What are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates (a.k.a. carbs) are a type of macronutrient found in certain foods. They present the primary source of energy for your body. These nutrients help you stay alert, energised and active during the day. According to dieticians, most of the calories – a calorie is a measure of energy – you consume daily should be in the form of carbs. Your body’s central nervous system, brain, kidneys and muscles need carbohydrates to function properly.
How does this type of macronutrient work?
During digestion, your body breaks down all carbs into a sugar called glucose. First, glucose travels to the small intestines, and then it’s absorbed into the bloodstream. When you eat carbohydrates, your glucose levels rise, and as that happens, the pancreas makes insulin (a type of hormone). Insulin tells the liver, muscles and tissue cells to absorb the glucose. The glucose is stored as fat or used for energy right away. Afterwards, the glucose levels drop back to the usual level.
In addition, your body has a way of keeping the glucose levels from dropping too low and ensuring that all your body parts are running. This is possible thanks to a hormone called glucagon. Glucagon is produced by the pancreas and tells the liver to transform fat into glucose whenever necessary. Then, the glucose is released back into the bloodstream for use.
However, the glucose levels can also stay too high or too low, and you’ll notice immediate side effects if the levels increase or drop too much. If the glucose levels are too low, your body becomes hypoglycemic, and you experience dizziness, confusion and irritability. But if the levels of blood sugar remain too high, your body becomes hyperglycemic, and you start having blurry vision, tiredness and frequent need for urination.
How are carbohydrates made?
A carbohydrate is a chemical compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It is the most common chemical compound used for food. A process called photosynthesis is responsible for the production of carbohydrates and other compounds. During photosynthesis, plants convert the sunlight into chemical energy and store it in their fruit in the form of carbohydrates. Humans, as well as other animals, eat the plants and their fruits and take the stored carbohydrates as nutrients. Nutrients help you grow and keep you in good health.
Categories of carbs – Monosaccharides, Disaccharides & Polysaccharides
Your body uses three main categories of carbs: monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. As you notice, the name of each category includes the term “saccharide”; this term means sugar.
Monosaccharides consist of a single molecule of sugar. The structure of a disaccharide includes two monosaccharide molecules joined together. A polysaccharide consists of many monosaccharide molecules, from a few to as many as ten thousand.
Types of carbohydrates – Simple vs Complex
All carbs are divided into two groups – simple carbs and complex carbs.
Simple carbs
Simple carbohydrates are the basic type of carbs and can often be found in soda drinks, cookies and candy. Your body breaks down this type of carbs quickly, and as a result, your glucose levels rise just as quickly; then they drop down suddenly, and you start feeling hunger and tiredness. Simple carbs consist of monosaccharides or disaccharides.
Simple carbs are natural sugars (e.g. fructose and lactose) and processed sugars (e.g. white sugar and maple syrup). You should eat natural sugars and avoid processed sugars. Fruits, vegetables, and milk contain good amounts of natural sugars. These foods also have other nutrients which foods with processed sugars don’t contain, and those nutrients help slow down how fast your body absorbs simple sugars.
What is better – fruit juice or whole fruit?
Fruit juice isn’t unhealthy, but it’s not as good for you as whole fruit. Whole fruits have fibres that slow down digestion and keep energy levels steady. Fruit juice is mostly fructose and water and often lacks fibre.
Complex carbs
Complex carbohydrates are long chains of simple carbs that the enzymes in your body need to break down, and because those chains consist of 3 or more molecules, it takes longer for your body to break down complex carbohydrates than simple carbs. As a result, glucose is gradually released into the bloodstream during digestion. This helps keep energy levels steady, and the body feels full for a longer period of time. Thus, overeating or constant snacking is less likely to happen.
All starches and fibres fall in the group of complex carbohydrates. Starches are found in cereal, bread, rice, pasta, and some veggies such as green peas, corn, and potatoes. Fibres (e.g. cellulose) are present in plants and, according to scientists, can help prevent heart diseases, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Fibres can be two types, both healthy:
- Soluble fibres – this fibre dissolves in water and forms a gooey substance in the stomach that is similar to a gel. This gel travels to the large intestine and is partially broken down by bacteria. Oatmeal, apples and peas contain soluble fibres.
