Beets and carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables. They

Beets and carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables. - Fairly straightforward.

They are also high on the glycemic index, a scale that measures the rate at which a food increases blood sugar levels. - In addition, they also increase blood sugar levels at a high rate – they are high on the g-index.

But while nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer, they are not very concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots. - This is a fairly complex sentence. Let’s break it up.

Nutritionists usually suggest not to consume high-sugar and high g-index foods.

And that too despite whatever nutritional benefits the foods may have. So, no matter how beneficial foods may be in other ways, if they have high-sugar and are high on the g-index, typically nutritionists advise against consuming such foods.

Yet, nutritionists do not advise against consuming beets and carrots.

Gist:
Nutritionists usually suggest not to consume high-sugar and high-g index foods (beets and carrots belong to this group) despite whatever nutritional benefits the foods may have. Yet, they do not advise against consuming beets and carrots.


The nutritionists’ lack of concern is fairly puzzling. On the one hand they claim that foods high in sugar and on the g-index should not be consumed no matter what the health benefits. On the other hand, they are indifferent to beets and carrots consumption.

First instinct: are the nutritionists ‘high’?

We’re looking for a reason for why it isn’t bad to consume beets and carrots despite the red flags. Not able to predict a specific answer. Let’s evaluate the answer choices


A. Foods with added sugar are much higher in sugar, and have a larger effect on blood sugar levels, than do beets and carrots.
Incorrect. We need to figure out how come nutritionists are not concerned about beets and carrots consumption. Finding out that there are foods that are even worse doesn’t help.

Say a country’s economy is not doing well. And the president of the country is indifferent to the economy. The reason for this indifference cannot be that some other unrelated country’s economy is doing much worse.

B. Most consumption of beets and carrots occurs in combination with higher-protein foods, which reduce blood sugar fluctuations.
Correct. Aha! Now, this is interesting. What would happen if most consumption of beets and carrots occurs in combination with foods that reduce their negative effects? Well, the negative effects would be countered. And what if the negative effects are balanced? Nutritionists would not be much concerned with beets and carrots consumption. It fits. The world makes sense again. Guess the nutritionists weren’t ‘high’ after all ?

Here’s another similar story: Sitting long hours in the sun can help you gain vitamin D. However, sitting long hours in the sun also exposes you to harmful UV rays. The harm from UV rays is much worse than the benefits from vitamin D. Yet, even informed people comfortably spend long hours in the sun.

How come?

They wear sunblock! Sunblock blocks the UV rays and still lets them enjoy the sun and also gain vitamin D.

(This is a hypothetical example. Please do not use it to load up on vitamin D ?

This option also provides similar reasoning. Something is used alongside that counters the negative effects.

C. Beets and carrots contain many nutrients, such as folate, beta-carotene, and vitamin C, of which many people fail to consume optimal quantities.
Incorrect. The passage explicitly mentions ‘despite any nutritional benefits they may confer’. So, even if an option told us that beets and carrots contain all the nutrients the human body needs, it would not help explain the nutritionists’ lack of concern.

D. The glycemic index measures the extent to which a food increases blood sugar levels as compared to white bread, a food that is much less healthy than beets and carrots.
Incorrect. So we learn more about the g-index – how it is calculated. Good to know. However, does this help explain why the nutritionists are not concerned about beets and carrots consumption? Not at all. We also learn that white bread is less healthy than these vegetables. (Well, duh!) However, just like option A, just ‘cause there are worse foods out there does not explain why the nutritionists are not concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots.

E. Nutritionists have only recently come to understand that a food's effect on blood sugar levels is an important determinant of that food's impact on a person's health.
Incorrect. First, let’s understand this option precisely. What have nutritionists only recently come to understand? The effect a food has on blood sugar levels helps determine the impact the food has on a person’s health. I.e., if a food raises one’s blood sugar levels, it negatively impacts one’s health. Nutritionists only recently understood this.

When nutritionists understood this relation doesn’t matter. Now that they understand the importance, how come they are still indifferent to beets and carrots consumption? That’s what we need to figure out. This option does not help us resolve the nutritionists’ seemingly puzzling behavior.


SC Notes:
Notice the comparisons in the question – in the first statement, and also in option A.


If you have any doubts regarding any part of this solution, please feel free to ask.

HAs to be B. SInce it is eaten in conjunction with other regulating foods, nutritionists are not bothered.

