Pasta, bread, rice, dinner rolls, potatoes, bananas, oatmeal, and so on….
Okay admit it, you just had a slight panic attack reading all those CARBOHYDRATE rich foods? Take a deep breath, and relax. I am here to tell you that carbohydrates are not the enemy, and hopefully help you restructure the way you look at your next carbohydrate.
Let’s start at the beginning, what is a carbohydrate? It is called a carbohydrate because it is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It contains fiber, starch and sugar. It is one of the three macronutrients, the other two being fat and protein. Carbs are one of our body’s main sources of energy-yielding (calorie-providing) nutrients and can only be obtained through diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose (sugar), which is converted to energy and used to support bodily functions and physical activity. They ARE necessary.
How many carbohydrates should you have in a day? The dietary reference intakes (DRI) are a set of nutrition-based values used to define the recommended dietary intake for individual nutrients. The DRI’s are determined by expert panels appointed by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. The DRI for carbohydrates is between 45% – 65% of your total daily intake. This range is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases while providing adequate intake of essential nutrients. It is a wide margin so it allows accommodation for personal dietary preferences. Even when on an energy-restricting diet, you should still maintain your carbohydrate intake within these recommended percentages. One gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. If you are eating a 2,000 calorie diet and you want 50% of your calorie intake to come from carbohydrates you would need to eat 1,000 calories from carbohydrates per day or 250 grams.
Here’s an example on how to calculate your personal carbohydrate needs:
2,000 calorie diet
50% carbs (2,000 x .50 = 1,000 calories coming from carbs)
1,000 calories / 4 (1 carbohydrate = 4 calories) = 225g of carbs needed per day
Simple vs Complex carbohydrates: There are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex; the difference between the two is how quickly they are digested and absorbed by the body.
Simple carbohydrates are the sugar component of carbohydrates and have either 1 (monosaccharides) or two (disaccharides) sugars. Because of their simple chemical structure, they are easily digested – this will lead to a quick energy spike as the sugars are converted to glucose followed by an energy lull once the process is complete.
Simple carbohydrates are naturally found in some foods such as fruits, milk and milk products, as well as in processed and refined foods such as white bread, candy, syrups and soft drinks.
Complex carbs – as the name suggests – are more complex, they have three or more sugars (polysaccharides) and are often referred to as dietary starch and are rich in fiber. Due to the complex structure of the molecule it takes the body longer to break it down to produce glucose for energy. Because of this longer process, they often give greater satiety, are more satisfying and often contain greater amounts of vitamins and minerals. Complex carbs are commonly found in starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkin), whole grains and foods made from whole grains (pasta, oatmeal and breads) and beans, brown rice, lentils and peas. It is recommended to consume 30-38 grams of fiber per day for men and 25 grams for women or simply 14g of fiber for every 1,000 calories in your diet.
A good rule of thumb when trying to maintain a well-balanced diet is to eat a variety of food during the day and that 90% of your carbs come from complex carb sources and 10% from simple carb sources.
I can’t talk about simple and complex carbs without briefly discussing the Glycemic Index (GI). The GI is a scale from 1 to 100 that measures how quickly carbohydrates raise blood sugar after eating. Foods with a higher GI rating tend to be simple carbohydrate food sources; they are rapidly digested, absorbed and metabolized. Foods with a lower GI rating tend to be complex carb food sources and produce smaller fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels. Generally foods with a lower GI score release glucose more slowly, meaning the body has to work harder to break down the food so you feel fuller for longer. However, buyer beware, the GI scale isn’t always the best indicator of what foods to eat. Some foods with a lower GI score can be high in fat and salt, while foods with a higher GI score can be healthier options such as fruits, potatoes and rice.
So carbohydrates aren’t the ‘enemy’? Exactly! To have a healthy mindset you need to stop thinking of carbohydrates (or any macronutrient source) as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and start thinking of it as you can eat more of this and you should eat less of that. The problem is with the quantity and the type of carbohydrates we choose. Carbohydrates actually are very beneficial for us. Carbohydrates promote brain health – they are important for memory, and have been found to help reduce anxiety and depression (when compared to a low carb diet). They promote heart health by helping to lower cholesterol levels, and can also help with weight loss. Yes, let me repeat that, they can help with weight loss. The right kind of carbs will keep you feeling fuller for longer periods of time, in part, due to the increase amount of fiber. Carbs can also be a great source of vitamins and minerals. Simply put, the problem is choosing simple carbohydrate sources to eat while limiting fat and/or protein intake. This will give you the quick energy spike and help you feel full for a short amount of time but then an even greater hunger will occur where you may choose foods with even more sugar causing an endless self-sabotaging cycle.
So what should I eat? There is no one magic answer for you. Each person is different and requires different food. However, a good place to start is to be sure that every meal/snack you have is a balanced plate. You should always be eating at least two of the three macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) for any meal or snack. Ideally all your meals will be half filled with vegetables, a quarter filled with starches (complex carb source) and a quarter filled with protein. It’s important to also incorporate healthy fats either by cooking with them or adding them to your plate. Sources of healthy fats include avocados, cooking oils (olive, coconut and sesame), eggs and nuts/seeds.
The body needs carbohydrate, fat and protein to function optimally, and the focus should be on selecting the best choices from each group, not on eliminating or restricting any single one. Happy eating!
