Carbohydrates
Carbohytdrates come in a dazzling diversity of foods. There is one common denominator: all of them occur
in food, which is derived from plants. Carbohydrates are of importance to our
physical function. Like any of the nutrition team they can be beneficial or can
be a nutritional nightmare. It goes back to the statement that food can
be a powerful drug, and ultimately we are the users that sign responsible for
the proper dosage. Carbohydrate foods can be high density carbohydrates (high
glycemic carbohydrates).This means that they are transformed into glucose and
released into our blood stream in a fairly rapid fashion. As a result, the release
of insulin is also a relatively fast one: there is a fast high peak of insulin
levels first. This leads to a fairly rapid drop in blood sugar levels after a
few hours, called hypoglycemia. The result: we are feeling hungry and are ready
for some more: the coffee break with a cookie or a muffin comes to mind or the
mid- afternoon slump prompting you to eat a donut or chocolate bar. The
densest form of carbohydrates will be found in products like sugar
or honey. The concept of high/medium/low gycemic index foods
is explained
in this website. Any foods prepared with sugar (jams, fruit
spreads,cakes, cookies,desserts) are high glycemic index foods rich in refined
carbohydrates. Dense carbohydrates are also found in grains. As a rule
of thumb it can be mentioned, that the more processed a grain is, the higher it
is in the rank of the carbohydrate density. All flour products fall into this
category like bread, buns, pasta, and all the highly processed breakfast cereals.
Rice in all forms belongs to this group as well. When we eat these foods, enzymes
such as pepsin digest the starchy foods in the stomach and quickly break it down
to glucose that is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. This explains why 30
minutes after eating a meal with starchy food the blood sugar level has risen
to elevated levels stimulating the pancreas to pour out insulin as explained above.
Barley and oats, as long as they are not processed into flour and instant
cereals contain more fibre, and the transformation into glucose is somewhat slower.
Medium density carbohydrate foods would be root vegetables like potatoes, yams,
turnips, carrots, and squash. Most fruit would rate as medium
density carbs, except for varieties that are high in sugar, like bananas, mangos,
or papayas. Obviously they are at the higher limit of "medium". Also
dried fruit have undergone a change in the processing: water is removed through
dehydration, and the result is an intensely sweet product, which has become a
high density carbohydrate food. Most vegetables fall into the low density category,
as they all contain a lot of fibre and water. We are looking
at leafy vegetables like salad greens and spinach, chard, cabbage varieties, onions,
peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, green beans, as well as sprouts, like bean sprouts,
alfalfa or mixed sprouts. They are a great source of carbohydrates that are slowly
transformed into glucose, and this way the response of insulin is less dramatic.
As a result of this knowledge we are best off avoiding some of the densest carbohydrates.
It may sound like a highly unpopular proposition, but sugar should be looked at
as a condiment and not as a "food", and the same is true for honey (Ref.
3, p. 99).
| Caution,
health food shoppers, re. brown sugar and honey: |
| Even though some health-conscious individuals look
at it as "natural" and for this reason superior, they overlook the fact,
that we are dealing with a highly concentrated dense carbohydrate, and spoon for
spoon it has the same disadvantageous effects on your metabolism as white sugar!
It leads to the syndrome of insulin
resistance | We use the medium
density carbs with prudence: there is definitely nothing wrong with
carrots, but we certainly would not ingest a pound of them. Consequently
we would not choose to start drinking carrot juice by the glassful. It simply
is too much of a good thing, and the fibre has been eliminated from it. A few
slices of potato can enhance our dinner, but transforming several potatoes into
a mound of mashed potatoes equals an overdose, which no diner should be subjected
to. Fruit will enhance and complement our carbohydrates, and the same is true
as mentioned before: an apple can be part of a great breakfast or snack, but a
glass of apple juice (the equivalent of 3 apples) is another story (too much sugar,
no buffering fibre). When it comes to low density carbohydrates
we can feel free to fill our plate with salad greens, broccoli, tomato, or mushrooms.
The benefit is also a good dose of fiber and an abundance of vitamins and minerals. When
we look at all these points it becomes very obvious, that knowing our foods and
their effect on our metabolism is essential when it comes to producing a meal
that is beneficial and at the same time enjoyable. |
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