Montignac method

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The Montignac method , named after its inventor Michel Montignac (1944–2010), is a nutritional principle that is supposed to promote health and contribute to weight reduction. Although the inventor refused to use the name diet , the method can by definition be called such. It is recommended by its advocates as permanent nutrition. It contains elements of the Glyx diet , but also food combining and low-carb .

The principle

Neither protein , fat nor carbohydrates should generally be avoided with the Montignac method. However, carbohydrates are divided into “good” and “bad”, whereby the bad should be avoided. The classification into “bad”, “good” and “very good” carbohydrates is based on a glycemic index , which indicates what percentage of the starch content of the food actually gets into the blood, with glucose - with 100% absorption - serving as a benchmark. The higher the GI, the higher the blood sugar level and the more insulin is released. Some values ​​are summarized in a GI list . In addition, it is important to pay attention to the “correct” combination of carbohydrates with fatty foods from the point of view of the Montignac method. Fat is said to lower the GI, as is dietary fiber . But the preparation also plays a role.

Accordingly, for example, dextrose , white bread and cooked carrots have a high GI , a medium GI whole grain bread, oatmeal and fruit, many vegetables and legumes , but also fats have a low GI .

Some Montignac rules

  1. so-called very good carbohydrates (GI up to 35) can be combined with any amount of protein and fat
  2. good carbohydrates (GI 35–50) should not be combined with fat. Exceptions are small amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as vegetable oils (e.g. on the salad) or fish (e.g. tuna or salmon)
  3. Bad carbohydrates (GI 50-100) should be left out as they lead to weight gain

Montignac's theory

Montignac assumes that the excessive release of insulin is decisive for weight gain . The resulting hypoglycemia is said to be a major contributor to fat storage, as it is a signal of a lack of food for the body to which it reacts with fat storage. If, on the other hand, the insulin level is constantly low, the food ingested is completely burned - fat can be broken down. From Montignac's point of view, a problem with typical eating habits in industrialized countries is that many foods, because they contain large amounts of sugar , especially glucose and sucrose , raise blood sugar levels too quickly and excessively. This in turn leads to a rapid release of insulin. In addition, in the course of agricultural industrialization, many foods would be genetically modified due to higher yields and easier cultivation in such a way that their nutritional value deteriorated.
In addition to sugar, a number of other foods increased the blood sugar level so strongly and quickly (which in turn leads to the rapid release of insulin) that, from the point of view of the Montignac method, they are counted among the bad carbohydrates . These should therefore be avoided:

  • sugar
  • Corn (the original Indian corn would be good )
  • Potatoes ("bred")
  • husked rice (exceptions: wild rice and basmati rice)
  • White flour (and derived products)
  • cooked carrots (when cooked, the good carbohydrates supposedly go bad) . The long-chain carbohydrate compounds in carrots are broken down into short-chain compounds (glucose) during cooking, which cause the blood sugar level to rise higher than the original compound.
  • Beer (contains maltose , which is even worse than sugar)

The job of the pancreas is to regulate blood sugar levels. To do this, it produces the hormones insulin and glucagon . When the blood sugar level rises sharply, the pancreas produces a lot of insulin in order to lower the blood sugar level again. The intake of bad carbohydrates (see above) and a high glycemic index lead, according to Montignac, to a state of hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar level), which in consequence leads to a state of hypoglycaemia ( low blood sugar) in many people . These are findings from diabetes research that scientifically introduced the GI in the first place.

If you consume bad carbohydrates frequently and in large quantities , the pancreas is very stressed because it often has to produce a lot of insulin quickly. In some people, the insulin secretion gets out of control and excessive insulin is produced even with low carbohydrate intake ( hyperinsulinism ). When the metabolism is functioning properly, the body also regulates high blood sugar levels. Due to the high insulin release, diabetics become insulin resistant , i. That is, they no longer respond properly to insulin and the blood sugar level cannot be lowered. This leads to a further increase in insulin release.

