A couple of weeks ago, my son, Tim, taxied me around town. We stopped for lunch, and the conversation turned to carbohydrates (carbs). He spoke about his fitness routine, and how he needed to eat a ton of carbs every day. Now, this young man is a fitness guru: He runs every day. He's fit as a fiddle, tall, lean and handsome, but I thought carbs were bad for you. Food that contains carbohydrate raises blood glucose
What are carbs?
Carbohydrates are sugars and starches and are the most common source of energy the human body needs. It's found in foods with plant origin and include sugars, starches and fiber.
There are two types of carbohydrates, simple (monosaccharides and complex (polysaccharides).
Good carbs are packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
These good carbohydrates (known as healthy carbs) include whole grains, beans, oatmeal, brown rice, wheat pasta, fruits and vegetables.
Simple carbohydrates (bad carbs) are broken down and digested very quickly, and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy. That's the "sugar cycle rush."
Bad carbs contain refined sugars and very few essential vitamins and minerals.
Bad carbohydrates (known as unhealthy carbs) are foods such as white flour, table sugar, brown sugar, fruit juices, honey, molasses, maple syrup and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber and nutrients.
Carbs have become both a blessing and a curse, as the process of modern food production has changed the way they are consumed.
The red flag with carbs is that carbs are converted to sugar during digestion. That fact poses a health risk, as well as, the potential for weight gain.
Carbs and calories:
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, about half your calories should come from carbohydrates, typically about 250 grams (g). Each gram of carbohydrate has four calories.
For example, a person who eats approximately 2,000 calories per day should take in about 250 grams of carbohydrates (2,000 divided by half equals 1,000 -- and 1,000 calories divided by 4 grams = 250 grams).
A teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams.
Carbs and diabetes: Depending on individual health challenges, reliable sources indicate that most people with diabetes should not consume more than about 130 grams of carbohydrate each day.
Some suggest (more) between 60-90 grams per meal for men and 45-75 grams per meal for women.
Carbs and weight loss: There's no argument that the body needs carbs. Muscles and the brain need carbohydrates to use as energy.
You don't want to eliminate carbs altogether. Unfortunately, many weight loss dieters mistakenly stop eating carbs in order to lose weight. It's better to choose to eat the healthiest "good carbs" -- so that the body can use most of what it takes in. In fact, a food plan with healthy carbohydrates has been proven to take weight off faster.
A healthy plan for a meal contains about 45 to 65 percent of daily calories from carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent of daily calories from protein, and 20 to 35 percent of daily calories from fat.
Food Fat: According to WebMD.com, whether you are interested in maintaining or losing weight, eating food low in fat is obvious to provide for effective weight loss, long term. The total amount of fat is important because it can be a red flag for foods high in potentially health-damaging fats: saturated fat and trans fat.
Some fat is important for good health, but compared to carbohydrates and protein, each gram of fat has twice as many calories.
There are three types of carbohydrate in food.
They are starch, sugar and dietary fiber. Starch and sugar both raise blood glucose levels.
Starch
Foods high in starch include: Starchy vegetables like peas, corn, lima beans, and potatoes. Dried beans, lentils, and peas such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas, and split peas. Grains like oats, barley, and rice. (The majority of grain products in the US are made from wheat flour. These include pasta, bread, and crackers but the variety is expanding to include other grains as well.)
Sugar
Sugar is a carbohydrate, but sugar from the sugar bowl is far from the only culprit. There are two main types of sugar: naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk or fruit, added sugars such as those added during processing such as fruit canned in heavy syrup or sugar added to make a pie, cookies and cakes.
There are many different names for sugar. Examples of common names are table sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, beet sugar, cane sugar, confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, turbinado, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, and sugar cane syrup.
You may also see table sugar listed by its chemical name, sucrose. Fruit sugar is also known as fructose and the sugar in milk is called lactose. You can recognize other sugars on labels because their chemical names also end in "-ose." For example glucose (also called dextrose), fructose (also called levulose), lactose, and maltose.
Researchers have found a link between sugar and unhealthy levels of blood fats.