- Insoluble fibres – this fibre doesn’t dissolve in water but instead holds water and bulks up. During digestion, it mostly remains in one piece. Brown rice, whole grains, beans and vegetables have insoluble fibres.
Why is white rice less healthy than brown rice?
White rice is a refined grain which lacks the essential nutrients that give your body energy. Brown rice is healthier because it is an unrefined grain, which is still packed with tons of vitamins and minerals. The same is valid when comparing white flour to whole-wheat flour.
How to keep track of the carbs you eat
If you want to keep track of the types and amounts of carbs your body needs to digest, you could use the following methods:
- Carb counting – this is a daily meal planning exercise that you could use to track how many carbs you eat each day. Different mobile apps on the market can help you with that task.
- Glycemic index chart – this is a measurement chart showing which foods may raise your blood sugar levels more quickly than others. It ranks foods on a scale from 1 to 100; the higher the number, the faster the food is digested. This means a greater swing in glucose levels after eating. Eating foods with high-GI measures (e.g. doughnuts and French fries) can cause glucose levels to spike and then quickly drop. But consuming foods with low GI can help you shed kilograms.
Is a low-carb diet good for you?
Low-carb diets have become a popular way for people to lose weight, but are they a healthy choice?
Nowadays, many believe that diets low in carbs but high in proteins are the best way to lose some kilograms of body weight. Those people believe that sugars and other carbs cause weight gain, and proteins help build muscle mass and strengthen the body’s immune system. That could be true to some degree if we don’t consider the importance and benefits of eating carbohydrates. Also, according to dieticians, it is risky to juggle carbs and proteins in a diet.
A diet should be well-balanced and include all types of macronutrients. A low-carb diet is generally not good for you because it may not give your body enough vitamins and energy. For instance, vitamin B9 – folic acid – can be found in leafy vegetables, whole grains, fruits, peanuts and other foods rich in carbohydrates. This vitamin is essential for your health because if your body has a shortage of it, the risk of heart diseases, hypertension and strokes increases. Also, if a pregnant woman doesn’t supply her body with enough Vitamin B9, her baby’s brain and spine may not develop normally. On the other hand, following a high-protein diet could endanger your health if you have kidney diseases or other health issues.
How to stay healthy and fit
If you want to lose some kilograms or build muscles, follow a diet that matches your lifestyle – Do you do sports? How active are you during the day? Etc. Basically, cut back on junk food, soda drinks and snacks late at night; drink lots of water; exercise regularly; and overall, eat healthy food that includes lots of leafy veggies, fruits, legumes, meat and fish.
And remember, a generous amount of healthy carbohydrates in your diet is good for your physical fitness. Your body uses the temporarily stored carbs to provide energy during exercise and make physical training last longer.
But if you’re a person with a sedentary lifestyle, don’t go above the recommended daily carbs intake (130 grams of carbs a day). After all, too many carbs can cause obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health issues. The high consumption of sugary foods (both natural and processed) is also linked to dental problems – for example, the formation of cavities and tooth decay.
The bottom line, the more balanced your approach to dieting is, the healthier you’ll be.
How to have a healthy approach to dieting
I’ve listed below some tips that can help you have a healthy lifestyle:
- Think about what foods and beverages you consume every day.
- Cut back on foods and beverages that are high in simple carbohydrates.
- Choose foods that contain complex carbs whenever possible.
- Prioritise whole foods over empty calories – for example, eat whole-grain crackers with peanut butter and a glass of water instead of eating a chocolate cake with a can of coke.
- Avoid overly processed foods (e.g., potato chips and sweetened breakfast cereals.)
- Don’t overeat with carbs.
- Pay attention to the nutritional stickers on the foods you eat.
- Pay attention to serving size and the number of servings per container or package to easily keep your portions in check.
- Ensure that you get all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body needs from the food you eat.
- Have a nutritional breakfast every day – for example, a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain toast with peanut butter.
- Don’t skip lunch and dinner either, and you’ll feel full and energised throughout the day and less tempted to gobble down fattening snacks.
- Stay active during the day – for example, exercise in the gym, play football, have a long walk in the park, etc.
- Stay positive and calm; mindfulness meditation can help you achieve that.