Only C comes close to being a valid reason, but it can be eliminated by thinking that if nutritionists were concerned about blood sugar and nutritions derived from beets and carots, they may have suggested something else to eat.

Beets and carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables. They are also high on the glycemic index, a scale that measures the rate at which a food increases blood sugar levels. But while nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer, they are not very concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots.

Type- explain nutritionists' lack of concern

A. Foods with added sugar are much higher in sugar, and have a larger effect on blood sugar levels, than do beets and carrots.- incorrect, we have no idea about foods without added sugar but those that still have high sugar content
B. Most consumption of beets and carrots occurs in combination with higher-protein foods, which reduce blood sugar fluctuations.- Correct, the accompanying food negates the blood sugar fluctuations
C. Beets and carrots contain many nutrients, such as folate, beta-carotene, and vitamin C, of which many people fail to consume optimal quantities.- incorrect, firstly we do not whether these nutrients are necessary for a our good health . If these are necessary, then are Beets and Carrots the ONLY source?
Also, how significant is 'many' here? Many is most likely not a large number and thus only such people can be advised to eat B&C or take some supplement or some other food source that contains these nutrients
D. The glycemic index measures the extent to which a food increases blood sugar levels as compared to white bread, a food that is much less healthy than beets and carrots.- incorrect, a definition of glycemic index doesn't explain
E. Nutritionists have only recently come to understand that a food's effect on blood sugar levels is an important determinant of that food's impact on a person's health.- irrelevant, when nutritionists have come to understand .... is not relevant


Answer B
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The argument says " nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer"

Option B: tell us the benefit of high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods..., Shouldn't it be incorrect?

I Picked C for the reason stated above.

Official Explanation

Argument Construction

This question requires us to identify an explanation for nutritionists' lack of concern regarding consumption of beets and carrots, despite the fact that they have higher sugar levels than many other vegetables and rate high on the glycemic index.

Normally, nutritionists would advise people against consuming foods that rate high on the glycemic index, whatever their other nutritional benefits.

To explain why nutritionists might hold such apparently conflicting positions, consider whether there might be something notable about the consumption of beets and carrots that makes their consumption an exception to the rule.

A. The fact that some foods may be even more problematic than beets and carrots does not explain nutritionists' lack of concern about beets and carrots.

B. Correct. This provides a reason that consumption of beets and carrots may be, at least within the suggested context, exempt from nutritionists' concern about consumption of high-sugar, high-glycemic-index foods. Remember, nutritionists' general concern arises from the effects such foods have on those who consume them. If we suggest that beets and carrots are usually consumed with high-protein foods that counteract these unwanted effects, we have good reason not to be concerned about their consumption, at least in regard to their sugar level and glycemic index.

C. The nutritionists advise people to avoid foods high in sugar and high on the glycemic index despite any nutritional benefits they may confer. Therefore, the fact that beets and carrots have such nutritional benefits does not explain why nutritionists would not be concerned about consuming beets and carrots, given that they both high in sugar and rate high on the glycemic index.

D. Whatever measure the glycemic index is based on, we know that beets and carrots are high on that index. Furthermore, we know that nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer. Therefore, the fact that beets and carrots are more nutritious than white bread does not in any way explain the nutritionists' lack of concern.

E. The fact that nutritionists have only recently become concerned about high-sugar and high-glycemic-level foods does not explain their particular lack of concern regarding beets and carrots.

The correct answer is B.

I feel like C can still be correct.

"But while nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer, they are not very concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots."

I caught the fact that the stimulus states that the beneficial nutritional value is overlooked, but the stimulus also states that this is the case most of the time, or what is usual. This means that there can still be reasons, even though not the case with other high sugar or high-glycemic-index foods, as to why nutritionists, despite generally disregarding nutritional value as compared to the sugar content, will grant carrots and beets an 'exception.'

Your analysis makes some sense.

At the same time the passage doesn’t say that they “nevertheless recommend eating beets and carrots.” It says that they are “not very concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots.”

So, the other stuff is background expressing why they would be concerned, and what has to be explained is why they would not be concerned.

(C) does not explain that.

(B) does.
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Beets and carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables. They are also high on the glycemic index, a scale that measures the rate at which a food increases blood sugar levels. But while nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer, they are not very concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots.

C tells us there are nutrients, but we already know the nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods despite nutritional benefits, so there must be an alternate reason why the aren't concerned with consumption.

