Carbohydrates come in two basic forms: Complex and simple. But to make things simple, let’s just say that there’s carbohydrate in a lot of food that we put in our mouths. Like bread, rice, beans, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, even milk, fruit and vegetable. Whatever, the digestive system does not discriminate and handles all carbohydrates in much the same way.That is, it breaks them down (or tries to) into single sugar molecules small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It converts most digestible carbohydrates into glucose (or blood sugar) so that the cells can use this as an energy source. Fiber is not broken down into sugar molecules so it passes through the body mostly undigested.
White bread has a high glycemic index (it makes blood sugar rise fast) while brown rice (which has more fiber) has a low glycemic index.
Take a few grains of wisdom from Dr. Ron Kennedy and other experts:
• Take high-fiber vegetable foods, they’re the healthiest carbo choices as they’re associated with lowered incidences of hypertension, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc.
• Beware of the high-carbohydrate diet, which is now so popular, as it causes the pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin. Excess insulin may cause hypertension.
• Beware of diets filled with high-glycemic-index foods, which cause quick and strong increases in blood sugar levels, as these have been linked to an increased risk for both diabetes and heart disease.
• Ripe fruits and vegetables tend to have more sugar than unripe ones, and so tend to have a higher glycemic index.
• Finely ground grain is more rapidly digested, and so has a higher glycemic index than more coarsely ground grain.
• Some popular diets, like the Atkins diet, treat carbohydrates as if they are the culprit, the root of all body fat and excess weight. While it may true that a low-carbo diet may help people lose weight more quickly than a low-fat diet, no one knows the long-term effects of eating little or no carbohydrates.
• If you want to go the lower carb route, try to include some fruits, vegetables and whole-grain carbohydrates every day. They contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients essential for good health.
• For optimal health, get your grains intact from foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole-grain pasta and possibly unfamiliar grains like quinoa, whole oats and bulgur, which protect against a whole range of chronic diseases. The hearty news is they’re mostly available in local health stores all over the metro.
Thank you for devoting valuabsle space to the letter of Dominador Uy (STAR, Consumerline, 04 May 2004) decrying the shabby treatment be and his wife experienced while attempting to buy prescription antibiotic from a "lesser-known drug store."
Senior citizens go through more humiliating and oppressive treatment every day throughout the country, Unfortunately, very few senior citizens take time to seek redress.
Because of those and a myriad other concerns, we formed the Senior Citizens’ Advisory & Advocacy Group (SCAAG) last year.
Primarily, SCAAG is a think tank. As such, it was fortunate to have been invited by the DSWD to participate in the drafting of the Implementing Rules & Regulations (IRR) for the new Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2003 or RA 9257. The IRR is forthcoming.
More importantly, the SCAAG is determined to spearhead the legal crusade against establishments that inflict injustices upon senior citizens. Through your column, please allow us to issue a fair warning to all establishments that we shall not tolerate any longer any violation of the law for the benefit of senior citizens.
The recently formed SCAAG, composed of professional achievers from a wide array of disciplines and competencies, and who have decided to spearhead the undertaking of legal action against violators of the senior citizen law (RA 9257), scored two victories recently.
The first was against a food outlet at the Farmers’ Food Plaza that unilaterally set a limit on the purchase of senior citizens on which to apply the mandated 20 percent discount, a practice that is not allowed by law. The OSCA, acting on a formal complaint of a SCAAG member, called the attention of the said outlet to the fact that both the old RA 7432 and the new RA 9257, otherwise known as the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2003, do not allow any establishment to unilaterally set a limit on the purchase of senior citizens on which to grant or apply the mandated 20 percent discount.
The second victory involved a hospital in Mandaluyong City. The said hospital willingly reimbursed to a member of the SCAAG the amount representing the 20 percent discount due the member but which the hospital’s cashier at first refused to grant. As a result of the reimbursement, the SCAAG member decided to forego the legal action that he initiated.
The SCAAG warns all major food and drug chains, which have rampantly and for a long time violated the law by unilaterally setting limits and unlawful conditions on senior citizen purchases on which to grant or apply the mandated 20 percent discount, that the SCAAG shall initiate legal action against them as soon as any senior citizen complains.
All senior citizens are invited to report to the SCAAG any violation of the senior citizen law (RA 9257) so that legal action may be initiated on their behalf. Complaints, however, must be supported by documents. The SCAAG may be contacted through P.O. Box 138, Araneta Center, Cubao, QC; telefax no. 726-49-76; cell phone no. 0916-9227004 or 0919-4298892.
Ramon Alfonso A. Fuentes
Founding principal