Carbohydrates! Did you flinch? Hide? It seems these days that little word (okay, it's a pretty long word) sends fear into so many people and has prompted so many arguments within and without the medical community. You have fitness gurus, nutrition store workers, chiropractors, medical doctors, and all kinds of people making claims to "stay away" from those bad, awful, belly-bulging carbs, right? Are they right or just inappropriately generalizing? I think those people are taking the good of carbohydrates, ignoring them, and lumping them in with the bad.
Carbohydrates are NEEDED by our bodies. Here's an idea - ask a dietitian or nutritionist (or anyone that spent longer than one semester learning about nutrition - not counting online researching). Everything in excess becomes a toxin or a bad thing for us. Too much protein can cause havoc in your stomach, your liver, etc. and lead to so many other issues. The fact is that most people don't reach for the legumes when they're told to increase their protein and limit their carbs. Nope, they go straight to the fatty animal proteins, with their cholesterol and saturated fats. Yep, that's so healthier, right? Forget that bologna if you're trying to lose weight (no, really, bologna is mega bad for you on so many levels)...it's a basic equation to lose weight: More calories out than calories in. PERIOD.
As for thy mortal enemy "The Carbs", the ones we really need to stay away from as much as possible are the overly-processed sorts: white sugars, white breads, white rice, etc. (notice a "white" theme here?) What those folks don't mention is that lettuce is a carb but have you ever seen an obese wild rabbit?? Ya, I didn't think so. I don't think that even most people know exactly what a carbohydrate is...do you?
First of all, carbohydrates (carbo=carbon, hydrate=with water) are compounds composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen arranged as monosaccharides or multiples of monosaccharides (mono=one saccharide=sugar; they follow a general formula of C6H12O6 & form a single ring). Did I lose you? Basically, a monosaccharide is the smallest form of sugar. Now, there are two categories of carbohydrates: simple and complex. You've probably heard people talk about "simple sugars" or "complex carbohydrates" but, really, what's the difference? They are either simple or complex :-D Okay, simple carbs are either monosaccharides or disaccharides and are easy for the body to access or store for immediate energy.
The most important of the simple carbohydrates are:
-Monosaccharides
1) Glucose
2) Fructose
3) Galactose
-Disaccharides (pairs of monosaccharides)
1) Maltose (glucose + glucose)
2) Sucrose (glucose + fructose)
3) Lactose (glucose + galactose)
The complex carbohydrates contain many glucose units, including sometimes other monosaccharides. These are all strung together to form polysaccharides (poly=many). There's another word in this category - oligosaccharide (oligo=few), which has less units than polysaccharides but more than the simple carbohydrates.
So, why are carbohydrates so darn important? They're important because, eventually, all these carbohydrates, simple or complex, get turned into their basic forms - glucose or glycogen. (Glycogen is what our bodies store extra glucose into that isn't immediately needed/used.) These two basic carbohydrates provide about half of all the energy that our muscles (and other body tissues) use to function. The other half is provided mostly by stored fat. Glucose is the "food" preferred by our brain cells and nerve cells to function efficiently. Also, it's super important for muscle function (which helps when we exercise).
But there are carbohydrates we should try to avoid most of the time and ones we shouldn't, especially if you're looking to lose weight. It's a matter of making the right choices most of the time. Sometimes it's difficult to choose between a slice of chocolate fudge cake and a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert...it's difficult to choose carrots over pretzels...trust me, I know! And, sometimes, you just have to go for that piece of cake and that's okay too but remember that those are "empty" calories (foods that deliver energy but little or no protein, vitamins or minerals) and that there are healthier, more nutrient rich carbohydrates out there. It's all back to choosing one's calories wisely and trying to go more toward nutrient-dense foods (e.g. a candy bar at 92 calories versus a bowl of soup at 90 calories).
Let's stop with giving carbohydrates such a bad reputation! They are our fuel and some of them pack a mighty nutrient punch too! Embrace the carbs!
Oh and this topic isn't over yet...look for my next entry about what happens to your body on a low dietary carb diet!
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