D is that alt reason.

I understand B is the only option which is relevant. Now the only thing which causes me discomfort is that passage talks about the increase of Blood sugar however Option B talks about Blood sugar fluctuation (Could be high or could be low). Although B is correct partially it is not addressing the core issue

TheGMATCo - I absolutely love your explanations on CRs .They have helped me understand so much better why an option that is wrong is actually wrong.
Thank you! More power to you

Beets and carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables. They are also high on the glycemic index, a scale that measures the rate at which a food increases blood sugar levels. But while nutritionists usually advise people to avoid high-sugar and high-glycemic-index foods, despite any nutritional benefits they may confer, they are not very concerned about the consumption of beets and carrots.

Beets and carrots sugar ↑ & glycemic index ↑
Regardless of other nutritional benefits, nutritions usually advice to avoid such foods.
But not concerned of consumption of Beets and carrots

Why?....

Maybe.. Some ingredients in Beets and carrots reduce digestion of sugar.
Maybe.. Sugar is decomposed in the way people cook or ingest Beets and carrots.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain the nutritionists’ lack of concern?

A. Foods with added sugar are much higher in sugar, and have a larger effect on blood sugar levels, than do beets and carrots.
-> Irrelevant. The fact that other foods have higher sugar cannot be the reason to say it is okay to ingest sugar from beets and carrots.

B. Most consumption of beets and carrots occurs in combination with higher-protein foods, which reduce blood sugar fluctuations.
-> Correct. Option B provides information that ultimately the sugar fluctuations in the blood will not happen even though people consume beets and carrots due to their way of consumption.

C. Beets and carrots contain many nutrients, such as folate, beta-carotene, and vitamin C, of which many people fail to consume optimal quantities.
-> Irrelevant. As stated in the premise, normally nutritionists advice people to avoid high-sugar foods despite any other nutritional benefits. As given in the premise, the fact that beets and carrots contains many nutrients cannot be the answer.

D. The glycemic index measures the extent to which a food increases blood sugar levels as compared to white bread, a food that is much less healthy than beets and carrots.
-> Option D is merely explanation of glycemic index and does not provide information to understand unregular exception for beets and carrots.

E. Nutritionists have only recently come to understand that a food’s effect on blood sugar levels is an important determinant of that food’s impact on a person’s health.
-> Irrelevant. Just because nutritionists have recently understand the effect of sugar cannot be the answer for exception. Given option E is true, nutritionists must have not advise people to avoid high-sugar in other foods as well.

SC comparison doubt:
1) Beets and carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables.
2) Foods with added sugar are much higher in sugar, and have a larger effect on blood sugar levels, than do beets and carrots.
Why there is no verb after "vegetables" in 1 but a verb "do" in 2?

Hi Expert,

Could you please clarify what specifically answer choice B means by the term fluctuations? At fist I considered choice B as the correct choice, but then, analyzing better it the passage is not concerned with fluctuations (since it would be possible having a situations in which the sugar level are high and dangerous but stable). How stabilizing the fluctuations can help us to resolve the paradox?

Regards.

What's the heart of this question?

Nutritionists do not care very much about the consumption of beets and carrots even though they contain unhealthy things.
Now, why this lack of concern?
If it's true that most people consume Beets and Carrots with things that nullify the effect of the unhealthy things contained in Beets and Carrots then the lack of concern is warranted.
And that's what B says. Keep it.

A is gone because foods with added sugar compared with beets and carrots is out of the boundary of this question.
We don't know whether people consume foods with added sugar.

C is eliminated because it says that beets and carrots contain many nutrients which people don't consume in the right quantities.
But are those nutrients vital for good health?
Will I die if I never consume those nutrients?
Do the nutrients in beets and carrots destroy the negative effect of unhealthy things in beets and carrots?
C doesn't give us any hint. Trash it!

D is out of the window because we need more specific info about the safe consumption of beets and carrots, not about the glycemic index.
Moreover, the question gives us enough info about the glycemic index, a scale that measures the rate at which a food increases blood sugar levels.

E is eliminated because whether the nutritionists understand blood sugar recently or not recently is out of the scope of this argument.
The main point of this argument is that nutritionists don't worry when they see you eat beets and carrots.

Therefore, if B is true then it would best explain the nutritionists' lack of concern.

I hope I'm crystal-clear 🙏

Posted from my mobile device
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