Hello friends and welcome to my sixty first blog.
I hope you are all well and enjoying the change of season, whether it be autumn for us down south or spring for the folk up north.
At the outset, I just need to say that I am not a biochemist, dietitian or a scientist. I am a proud nutritional advisor who is absolutely passionate about eating and living for health, wellness and optimum longevity.
I aim to simplify my explanation about carbohydrates and hope that my information is correct and easy to understand. I do not want to bore you with detailed biochemistry about polymers, glycoside linkages or oxygen atoms. This is not the purpose of my blog today.
So, without further ado, let us get going.
The word carbohydrate, carbs or carb is seen and used absolutely everywhere. Examples of this are “low carb, no carb, carb cutting, slow carb, and then there are words that refer to carbs such as “glycaemic index, calorie counting and glycaemic load”.
Phew! I am exhausted already.
The word carbohydrate conjures up negative guilty thoughts for most of us. Even the most erudite folk seem to fear it and we all seem to approach it with some trepidation, The word is very controversial and so often demonized in the media.
Carbs have always confused me even after I completed my nutrition diploma but after even more research and some time spent on the subject, I think I am making some sense of them.
Carbohydrates are essential food nutrients that your body turns into glucose to give you energy to function. They are one of the 4 macronutrients that we need to eat for our body to function at its best. The other 3 are protein, fat, and fibre. Each macronutrient is essential and has its own specific role to play in the body. The other 3 are chats for another day.
Carbohydrates are organic compounds that contain carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Since this is not a chemistry lesson, I will forego the exact chemical composition of a carbohydrate. Suffice it to say, there are many different carbohydrates, but they all consist of one or more smaller units called monosaccharides. A Monosaccharide is a carbohydrate with 1 unit. Disaccharide carbs have 2 units and polysaccharide carbs have 3 or more units.
Carbs are divided into simple and complex carbs.
Simple carbs.
These are the biological molecules of monosaccharides and disaccharides that we often refer to as sugar. They are called simple because they only contain 1 or 2 monosaccharide units. This makes them chemically simple when compared to other carbs. As a result of this they need little digestion and are readily available to be used as a quick source of energy in the body.
Glucose is the most abundant monosaccharide and when broken down into carbon dioxide and water produces the energy that allows all metabolic functions to happen.
Sources of simple carbs.
The sources include refined sugar, honey, and syrups. Other sources of simple carbs are cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolates, flavoured and fizzy drinks and heavily processed foods and refined white grains such as white bread and white flour.
Watch out when checking labels for the added sugars which are also simple carbs. Words such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolyzed starch, invert sugar and corn syrup. These are usually high in calories and lacking any form of nutritional value.
It is not all bad though. Some simple carb sources actually do contain nutrients, fibre and water and have a reasonable calorific content. These are less likely to cause spikes in blood sugar levels. (We will chat about this below).. These include some fruit , milk, and some vegetables.
Complex carbs.
These are the biological molecules of polysaccharides. They are referred to as starches and fibrous carbs.
They function as energy storage and energy supply.
They can be broken down into monosaccharide units of glucose immediately if the body needs immediate energy. If the body has sufficient energy available, they will be converted into glycogen and stored in the muscles and liver to be accessed when energy is needed again. This glycogen is not a long-term supply: glycogen stores will run out after about a day if they are not replenished.
These are central to sound dietary and meal planning.
Sources of complex carbs.
These include nuts, starchy veggies, seeds, fibrous carbs such as celery and broccoli. Whole grains such as whole grain breads, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oats. Legumes such as chickpeas, beans and lentils are rich in nutrients and complex sugars.
I have not gone into the details of specific food sources as this would make the blog far too lengthy and definitely tedious. Please contact me if you would like to explore these further.
How does the body use carbs?
Very simply, when you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into simple sugar or glucose, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream. As the sugar level rises in your body, the body releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as an energy source.
When you eat simple carbs, they get processed easily and the glucose enters the bloodstream quickly. These foods will give you a sharp spike in energy levels, but the boost will not last long. Once the energy wears off, your blood sugar or glucose levels will drop quickly, and you will be left feeling tired, hungry and you will start searching for your next energy hit.
Complex carbs are typically less refined and are converted to glucose more slowly and therefore, when eaten, enter the bloodstream more slowly. They will cause, your blood sugar or glucose levels to rise more slowly, so you will remain full and satisfied for longer. You also get energy over a longer period of time.
Our body regulates our blood glucose levels very carefully by using different hormones. if your blood glucose levels are constantly fluctuating, this puts a strain on your body and may lead to the body either not producing enough insulin or not responding to insulin anymore. This may lead to the disease of type II diabetes. This is also a conversation for another time.
Suffice it to say, we need to strive to eat complex carbohydrates and to limit the simple carbohydrates in order to maintain our blood sugar levels at their optimum constant levels. The addition of a good protein and healthy fat at each meal will help achieve this. This is not a nutritional consultation, so let’s leave it at that.
I really hope that the carb story makes a little more sense to those of you who have found the whole carb narrative rather a perplexing one. I have tried to be accurate in my descriptions, but I do not promise them to be flawless. i just wanted to give you the gist of carbohydrates.
I have learnt an incredible amount about the nutrition over the past two years. It is a minefield out there. I learn a new thing everyday, and this is ongoing, as the ideas and thoughts on this subject, from very learned and academic folk change constantly. I realized very quickly that this is not an exact science and that makes it even more interesting and exciting.
To end my blog, i felt that i would like to share some lessons that i have learnt over this time. The initial points are concerning carbs. Thereafter, a few tips that have helped me as i navigate my way slowly but surely though the seas of eating for health, wellness and longevity.
- I need to try to eat all the macronutrients at every meal. Half my plate with a rainbow of magnificent vegetables, a quarter of my plate with a delicious protein and a quarter of my plate with the above-mentioned complex carbs.
- Great health comes down to finding the right balance of these macronutrients in my body. Everyone has a unique optimal balance, and I am constantly tuning into mine to establish what my body’s needs are. These can also change, so one needs to continually evaluate this again and again.
- Carbs are my body’s main source of fuel and are the easiest macronutrients to absorb since as mentioned above, they quickly convert into glucose for energy. It is therefore imperative that I have them at each meal.
- It is about eating complex carbs. It is not about eating carbs such as roast potatoes or white rice or white pasta, its about eating carbs like sweet potato, beetroot, and pumpkin. It is about eating berries, citrus fruits or stone fruits which are the ones most beneficial for maintaining an optimal weight. It is also about the beans and legumes which are also great sources of complex carbs.
- I try to keep the refined sugar and simple carbs mentioned above for my treat time. I nourish my body 80 percent of the time and revel in treats 20 percent of the time.
- Maintaining optimal health is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Its about the food choices I make for me to have my optimal health and wellness.
- The way I feed myself is the most basic way that I demonstrate care for myself.
- I try to not get caught up in food trends, fads, and diets.
- I aim to remember that one size does not fit all. We need to eat for our own individual needs, lifestyle, and requirements.
- Food is not healthy. People are or they are not. Food is nutritious or it is not. The more nutritious food you eat, the healthier you will be.
- I am learning to be kind to myself when it comes to eating. it is about baby, sustainable steps.
So, quite a different blog, but one I felt that I would like to write.
The tips are ones that I have found work for me and resonate with me, picked up over time by my mentors, Jessica sepal, Leah Itsines. Patrick Holford and Libby Weaver.
My parting words for today, with thanks to the amazing Libby Weaver, are :-
“Live each day truly madly deeply in touch with how precious life is how precious you are – and treat yourself accordingly.”
Wishing you all a weekend of fun, health and wellness.