Back to Basics – Carbs 101

Good carbs… bad carbs ….what’s a person to do? I’ve just started a new semester and with all the talk of a new year... a new YOU, I felt the thing that most people would benefit from is a basic understanding of nutrition concepts. I teach a class called diet therapy for health professionals, as well as teaching weight control concepts to clients in a weight treatment center.

A fundamental understanding of food… is what people need to make wise food choices. Once you understand the science you can examine advice with a critical eye. As I always say……Show me the science!  

NOW…let’s get started…

Whether you are daydreaming about your next sun filled vacation or driving the kids to their afterschool activities, your brain needs carbohydrates (carbs). Some feel that losing weight, means losing the carbs. Not so…Carbohydrates produce energy or fuel. Yes, just like gas in a car…but carbs is fuel for our bodies. I can’t remember the last time I could drive my car without gas! When carbs are eaten, they are all broken down into small simple sugar units…& are carried to the liver to be converted to glucose. The glucose travels throughout the body, supplying energy or fuel to all its tissues & organs. The primary function of carbohydrates is to provide energy. Understanding the different qualities of carbs can help folks achieve and maintain weight loss goals. 

Now, I’m going to try to make this short…this is usually a 2 ½ hour lecture! I will Keep It Sweet & Simple

There are 2 classes of carbohydrates; Simple carbs and Complex carbs. One gram of carbohydrate equals 4 calories. For you folks that like counting calories!

Simple carbs or sugars are usually sweet to taste & enhance the flavor of foods. Examples are table sugar (sucrose), fruit sugar (fructose) & milk sugar (lactose)...so in other words… cakes, cookies, candy, fruit, milk & dairy foods. As you can see, not all simple sugars are bad. Fruits are a great part of any weight loss program; they contain high levels of vitamins, minerals, & fiber…and low fat dairy makes a good food choice. The simple sugars in question are the ones that are high in fat, i.e., candy, cake, doughnuts, and pies…just to name a few!

Complex carbs are starches, glycogen (sugar stored in our muscle & liver cells) and dietary fibers.

Starches are the most familiar of the complex carbs. Due to their complex chemical sequence they taste “starchy” instead of sweet. Examples include breads, pasta, rice, cereals, vegetables, beans, peas, potatoes, and grains.

Now…glycogen……remember carbs provide energy (fuel). Excess carbohydrate has 2 fates:

1. Excess carbohydrates are diverted to glycogen (limited storage…to be used for later…like during exercise or when you are hungry).

2. The body very efficiently converts excess carbohydrates to fat.

Bottom line: glycogen serves as a back-up energy source…..& …..Once glycogen stores are FULL, the extra glucose converts to FAT. The unfortunate part of this story is that the body has an unlimited capacity for fat storage.

Take home message: It’s important to eat only as many calories as you need.

Let’s not forget FIBER, FIBER, and more FIBER! It can’t be broken down & digested by digestive enzymes. I’ll give you more specifics in my next blog.

Just remember … make friends with fiber. It fills you up with no calories left behind, as well as promoting bowel regularity! 

Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Simple sugars suffer from guilt by association. Fresh fruit is always a healthy option verses sweet desserts (cookies & pies). Complex carbohydrates aren’t always a good option, when high-fat toppings are added. Sour cream and / or gravy covering a beautiful Yukon gold potato or cheese sauce on fresh green broccoli. My personal favorite... the beautiful INNOCENT baked sweet potato at about 100 calories (3 oz), can be transformed into a 400 calories mess of a side dish when smothered in butter, brown sugar & marshmallows.  Let's stop the madness!

Eat a variety of carbohydrates, simple (fruit & low fat dairy) and complex. Use healthy preparation techniques…curtail the condiments…and enjoy!

Eat 4 Life!    Le Greta