands of people around the globe achieve optimum health and weight, look younger, feel better and transform their lives through balanced diet and lifestyle management with long term results. She has also healed individuals with varied health complications such as diabetes, renal disorders, cancer, hormonal disorders etc. in hospitals and clinic. In Singapore, she is a Health Promotion Board Youth Ambassador and an Accredited Nutritionist by Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association (SNDA). She actively promotes wellness through her talks, workshops and consultations to name a few.

E-mail: ujjwalabaxi@rediffmail.com