Baking & Snack - May 2022 - 27

bohydrates being viewed negatively, even though grains
are the main source of carbohydrates in the American
diet. "
Dr. Gaesser also pointed to the fixation on dieting
and the growing rates of obesity in America. Data from
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,
2013-2016, found that 49.1% of US adults tried to lose
weight in the past 12 months, while nearly 40% were
considered obese. Among the adults who tried to lose
weight, exercise and eating less were tied for the top spot
with 62.9% of respondents reporting these strategies.
" When you look at diet from the standpoint of how
to lose weight, you see a smorgasbord of diets that have
vilified carbs, whether it's low-carb, keto or paleo, " Dr.
Gaesser said. " Carbohydrates are the most commonly
consumed macronutrient, so for most of the last century,
about half the calorie intake for the average American
comes from carbs. So if you want to lose weight, you need
to cut calories. Carbohydrates are an easy target. It makes
sense from this perspective to cut out something that
you're consuming a lot of. However, research shows that
49.1% of US adults tried to lose
weight in the past 12 months
62.9% tried exercise and
eating less to lose weight
National Health and Examination Survey, 2013-2016
in terms of weight loss, it's the calories not the carbs. "
Dr. Gaesser also pointed to the biology of how carbohydrates
are stored in the body as to why people find so
much initial success with cutting carbohydrates.
" For every gram of carbohydrate you store in your
body, you store almost 3 grams of water with it, " he explained.
" So if you lose the carbohydrate, you also lose
the water weight. When people go on a carb-free diet,
they can drop 5 to 10 lbs within the first week, and they
think this is the best diet ever because they've never experienced
that. The low-carb diet gurus have capitalized
on that phenomenon. "
It's these stories about quick weight loss, Dr. Corwin
said, that attract the public more than the science because
stories can be so powerful.
" But anecdotes aren't scientific evidence, " she said.
" MSG is a really good example. One person published
one article saying they had a headache and a stomachache
after eating Chinese food. And that resonated with
someone else, and they repeated it over and over again.
MSG is also naturally occurring in Italian food in the
Parmesan cheese, so why is this phenomenon
so specific to Chinese
food? Only recently in the last
four years has it really come to
light that the reason why people
thought MSG was bad was xenophobia
and a couple of misinformed
articles in the 1960s. "
Today, the sexy diet people
are hopping on board is the ketogenic
diet, which on its own
has a long, well-documented
history to treat epilepsy. But it
has reached the mainstream
consumer who may not need
this extremely restricted diet to
treat anything but a waistline. Dr.
Gaesser pointed out that there
could be unintended consequences
for those who cut carbs
without a medical reason to do
so, whether that's epilepsy or celiac
disease. Two research papers
published in major journals he cited
show an association between cutting out gluten and increased
risk of diabetes and heart disease.
" If you cut out wheat - Americans' major source of
gluten - you're cutting out a major source of fiber, " he
pointed out. " Studies show that dietary fiber - particularly
cereal fiber - is inversely associated with diabetes
and heart disease. "
There's been chatter about the healthfulness of sprouted
grains, low-carb breads and long fermentation products
like sourdough, but the science is leading to fiber.
" There is really interesting research starting to hit
publications around what type of fiber is beneficial, but
there is no real research around some other consumer
trends, " Dr. Corwin said. " Despite minimal research
backing the lasting benefits of probiotics, some research
supports prebiotics and fiber for gut health. I believe
prebiotics and fiber are the future of gut health. If science
drives trends, then the next steps will be determining
what those types of fiber are. Hopefully, that's how
we'll be developing new products. "
Pepperidge Farm
continues its
commitment to
nutritious breads
with its latest
additions.
Campbell Snacks
*
This year marks 100 years since the founding of Sosland
Publishing Co., the publisher of Baking & Snack. To mark
the anniversary of a century of providing food industry
professionals timely information, news and commentary,
we are publishing a series of articles to celebrate the past,
present and future of the people and industry that feed
the world.
www.bakingbusiness.com / May 2022 Baking & Snack 27
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