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With the onslaught of "low-carb' and "Carb free" foods, of the Atkins diet and South Beach
diet, both low Carbohydrate diets, and many restaurants featuring low-carb fare
what is it about carbs that are so bad? If anything at all.
Carbohydrates (or simply carbs), which are found in foods of plant origin and
dairy products, are an important nutrient in a healthy diet. Carbohydrates are
essential nutrients that provide our bodies and brains with the energy they
need to function.
They are divided into two categories: simple carbs (simple sugars - including
glucose, fructose (or fruit sugar found in fruit, some vegetables, honey, and
saps), sucrose (or table sugar also found in honey, maple syrup, some fruit
& vegetables, and grains), and lactose (found in dairy). Fruits, nonstarchy
vegetables, and dairy products are simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs consists
of long chains of glucose and are found in grains, such as rice and wheat,
legumes (dried beans) and tubers (yams and potatoes). Another complex
carbohydrate, which is essential in the human diet, yet non-digestible is
fiber.
Complex carbs - not necessarily better! Old wisdom was that
complex carbohydrates were healthier than simple carbohydrates because complex
carbs contained fiber. However, a complex carbohydrate can be refined,
such as white breads, white rice, and white flours. These refined "complex"
carbohydrates have had many beneficial nutrients removed - including vitamins,
minerals, and most of their fiber.
Most of us know that vitamins and minerals are beneficial. Well, fiber is
too. Fiber is healthy because it lower blood cholesterol, aids elimination,
reduces the risk of hormone-dependant tumors, is filling, and slows the
absorption of glucose. Alternatively, simple carbohydrates can be unrefined and
contain fiber, such as the simple carbohydrates in fruits and nonstarchy
vegetables. In addition, fiber lowers the glycemic index of a
carbohydrate making it less likely to cause a rapid spike in blood glucose after
eating it. In fact, some fruits, which are primarily simple sugars, have lower
glycemic indices than many complex carbs.
Think "unrefined" rather than complex. Instead of using the term "complex" to
describe healthy carbohydrates, think of the term "unrefined" to describe the
healthier carbohydrates - the carbohydrates as they are found in nature, such as
fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole, intact grains.
Eating unrefined carbohydrates is recommended by virtually every scientific
and medical organization and is the way to health and longevity. The National
Academies' Institute of Medicine recommends that carbohydrates contribute 45% to
65% of an adult's daily calories.
So if there is a good or bad carbohydrate, think more in terms of refined
versus unrefined (limiting your intake of refined carbs), rather than simple
versus complex. |
