Are Carbs Evil?

CARBOHYDRATES are the body’s most preferred source of energy.

In today’s world, with all the media and dogma-diets going around, carbs have been labeled either GOOD or BAD.

Carbs aren’t the necessary evil that they are perceived to be. The issue is; what types of carbs are you consuming. The first thing you hear in a conversation relating to managing weight usually revolves around the subject of carbs; “do you eat carbs?, “Do you eat bread?”. Carbs are perceived as the taboo and evil when it comes to dieting. People tend to have an image of carbs directly relating to fat gain.

In a sense and in certain contexts, there is some truth to that (insulin response, leptin etc which I will write up about in a later article).

The main reason to why a person puts on weight or looses it is energy balance. If you consume more than you burn, you will put the weight on and vise versa. Be it from carbs, protein or fat. You can even gain weight if you take in more calories than you burn in broccoli. Overeating is just easier with carbs since many underestimate the amount of calories in them, not to mention how our daily culture is over generous in high carb containing foods (think rice, bread etc). If we take in more carbohydrates of any kind than is needed for immediate use, the unused portion is stored in the liver or converted into fat and deposited in the tissues for future use.

Actually, carbs can be used to speed up recovery, improve performance and even aid in gaining muscle mass. However, this article is concerned with the general perception of carbohydrates as well as their relation to fat loss.

What people seldom know is that carbs are actually essential for brain function. Carbs are basically used for, but not limited to:

–Energy supply for the body’s automatic activity and the performance of daily tasks. The more physical work we perform daily, the more carbohydrates we must proportionately consume.

– A vital part in the digestion process, assimilation (metabolism) and oxidation of protein and fat.

– Foods rich in complex carbohydrates are filled with essential nutrients eg: sweet potatoes, beans, grains etc. The key word here being COMPLEX

Foods rich in complex carbohydrates are filled with essential nutrients required for optimal function of the body eg: sweet potatoes, beans, grains etc. The key word here being COMPLEX

To better understand, we need to classify carbs in their two forms; Simple and complex Carbs and familiarize ourselves with the Glycemic Index (‘GI’). Carbohydrates are converted into glucose before they can be absorbed by the body. The rate at which this conversion takes place and its effect on the body is known as the Glycemic Index and essentially divides carbs into Simple (easily converted into glucose) and complex (requires more time to be converted)

Glycemic Index

According to information published by The University of Sydney, the glycemic index “is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.” Carbohydrates are the only type of food assigned a glycemic index value because those foods impact blood sugar levels more than others.

High Glycemic Index foods (such as simple carbohydrates) will increase the body’s sugar levels rapidly whereas low glycemic index foods will increase the body’s sugar levels slowly. A good understanding of the glycemic index can assist in weight loss and help control diabetes.

(Refer to the table at the end of the article for an exhaustive list of foods and their GI rating)

Simple Carbs

Simple Carbs are found in some vegetables, fruits and dairy products finally leading to the least nutritional bread, cakes, candy and sugar. Simple carbs are essentially carbs that are easily converted into glucose, they tend to have a high Glycemic Index (the higher the glycemic index, the more you should avoid those foods).

Most simple carbs are completely digested and ready to enter your blood stream with saliva alone. Try this; place a piece of bread / toast in your mouth and without chewing wait for a minute or 2. The piece of bread would be completely broken down.

Very few actually consume fruits and vegetables that tend to be the most nutritious form of simple carbs and the bulk of simple carbs in a diet comprise of bread, sugar laden foods and processed foods containing high amounts of the refined sugar which have very little to offer in terms of nutritional value and are considered empty calories.

They also cause a high insulin spike which actually makes you hungrier when it peaks and signals your body to store fat. Ever had a bowl of pasta and felt quite hungry a while later? that’s due to the high spike in insulin caused and does explain why you are offered bread at restaraunts before a meal 😉 it simply makes you want to eat more.

People also tend to underestimate the amount of calories in processed foods. 2 average sized bread rolls equate to 1.5 times more calories than 2 chicken breasts. Which would do you think will keep you full for longer not to mention have a better nutritional profile?

Complex Carbs

Complex carbs are comprised of more than 2 linked sugar units hence the name “complex” versus one or two units that make up simple carbs.

Because complex carbohydrates are, well, complex, with anywhere from three to a a large number of units of sugars, your body takes longer to digest them than it takes to digest simple carbohydrates. As a result, complex carbohydrates provide your body with a slow, constant release of glucose into your bloodstream at a compared to simple carbs. This gives you a longer lasting supply of energy and you avoid the crash or plunge in energy that you get from consuming simple carbs. Complex carbs also tend to contain fiber which also supports in prolonging the digestion process. A few examples of complex carbs are legumes, Starchy vegetables and Whole grains.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, Carbs are the preffered source of energy for your body, I.e they fuel your body and are easily absorbed as glucose for energy or the excess (like any other nutrient; protein & fats) converted into fat.

To sum up, your carb intake should be in relation to your activity levels and should mainly comprise of complex form rather than high sugar, high processed carbs whether your goals are for body composition or general health.

