An explosive new book claims carb-heavy foods – including potatoes – can actually help you lose weight
 
For years, dieters have berated themselves for every bite of bread or pasta that has passed their lips.
 
But tucking into carbs could actually help us lose weight, according to scientists.
 
An explosive book that claims bread, pasta, pizza and chips are the ingredients for a perfect body is threatening to consign the Atkins diet and other high-protein regimes to history.
 
The Carb Lover’s Diet, due for release in the UK next month, remained on bestseller lists in the U.S. for six months after it was published in August.
 
The book claims that resistant starch, found in carb-rich foods such as bananas, oatmeal, brown rice and potatoes, has the power to suppress appetite, boost metabolism, improve mood, reduce stress levels and speed up weight loss.
 
According to its authors, scientists at the University of Colorado Centre for Human Nutrition in Denver found evidence that certain carb-rich foods speed up metabolism and curb hunger pangs.
 
In their study of 4,451 volunteers, it emerged that the slimmest ate the most carbs in the form of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, while the fattest consumed the least.
 
 
If it works, the diet could spell the end for high-protein weight loss programmes such as Atkins and Dukan, which is favoured by actress Jennifer Aniston.
 
Elisabeth Weichselbaum, from the British Nutrition Foundation, said: ‘If you eat a low-carb high-protein diet you do lose weight but it is not healthy – and it’s not a long term solution.’
 
She added that, in theory, the Carb Lover’s Diet could help slimmers shed pounds – but only if they didn’t use it as an excuse to eat limitless portions of pizza and pasta.
 
‘Resistance starch, which features prominently in the diet, bulks out what we eat. It is considered a fibre and it can be helpful in weight loss,’ she said.
 
‘One-third of what you eat should come from carbs. I don’t think we should increase the amount of carbs we eat but it’s not a good idea to totally cut them out.’
 
Anna Raymond, from the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘I’m pleased someone has finally advocated carb consumption.
 
‘Of course Atkins-type diets give results but in the long-term cutting out carbs means you metabolise using different processes that are harmful.
 
‘[The Carb Lover’s Diet] is basically a low GI diet. Resistant starch is fibre so it’s harder to break down and can suppress appetite.
 
If you feel fuller for longer, you eat less.
 

 
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