“Food parachute”: this trick will reduce the impact of harmful food on health

My professor at Stanford, Dr. Clyde Wilson, described a simple trick: it will be useful to many who are unable to give up harmful food, but at least a little thinking about their health. And Dr. Wilson knows what he is talking about: he received a doctorate in chemistry from the same Stanford University and at the same time teaches at UCSF medical schools and also heads the Institute of Sports Medicine (Sports Medicine Institute). In his article, Dr. Wilson tells how to continue eating pizza and fast food, significantly reducing their detrimental effect on our body. I hasten to share a secret with you, having translated, with the permission of the author, an article into Russian:

“Today we take food as a drug, because in tight schedules we need a quick means to keep moving. And the food industry provides us with tasty, inexpensive and convenient food, which successfully satisfies our need for fat, sugar and calories. According to the World Health Organization, the number of patients with noncommunicable diseases in the world has exceeded the number of infectious patients, and this is mainly due to the use of refined, industrially processed foods and products of animal origin. That is, our employment excuses have caused global problems: the epidemic of obesity and diabetes, not least.

In this regard, the joyful information can be considered the fact that we all have some kind of “parachute” that helps slow down the digestion of food “junk” and fast food. Studies in 2011 (* 1) showed that eating crunchy vegetables directly in front of simple carbohydrates (and they are mostly fast food) leads to a significant improvement in the metabolism of type II diabetics compared to a complex healthy diet. These benefits became noticeable after 6 months and were observed for 2 years throughout the study.

Of course, this does not mean that eating vegetables along with unhealthy food is better than a healthy diet in general. But if you can only change one thing in your diet, change what gives the most tangible result.

In 2012, scientists determined how many vegetables are required to obtain the result: the metabolic rate increases significantly with the consumption of 200 grams of any vegetables per day or only 70 grams of green vegetables (* 2). These are about 3 cups (240 ml dishes) of raw or lightly cooked vegetables (of various colors) or greens. We process green vegetables less thermally than others because we mainly use them for salads. And since the cooked vegetables are softer, they do not slow down the emptying of the stomach and the digestion of food, and their effect on the metabolic rate is somewhat less. Dealing with raw green vegetables is much more difficult for the stomach than with soft and cooked ones. By consuming green vegetables alone, patients had a decrease in weight, fat mass and waist circumference.

When exactly do you need to wear a “vegetable parachute”? 10 minutes before the consumption of fast carbohydrates: so you slow down the digestion of food. But the vegetables, eaten after at least 10 minutes after junk food, almost never slow down digestion, because you have already digested some of the food eaten.

Surprisingly, a third of the carbohydrates eaten digested and enters the bloodstream just 10 minutes after eating. Fortunately, there are vegetables that can save us from the effects of eating these unhealthy carbohydrates – without getting rid of the carbohydrates themselves, which we love so deeply.

Scientists suggest that eating vegetables at the same time with unhealthy food can be just as useful as before. But this is not yet verified. I personally prefer to eat vegetables with the rest of the food, because it’s easier to eat a lot of vegetables. Spinach tastes like pizza when you eat it with pizza. Cale tastes like a hamburger when you eat it with a hamburger.

Note: the movement of sugar in the blood (talking about the speed of digestion of food and increase in blood sugar levels) doubles the risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases among diabetics than the actual blood sugar level (measured on an empty stomach). This means that you can be diabetic, but halve the risk of cardiovascular disease by slowing down the rate of digestion. Eating foods that brought you to diabetes, but together with vegetables will also help to reduce the medication in half (* 1).

Yes, adding a large amount of vegetables to the diet can be difficult for various reasons, but it’s a consolation to know that you can eat all other favorite foods – and improve the quality of life.

Abandoning the food you love is difficult and almost impossible in the long run. But to add to it something that you may not particularly like (for example, vegetables), while continuing to eat what you like (for example, pizza), is absolutely possible. Think of vegetables as a longer road to pleasure. ”