Building on the knowledge that obesity is always associated with hyperinsulinism and that insulin is involved in the storage of fat ( lipogenesis ), Montignac proposed that hyperinsulinism is the cause and not the consequence of obesity.

These assumptions explain the basic rules of the Montignac method:

  1. If you eat predominantly or exclusively "very good" carbohydrates, the blood sugar level is little increased and thus little insulin is produced. Thus, absorbed fat can hardly be stored as storage fat.
  2. With "good" carbohydrates that increase blood sugar and insulin levels, you should only consume a little fat, because that can be stored.
  3. With "bad" carbohydrates there is a strong insulin production. In this way, no fat can be broken down, but new storage fat is stored.

In addition to the desired weight loss, the method aims above all to calm down a “stressed” pancreas. Montignac claims to have been the first author to use the GI as the basis for a nutritional method.

Montignac supporters recommend leaving out the bad carbohydrates entirely. To do this, however, you need information on the blood sugar-increasing effect of the individual components of daily food, which must be taken from tables.

Two phases of the diet

Montignac divides its diet into two phases. The first is about losing weight and normalizing the functioning of the pancreas. In the second phase, the weight should then be stabilized. In the first phase, only foods with a low GI may be eaten, i.e. no potatoes, no peeled rice and no light pasta; there are no restrictions on fats and proteins. In the second phase there are more exceptions, for example potatoes are allowed every now and then. However, exceptions should be compensated for by consuming particularly inexpensive foods during the same meal if possible.

criticism

  • Many nutritionists believe that the diet contains too much fat and too much protein. The protein content is on average 30 percent, otherwise a maximum of 20 percent is recommended. The fat content is around 31 percent. In the more recent books on the Montignac method, Montignac recommends fat reduction and, above all, the choice of "good" fats (with unsaturated fatty acids). The carbohydrate content is only 40 percent, but with "normal" mixed food it is 50 to 60 percent.
  • The Glycemic Index (GI) can not be considered in isolation, according to doctors, since the effect is modified by food on blood sugar by many influences. The individual fluctuations are also very high, so that each table only provides guidelines. Most foods are also not eaten in isolation, but with others, which changes the GI; the values ​​could not simply be added.
  • It has been criticized that some high GI foods (cooked carrot, melon) are removed from the menu even though they are so low in carbohydrates that their impact on blood sugar levels is minimal. This reveals a lack of reflection on the conceptual weakness of the GI itself, which is based on a fixed amount of carbohydrates but not on a normal consumption of the food. Montignac responded to this criticism; in one of his more recent books, “Die neue Trendkost”, the glycemic load already occupies a central place.
  • Most nutritionists are of the opinion that fat and protein also play an important role in weight gain, as does energy intake (see: Physiological calorific value of food). If more energy is consumed than consumed, the weight increases - completely independent of the GI. The connection between energy consumption and weight gain or loss is, however, decidedly denied by Michel Montignac and presented as a central error in nutritional science.
  • The application of the method requires the users to have precise knowledge of the composition of their food, the method is therefore to be regarded as a complicated method for typical users. Montignac himself repeatedly emphasizes that an understanding of the principles of his method is essential for success. Nevertheless, it can be countered that there is a very simple rule of thumb, which can be regarded as favorable according to his method: foods that are as natural as possible (e.g. whole grains) while avoiding sugar, potatoes, corn and excessive alcohol consumption.

Similar approaches

  • The Glyx Diet is based on the same principles as the Montignac Method. In addition to the glycemic index , the ingredients are also included in the assessment. As a result, there are more foods on the menu of the Glyx diet than with Montignac.
  • The LOGI method pays more attention to the glycemic load and uses the LOGI nutritional pyramid as a guideline for nutrition, which was developed based on studies at Harvard University .
  • The insulin food combining developed by Detlef Pape tries to keep the insulin level as low as possible so that the breakdown of body fat is not hindered.

literature

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