Use the table below to get an idea of the Glycemic Index of your favourite foods;

Notes: * high in empty calories ** low-calorie and nutritious foods 

Food List	Rating	Food Glycemic Index
Bakery Products
*Pound cake	Low	54
Danish pastry	Medium	59
Muffin (unsweetened)	Medium	62
Cake , tart	Medium	65
Cake, angel	Medium	67
Croissant	Medium	67
Waffles	High	76
Doughnut	High	76
Beverages
Soya milk	Low	30
Apple juice	Low	41
Carrot juice	Low	45
Pineapple juice	Low	46
Grapefruit juice	Low	48
Orange juice	Low	52
Biscuits
Digestives	Medium	58
Shortbread	Medium	64
Water biscuits	Medium	65
Ryvita	Medium	67
Wafer biscuits	High	77
**Rice cakes	High	77
Breads
Multi grain bread	Low	48
Whole grain	Low	50
Pita bread, white	Medium	57
Pizza, cheese	Medium	60
Hamburger bun	Medium	61
Rye-flour bread	Medium	64
Whole meal bread	Medium	69
White bread	High	71
White rolls	High	73
Baguette	High	95
Breakfast Cereals
All-Bran	Low	42
Porridge, non instant	Low	49
Oat bran	Medium	55
Muesli	Medium	56
Mini Wheats (wholemeal)	Medium	57
Shredded  Wheat	Medium	69
Golden Grahams	High	71
Puffed wheat	High	74
Weetabix	High	77
Rice Krispies	High	82
Cornflakes	High	83
Cereal Grains
Pearl barley	Low	25
Rye	Low	34
Wheat kernels	Low	41
Rice, instant	Low	46
Rice, parboiled	Low	48
Barley, cracked	Low	50
Rice, brown	Medium	55
Rice, wild	Medium	57
Rice, white	Medium	58
Barley, flakes	Medium	66
Taco Shell	Medium	68
Millet	High	71
Dairy Foods
Yogurt low- fat (sweetened)	Low	14
Milk, chocolate	Low	24
Milk, whole	Low	27
Milk, Fat-free	Low	32
Milk ,skimmed	Low	32
Milk, semi-skimmed	Low	34
*Ice-cream (low- fat)	Low	50
*Ice-cream	Medium	61
Fruits
Cherries	Low	22
Grapefruit	Low	25
Apricots  (dried)	Low	31
Apples	Low	38
Pears	Low	38
Plums	Low	39
Peaches	Low	42
Oranges	Low	44
Grapes	Low	46
Kiwi fruit	Low	53
Bananas	Low	54
Fruit cocktail	Medium	55
Mangoes	Medium	56
Apricots	Medium	57
Apricots  (tinned in syrup)	Medium	64
Raisins	Medium	64
Pineapple	Medium	66
**Watermelon	High	72
Pasta
Spaghetti, protein enriched	Low	27
Fettuccine	Low	32
Vermicelli	Low	35
Spaghetti, whole wheat	Low	37
Ravioli, meat filled	Low	39
Spaghetti, white	Low	41
Macaroni	Low	45
Spaghetti, durum wheat	Medium	55
Macaroni cheese	Medium	64
Rice pasta, brown	High	92
Root Crop
Carrots, cooked	Low	39
Yam	Low	51
Sweet potato	Low	54
Potato, boiled	Medium	56
Potato, new	Medium	57
Potato, tinned	Medium	61
Beetroot	Medium	64
Potato, steamed	Medium	65
Potato, mashed	Medium	70
Chips	High	75
Potato, micro waved	High	82
Potato, instant	High	83
**Potato, baked	High	85
Parsnips	High	97
Snack Food and Sweets
Peanuts	Low	15
*M&Ms (peanut)	Low	32
*Snickers bar	Low	40
*Chocolate bar; 30g	Low	49
Jams and marmalades	Low	49
*Crisps	Low	54
Popcorn	Medium	55
Mars bar	Medium	64
*Table sugar (sucrose)	Medium	65
Corn chips	High	74
Jelly beans	High	80
Pretzels	High	81
Dates	High	103
Soups
Tomato soup, tinned	Low	38
Lentil soup, tinned	Low	44
Black bean soup, tinned	Medium	64
Green pea soup, tinned	Medium	66
Vegetables and Beans
Artichoke	Low	15
Asparagus	Low	15
Broccoli	Low	15
Cauliflower	Low	15
Celery	Low	15
Cucumber	Low	15
Eggplant	Low	15
Green beans	Low	15
Lettuce, all varieties	Low	15
Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened	Low	15
Peppers, all varieties	Low	15
Snow peas	Low	15
Spinach	Low	15
Young summer squash	Low	15
Tomatoes	Low	15
Zucchini	Low	15
Soya beans, boiled	Low	16
Peas, dried	Low	22
Kidney beans, boiled	Low	29
Lentils green, boiled	Low	29
Chickpeas	Low	33
Haricot beans, boiled	Low	38
Black-eyed beans	Low	41
Chickpeas, tinned	Low	42
Baked beans, tinned	Low	48
Kidney beans, tinned	Low	52
Lentils green, tinned	Low	52
Broad beans	High	79

 * Source: Southbeach diet GI Reference chart

 

Dont forget to like and comment 🙂