Michel Montignac (1944 - 2010), a famous French nutritionist, was also the author of the now popular "Montignac" food system - which he developed primarily in order to lose weight himself.
The unusual method of nutrition, proposed by Michel Montignac, is that he ignores low-calorie diets as a way to lose weight. The Montignac food scheme focuses on the glycemic index of foods. Glycemic index is the ability of carbohydrate to increase the sugar content in the blood (the process of hyperglycemia). The higher the hyperglycemia, the higher the glycemic index of the carbohydrate, and vice versa.
"Bad" and "good" carbohydrates
The main secrets of nutrition, according to Michel Montignac, are "good and bad" carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that have an elevated glycemic index, or "bad", are responsible for the fullness of the person, as well as for the feeling of fatigue that he is experiencing. These carbohydrates can have an unpredictable effect on metabolism. As a rule, the index of these carbohydrates is more than 50.
Carbohydrates that have a small glycemic index, or "good", include a significant amount of mineral salts, vitamins and trace elements. These carbohydrates have virtually no negative effect on the metabolism. "Good" carbohydrates the body absorbs only partially, so they are not capable of provoking a perceptible increase in blood sugar. Here are groups of "bad and good" carbohydrates - in order of decreasing this index:
To "bad" carbohydrates (with a high index) are the following: glucose, malt, baked potatoes, white bread from flour of higher grades, instant mashed potatoes, honey, carrots, corn flakes (popcorn), sugar, processed cereals with sugar (muesli ), chocolate in tiles, boiled potatoes, cookies, corn, peeled rice, gray bread, beets, bananas, melon, jam, pasta from high-grade flour.
To "good" carbohydrates (with a low index) are the following: bread from wholemeal flour with bran, brown rice, peas, oat flakes, fruit fresh juice without sugar, pasta from coarse flour, colored beans, dry peas, bread from wholemeal, dairy products, dry beans, lentils, chick peas, rye bread, fresh fruit, canned fruits without sugar, black chocolate (60% cocoa), fructose, soy, green vegetables, tomatoes, lemons, mushrooms.
Nutrition according to the Montignac scheme does not allow the "bad" carbohydrates to be combined with fats, because of this, the metabolism is disturbed, and a significant percentage of the accepted lipids are stored in the body as fat.
Fats in the food system of Michel Montignac
Fats are also divided into two groups: animal fats (we find them in fish, meat, cheese, butter, etc.) and vegetable (margarine, various vegetable oils, etc.).
Some fats increase the content of "bad" cholesterol in the blood, others, on the contrary, reduce it.
- fats that increase cholesterol. Their group includes saturated fats, which are found in fat, meat, smoked and dairy products, palm and butter;
- Fats, which practically do not affect the formation of cholesterol. They are in the poultry (without skin), eggs and oysters;
- Fats that reduce cholesterol. These fats we find in vegetable oils: olive, sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, corn, and others.
Fish oil has no effect on cholesterol in any way, but it can reduce the level of triglycerides in the blood - which prevents the formation of blood clots, which means it protects our heart. Therefore, in his method of nutrition Michel Montignac recommends us the most fatty fish: sardines, herring, tuna, salmon, chum, mackerel.
The Montignac food system is based on the fact that you always need to choose "good" carbohydrates and "good" fats.
Prohibited products
Michel Montignac's food system prohibits the following products:
- Sugar. In human nutrition, according to Montignac, sugar is the most dangerous product. But if you completely abandon the sugar, how to maintain at least the necessary minimum of glucose in the blood? In this - one of the secrets of nutrition. Montignac reminds us that the human body does not need sugar, but glucose. And we easily find it in fruits, cereals, legumes and whole foods.
- White bread. In the Montignac food program, there is also no place for bread from refined flour. Although the carbohydrates contained in it give our body some amount of energy, from the nutritional point of view, such bread is absolutely useless. Whiteness of bread is an indicator of its refining, therefore, the more white the bread, the worse it is.
- Potatoes. Another "outcast" in the food system of Michel Montignac. Potatoes contain many vitamins and trace elements - but, mostly, only in their peel, which is rarely eaten. The potato supplies the body with a very high percentage of glucose. In addition, it is very important how the potato will be cooked. Mashed potatoes have a glycemic index equal to 90, and baked potatoes - 95. For comparison, we recall that the pure glucose index is equal to 100.
- Pasta. They are not only made from fine grinding flour, but also add different fats (vegetable and butter, cheese, eggs). This contradicts the basics of separate food, - without which, according to Montignac, it is impossible to get rid of excess kilograms.
- Alcoholic beverages. In the food for Montignac they
are not included simply because, when consuming alcoholic beverages, a person is also gaining weight.
So, let's sum up. The food method of Michel Montignac offers:
- Do not combine "bad" carbohydrates with fats.
- If possible, use only "good" fats.
- Combine fats with vegetables - basically, those in which a lot of fiber. As already mentioned, separate meals, according to Montignac, - an essential condition for losing weight.