P
Papa Joe
Guest
FYI
From : http://www.wisc.edu/foodsafety/wffoodfactsforyounov2003.htm
How do food manufacturers remove the carbohydrates from food?
With the increasing popularity of low carbohydrate diets, the food
industry has responded with an array of food items such as ‘low carb’
beer and ‘sugar free’ candy. Certainly fewer carbohydrates don’t mean
that a food is lower in calories, but from a food science standpoint
how does a food become low-carb? This question was addressed in an
article in the October 2003 issue of Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter.
It appears that in baked goods, naturally high-carbohydrate wheat
flour is replaced with ingredients that are higher in protein such as
soy flour or wheat protein. Fiber and other agents also fill in for
the weight and texture of flour, along with high-fat ingredients like
nuts. (But remember, protein has as many calories per gram as
carbohydrate – each with 4 calories per gram; while fat has over twice
as much – 9 calories per gram).
When it comes to sweets, sugar, a carbohydrate, is often replaced with
ingredients known as sugar alcohols – maltitol, lactitol, and
sorbitol. These ingredients (all of which can cause abdominal
discomfort and diarrhea in some people because of the way the body
breaks them down) contribute half the carbohydrate of sugar. But sugar
alcohols do not affect blood insulin and blood sugar the way
carbohydrates do, and so they may not need to be counted as
carbohydrates.
But all in all, there is no legal definition for the term ‘low
carbohydrate’ so, at least for now, let the buyer beware.
From : http://www.wisc.edu/foodsafety/wffoodfactsforyounov2003.htm
How do food manufacturers remove the carbohydrates from food?
With the increasing popularity of low carbohydrate diets, the food
industry has responded with an array of food items such as ‘low carb’
beer and ‘sugar free’ candy. Certainly fewer carbohydrates don’t mean
that a food is lower in calories, but from a food science standpoint
how does a food become low-carb? This question was addressed in an
article in the October 2003 issue of Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter.
It appears that in baked goods, naturally high-carbohydrate wheat
flour is replaced with ingredients that are higher in protein such as
soy flour or wheat protein. Fiber and other agents also fill in for
the weight and texture of flour, along with high-fat ingredients like
nuts. (But remember, protein has as many calories per gram as
carbohydrate – each with 4 calories per gram; while fat has over twice
as much – 9 calories per gram).
When it comes to sweets, sugar, a carbohydrate, is often replaced with
ingredients known as sugar alcohols – maltitol, lactitol, and
sorbitol. These ingredients (all of which can cause abdominal
discomfort and diarrhea in some people because of the way the body
breaks them down) contribute half the carbohydrate of sugar. But sugar
alcohols do not affect blood insulin and blood sugar the way
carbohydrates do, and so they may not need to be counted as
carbohydrates.
But all in all, there is no legal definition for the term ‘low
carbohydrate’ so, at least for now, let the buyer beware.