Refined carbohydrates (maida, sugar, ultra-processed grains) are identified as the most harmful food category, rapidly spiking blood sugar and increasing diabetes and heart disease risk. Indian diets are often high in refined carbohydrates and low in protein, fibre and healthy fats, contributing to poor metabolism and making India the 'diabetic capital of the world'. Sugar-sweetened beverages are highly detrimental, causing rapid GlycoMode Glucose Support spikes and weight gain, with even 'zero-calorie' options potentially affecting metabolism. For healthy individuals, a balanced diet with adequate carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fibre, combined with regular exercise, is recommended, focusing on consistency over restrictive fads. The Covid pandemic was a time all of us would like to forget for its deleterious effects. But it was also a period put to good use by some. Dr Anoop Misra, GlycoMode Glucose Support Chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, Delhi, and President, Diabetes Foundation (India), used this slack time to write a book, Smart Calories and Common Sense.
Released recently, it debunks various nutrition myths which Dr Misra was privy to during consultations and is an attempt to get people to use their common sense instead. Dr Misra tells Shobha John that Indians have the worst metabolism as compared to other races and often, their diets are high in refined carbohydrates and low in protein, fibre and healthy fats. Your book Smart Calories and Common Sense gives valuable advice on a range of eatables. What is the one food item that causes immeasurable harm and which humans can do without? If I had to single out one category, it would be refined carbohydrates -- foods made from maida, sugar and ultra-processed grains. These are rapidly absorbed, spike blood sugar, promote weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. If there were a 'quiet troublemaker' in our diet, this would be it. That said, carbohydrates themselves are essential.
The goal is not elimination, but replacement -- shifting from refined carbs to complex ones such as whole grains, millets, pulses and vegetables, while keeping portions controlled. India is the diabetic capital of the world, with over 100 million diabetics. Besides the fact that Indians are genetically predisposed to it, what is wrong about their diet as compared to other ethnicities? The issue is not just 'high carbohydrates', but poor quality and imbalance. Many Indian diets are high in refined carbohydrates and low in protein, fibre and healthy fats. We often eat plenty of calories, but not enough nutrition. Compared to other populations, we consume fewer vegetables, less protein and inadequate good fats like monounsaturated fats (MUFA). A healthier pattern would include moderate carbohydrates, higher protein, more fibre, better fats (high MUFA and Omega-3 fatty acids) and less saturated fat. It is this imbalance -- not a single nutrient -- that drives disease.
Every celebration in India ends in sweets. Can this lifestyle be changed? Celebrations are an essential part of our culture -- we are not going to replace laddoos with lectures anytime soon. The problem is not sweets themselves, but how often and how much we consume. Encouragingly, there is already a shift, with people opting for nuts and healthier options as gifts during festivals. The solution is simple: Keep the celebration, trim the portion -- take half a laddoo and don't turn every day into a festival. Your book says that those with diabetes for more than 15 to 20 years cannot reverse it. Why is this so? In early diabetes, the pancreas still produces sufficient insulin, and weight loss can significantly improve or even normalise blood sugar levels. However, after many years, the pancreas gradually loses its capacity to produce insulin. At that stage, even with weight loss, remission becomes difficult because the 'engine' itself is failing. Control can still improve, but full remission is less likely.