The more carbs and sugar you consume, the bigger the health risks from diabetes complications, such as heart attack, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.
Sugar takes on a lot of different forms. Surprisingly, you find it in foods you would have never expected. For example, foods such as bread, salad dressing, marinades, sauces, fruit juice, vegetable juice, canned veggies and fruits, pre-made soups, frozen dinners, frozen juices, granola, granola and protein bars, to name just a few.
A regular diet doused in sugar, low-grade saturated fats, white processed carbs, and artificial preservatives and colorings fosters not only weight gain and depression, but even more dangerous, a steady level of inflammation throughout the body. According to medical experts like Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Barry Sears, and Dr. Mark Hyman, chronic disease can be triggered from persistent low level inflammation (and would thus be considered one of the root causes of every modern disease).
Eating processed and bleached foods (e.g. white flour, white sugar) can have a negative effect on the appearance and clarity of skin.
It's essential to remember that carbohydrates are converted to sugar when being digested.
Fiber
Fiber comes from plant foods. (For example, there is no fiber in animal products such as milk, eggs, meat, poultry, and fish.)
Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. When you consume dietary fiber, most of it passes through the intestines and is not digested.
Fiber is important for keeping the digestive tract working smoothly. Since we do not digest it, the fiber in food passes into the intestine and absorbs water. The undigested fiber creates "bulk" so the muscles in the intestine can push waste out of the body. Eating enough fiber helps prevent constipation. It may also reduce the risk of getting colon cancer. Some fibers can help lower blood cholesterol.
For good health, adults need to try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day.
According to the American Diabetes Association, most Americans do not consume nearly enough fiber in their diet, so while it is wise to aim for this goal,any increase in fiber in your diet can be beneficial. Most only get about ½ what is recommended.
Fiber contributes to digestive health — especially for a diabetic — helps keep you regular and helps you feel full and satisfied after eating.
Good sources of dietary fiber include: Beans and legumes. Think black beans, kidney beans, pintos, chick peas (garbanzos), white beans, and lentils. Fruits and vegetables, especially those with edible skin (for example, apples, corn and beans) and those with edible seeds (for example, berries).
Nuts — try different kinds. Peanuts, walnuts and almonds are a good source of fiber and healthy fat, but watch portion sizes, because they also contain a lot of calories in a small amount. Whole grains, such as Whole wheat pasta,
Whole grain cereals (Look for those with three grams of dietary fiber or more per serving, including those made from whole wheat, wheat bran, and oats.)
Whole grain breads (To be a good source of fiber, one slice of bread should have at least three grams of fiber. Another good indication: look for breads where the first ingredient is a whole grain. For example, whole wheat or oats.) Many grain products now have "double fiber" with extra fiber added.
In general, an excellent source of fiber contains five grams or more per serving, while a good source of fiber contains 2.5 - 4.9 grams per serving.
On the nutrition label, the term "total carbohydrate" includes all three types of carbohydrates. This is the number you should pay attention to if you are carbohydrate counting.
Carbs, Fat and Sugar: Eating healthy means that a sensible and balanced meal plan includes a blend of protein, carbohydrates, fat and some sugar from a large number of different foods. The best solution is to eat lots of fresh, uncooked vegetables, lean meats like chicken and fish, and low fat dairy products like fat-free yogurt and cottage cheese.
Choose foods you enjoy that fit into a healthy lifestyle. For example, avoid cookies, fried foods and sweets like candy bars: Choose an apple instead.
Eating and exercising is a way of life not a temporary solution.
As a diabetic, I was recently reminded how important eating right is, and it's important for everyone, not just those diagnosed with diabetes. Too much or an unbalanced amount of carbs, fat and sugar can shorten life by years.
This was a surprise to me. If you run marathons or are a fitness guru like my son, don't consume bounties of carbs without knowing if the amount you consume is the right amount.
Too many carbs may be doing more harm to your body than you realize. Pay attention to the food you put in youe mouth. I know for sure that bad things happen if you are careless about what you eat: Weight gain is not the unhappy culprit.
* Sources: WebMD, Wise Geek Health, American Diabetes Association
That's it for today, blog.