The Truth About
Carbohydrates
Not all
Carbs are Created Equal
A carbohydrate-rich diet can inflate appetite and
girth. Low-carb diets do promote short-term weight loss, but are
accompanied by some severe dangers. So what should you do? The truth
is, you can have your carbs and eat them too but you just have to know
how to choose them.
The Truth about Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body's ideal fuel for most
functions. They supply the body with the energy needed for the muscles,
brain and central nervous system. In fact, the human brain depends
exclusively on carbohydrates for its energy.
Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables,
beans, dairy products, foods made from grain products, and sweeteners
such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.
The body converts digestible (non-fiber)
carbohydrates into glucose, which our cells use as fuel. Some carbs
(simple) break down quickly into glucose while others (complex) are
slowly broken down and enter the bloodstream more gradually.
During digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down
into glucose before they can enter the bloodstream where insulin helps
the glucose enter the body’s cells. Some glucose is stored as glycogen
in the liver and muscles for future use, like fueling a workout. If
there is extra glucose, the body will store it as fat.
All carbohydrates are not created equal.
There are basically three types of
carbohydrates:
Simple carbohydrates are composed of 1 or 2 sugar
units that are broken down and digested quickly.
Recent research has shown that certain simple
carbohydrate foods can cause extreme surges in blood sugar levels, which
also increases insulin release. This can elevate appetite and the
risk of excess fat storage.
 Complex carbohydrates (also referred to as starch)
are made up of many sugar units and are found in both natural (brown
rice) and refined (white bread) form. They are structurally more complex
and take longer to be broken down and digested.
Complex carbohydrate foods have been shown to enter
the blood stream gradually and trigger only a moderate rise in insulin
levels, which stabilizes appetite and results in fewer carbohydrates
that are stored as fat. Unrefined or ‘whole grain’ carbohydrates found
in products like brown rice, whole wheat pasta and bran cereals are
digested slowly. They contain vitamins, minerals and fiber which promote
health. Fiber and nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits and beans which are
carbohydrates also have many important functions for the body and are
important for good health.
Indigestible carbohydrates are also called fiber.
The body is unable to breakdown fiber into small enough units for
absorption. It is therefore not an energy source for the body but does
promote health in many other ways.
Simple carbs, complex carbs, and fiber are found in
many foods. Some provide important nutrients that promote health
while others simply provide calories that promote girth.
Sugar, syrup, candy, honey, jams, jelly, molasses,
and soft drinks contain simple carbohydrates and little if any
nutrients.
Fruits contain primarily simple carbohydrate
but also valuable vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.
Vegetables contain varying amounts of simple
and complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.
Legumes such as beans, peas, lentils and
soybeans contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and
protein.
Milk products contain simple carbohydrates
along with protein, calcium and other nutrients.
Grain products contain complex
carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. The amounts vary
depending on the type of grain used and the amount of processing.
Selecting whole grain options whenever possible is recommended.
What You Should Know About Low-Carbohydrate
Diets
Following an extremely low-carbohydrate diet is
disastrous, dangerous, and above all—boring! Carbohydrates are NOT the
enemy. Including the appropriate amounts and types of carbohydrate-rich
foods in your diet is essential for long-term health and weight
loss/maintenance.
 The Body’s Immediate Reaction to Very Low
Carbohydrate Diets
When there is a severe deficit of
carbohydrates, the body has several immediate reactions:
With no glucose available for energy, the body
starts using protein from food for energy. Therefore this protein is no
longer available for more important functions, such as making new cells,
tissues, enzymes, hormones, and antibodies and the regulation of fluid
balance.
When carbohydrates are lacking, the body cannot
burn fat in the correct way. Normally carbs combine with fat fragments
to be used as energy. When carbs are not available, there is an
incomplete breakdown of fat that produces a by-product called ketones.
These ketones accumulate in the blood and in the urine causing ketosis,
which is an abnormal state. Ketosis does cause a decrease in appetite
because it's one of the body's protection mechanisms. It's an
advantage to someone in a famine (which the body thinks it's
experiencing) to lack an appetite because the search for food would be a
waste of time and additional energy.
Due to the lack of energy and the accumulation of
ketones, low-carb diets are often accompanied by nausea, headaches,
dizziness, fatigue, bad breath, and dehydration.
Because of dehydration and a lack of fiber,
constipation can result.
Exercise and fitness performance is reduced on a
low-carb diet. Do not be surprised if your energy level is so low that
you cannot make it through your normal workout routine.
The Long-Term Effects of Low Carbohydrate Diets
When you severely restrict carbohydrates, your
consumption of protein and fat increases, which has several long-term
effects:
The risk of many cancers increases when
fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and beans are eliminated from
the diet.
Protein foods are also high in purines, which are
broken down into uric acid. Elevated levels of uric acid in the blood
may lead to needle-like uric acid crystals in joints, causing gout.
Kidney stones are more likely to form on high
protein, ketosis-producing diets.
 Over time, high protein diets can cause a loss of
calcium and lead to osteoporosis.
The risk of heart disease is greatly increased
on a low-carb diet that is high in protein, cholesterol, fat, and
saturated fat. A temporary reduction in cholesterol levels may be
experienced, but this is common with any weight loss.
The Million Dollar Question
How do you include carbohydrates in you diet in a
safe, effective, and controlled way? The “Please KISS Me” (Please Keep
It So Simple for Me) plan for carbohydrate control is a wonderful tool
that only contains 3 simple rules:
RULE 1: Include the following in your diet:
Fruits: 2-4 servings daily
Vegetables: 3-5 servings daily
Whole grain breads, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta,
noodles, crackers, cereal, and brown rice: 6-11 servings daily
Legumes, beans and peas: 1-2 servings daily
Low-fat and non-fat dairy products: 3 servings
daily
RULE 2: Limit the following to less than 2
servings daily:
Fruit Juice
Refined and processed white flour products (bread,
muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal)
White rice
French fries
Fried vegetables
RULE 3: Eliminate the following from your
diet or eat only on occasion:
 Sugary desserts, cookies, cakes, pies, candies
Doughnuts and pastries
Chips, cola and carbonated beverages
Sugar, honey, syrup, jam, jelly, molasses
That’s it! A simple, effective
carbohydrate-controlling plan that, when combined with your diet, allows
you to reap the countless benefits of complex carbohydrates and fiber
while enhancing your health and maintaining a healthy weight. The long
term result will be a healthy you!
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