CARBOHYDRATES – THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY!

Here is a more in depth article which I hope will help you understand more about carbs. In the future I plan to talk more about low carb diets, carbs and exercise, and other such subjects.

What are carbohydrates?

· A carbohydrate is a chemical compound made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which join together to form molecules.

· Simple carbs are comprised of single molecules or two sugar molecules joined together

· Complex carbs consist of many sugar molecules that are all connected

· There are three types of carbohydrates: sugars (simple), starches, and dietary fibre (both complex)

What are the main functions of Carbohydrates?

· Carbohydrates provide energy:

· Carbohydrate is arguably the most important source of energy for athletes or indeed for anybody carrying out regular exercise. Carbs provide the energy that fuels muscle contractions.

· Carbohydrates fuel the brain and the central nervous system.

· They play an important role in the digestive system...think fibre....it carries all the waste products out of your body!

How do we utilise Carbs?

· Once consumed, carbs get broken down into a simpler form of sugar that gets absorbed into the body and utilised, or stored as energy.

· Any glucose not needed right away gets stored in the muscles and the liver in the form of glycogen.

· When the body needs energy the glycogen reserves will be utilised

I’m going to give a quick explanation of the different types of carbs which you need to know as it will help you to understand why you need to eat certain foods more than others. Stay with me, I will try to make it short and sweet!

The two main types of carbs are simple and complex

Simple Carbohydrates

· You may have heard these referred to as simple sugars

· They occur naturally in foods such as fruit

· They get reformed to produce products high in sugar and often high in fat (oh yeah and horribly tasty!), through manmade processes.

· They only consist of one or two sugar molecules meaning they can easily be broken down & used for energy pretty soon after you scoff them down...sounds too good to be true? Ah, I’m already so predictable, it’s never as good as it seems:

· Because they are broken down so quickly they shoot into your blood stream and give an instant energy boost...the body will react by hitting all that sugar with a hit of insulin, which will cause a steep drop in blood sugar levels, right down below where they were when you first snuffled that sugar down, and you end up feeling more tired and crave more sugar...and then you’re stuck in a vicious, sugar-driven cycle!

· Note: this is only in the case of sucrose or sugar. Sucrose is found in cakes, pastries, soft drinks and sweets. It is also sneakily added to many other processed foods, check labels if in doubt.

· Sucrose is the bad guy, contributing to weight gain as these sugary products are high in calories, tooth decay and even more severe problems long term such as diabetes.

· Most simple carbs have little nutritional value

· Just to confuse things, fructose (fruit) and lactose (milk) are simple carbs but these are good guys. They contain other substances in them that prevent the glucose being released quite so quickly into the bloodstream.

· We do not need large amounts of sugar or energy in one go and only a certain amount can be converted into glycogen and stored for later use. The surplus gets converted into fat.

Complex carbohydrates

· Are the starchy carbohydrates

· They are found in foods such grains, cereals, potatoes, brown rice, wholemeal bread, pasta, legumes and certain fruits and veggies.

· Their complex chemical structure means they are not broken down or digested as quickly or easily as simple carbs.

· This slow release prevents the rises and dips in blood sugar levels associated with the simple carbs keeping energy levels more constant

· They contain plenty of vitamins and fibre

Carbohydrates can also be refined or unrefined: · Refined carbs have undergone a chemical process to remove the bran and wheat germ from the grain eg white bread. · Refined carbohydrates tend to have a preferable taste and texture, but once refined they have essentially had most of the goodness and natural fibre removed. · Unrefined carbs contain more fibre, vitamins & minerals eg wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals. These are the ones you should be eating!

So, there you have it, a compact(ish) guide to carbs. Remember: Ideally try and consume mostly complex carbs, try to stick to the unrefined choices and of course make sure you get your five a day! Eat more of these: Bran, wholegrain cereals, wheat germ, wholemeal bread, brown rice, potatoes, pasta, barley, oats, pulses, beans and peas. Restrict these: Sweets, sugary breakfast cereals, cakes, pastries, syrup, sugar, fizzy drinks, biscuits, chocolate. And of course remember, it’s all about balance, outweigh the bad with the good and you’re well on your way to a healthier diet. Thanks, www.nuyuu.com