Finding the low-doubt diet
If you ask these questions, you are not alone. Nothing is definite in nutrition. The field is at the confluence of two powerful interests: the 1 Trillion dollar food industry and the 72 billion dollar diet market. These two forces generate lots of pressure and propaganda, and it’s tough to separate truth from noise and BS. Opportunists invent new programs every day or rebrand old ideas for their benefit. So, it is natural to be confused and somewhat suspicious. And the stakes are high: nutrition is one healthy lifestyle hacks that a direct impact on your well-being.
New is not necessarily better in that matter, because a diet is a product and marketing dictates to bring newness to win more customers. Thus the “eat only this” or “don’t eat that” trends that come and go: raw eggs, liver, animal kidney, cruciferous vegetables. The wise decision is for you to start with a tested program on which there are data and experience. You will know the benefits and drawbacks, and if you can live with them. Dieting is very ancient. Ancient Greeks and Romans already practiced it, and there is no shortage of diets that have been around for several decades.
The low-carb diet French connection: Montignac Method
France does not strike as the country from which a diet would come — you would instead select Greece or Iceland. France as however built a reputation for enlightening the perspective around food and challenging conventional nutritional wisdom.
The French brought us the French paradox, and French Vin Rouge surprised us with its polyphenols and resveratrol that are heart-healthy. And 30 years ago, they brought us a low-carb diet, the Montignac method: “La Methode Montignac.” Michel Montignac was a French executive for the pharmaceutical industry in the 80s. He was overweight and tried to find a solution that was backed by science.
Montignac was intrigued by the research of Phyllis A. Crapo, a diabetes expert from UC San Diego. He later found more information in the work of Canadian researcher David Jenkins that gave him the scientific foundations to define a new weight-loss method. Losing 30 pounds in three months without restricting his total calorie intake was enough to convince Montignac he was onto something. He wrote several books and became a nutrition luminary, trendy all over Europe.
Dr. Carbohydrate and Mister Carb
The foundation of the Montignac Method is the idea that not all carbohydrates are equal. Some create insulin spikes in your body. This point was controversial at the time, but it is now proven that high insulin response will make you store fat and will damage your pancreas longer term.
Not all carbohydrates are equal
To avoid these spikes, Montignac recommends aliments based on their “glycemic index” (GI), which is the insulin response they generate. A high GI means your insulin goes to the roof, and you store fat. A low GI means everything is good, and you even burn fat. As you guess, the low GI foods include proteins, meats, fatty food without carbs. Pretty similar to Keto or Carnivore. Montignac does not ban all carbs, however.
You may question Keto extremists that avoid healthy food like vegetables and fruits because they have “carbs”. Montignac gives you the arguments to keep eating these staples of healthy living: fruits and vegetables have a low GI, because they contain fiber and water, and release their sugars slowly.
One thing that matters is how you prepare your food. Raw carrots are perfect. Cooked ones, not so. A fresh orange is excellent; orange juice is a big no. Similarly, whole bread is ok, because of fiber. White bread, no.
Keep what you love, love what you hate
The Montignac Method requires some learning, but once you understand the principle, it is straightforward. You avoid the same obvious offenders as for other low-carb diets: refined sugar, white bread, processed food, soft drinks. It adds more flexibility, with a benevolent eye on healthy carbohydrates: fruits and vegetables, whole cereals.
If you struggle with dieting, because of restrictions, you’ll be happy to know that there is no calorie counting with the Method. It is much more about learning to love new foods. You will have to teach yourself to love coffee without sugar — and you may have to learn to cook, but you will ultimately enjoy it.
There is no calorie counting with the Method.
I used it myself. After moving to the USA, I put on 20 pounds. Then I started the Montignac Method.
It worked like a charm, and I lost all my extra weight I few months. I realized how much sugar, and especially high GI one, I was ingesting with my adopted country cuisine.
Because you don’t need another diet
With the Montignac Method, you have a nutrition method that is backed by science and was proven effective. It is more an eating habit than a low-carb diet, with no calorie restriction, and is easy to apply. For many, the Method is effective and works long term, because it can be a permanent change.
To that date, I retained most of the Method’s principle, although I allow myself French fries, pasta, pizza, and plain bread from time to time.
It is more an eating habit than a diet
And that’s the beauty: The Montignac Method offers a general principle for classifying food, the glycemic index, and you can adapt it to your lifestyle and body response.
You are not a guinea pig: start with a known Method
You believe that a low-carb diet is right for you but are confused by the many options: Paleo, Keto, Carnivore, Atkins, protein shake. Some restrictions and extreme food choices don’t seem right. You feel that there is lots of hype and marketing, and you would like something that has some track record. You would like a diet that has been around for some time and has shown lasting results with people that have adopted it. The Montignac Method is precisely that, and it is worth trying.
Take a stab at it, and if it is right for you, you will soon be losing weight. As I did, you can adjust the Method to your needs while retaining its principle, and if you make some permanent change, you will have lasting results. You did the first step, learning about it. Now get to the next and read about the Montignac Method and the glycemic index principle.