Carbs you should worry about

Written by Dr harold Gunatillake FRCS,MBBS, FICS, AM(Sing), FIACS: Health writer

There are carbs and carbs- you need to choose the right kind for you, especially if you are a diabetic and has an obesity problem.

There are three types of major nutrients (macro-nutrients) Carbs, fats and proteins you need to eat daily for energy and metabolic functions, akin to putting petrol into your motor vehicle to run. These macro-nutrients provide the energy for your body’s machinery to work just like in your car. There are other minor nutrients (micro-nutrients) required for your subsistence in very minute amounts- so minute they could be packed in a capsule which you purchase as multi-vitamin capsule.

This discussion is only about carbs and not the other nutrients. There are three major classes of carbs:-
(1) Starches in vegies, yams legumes and roots you need to eat daily for good health. They have long chains of molecules and sometimes referred to as polysaccharides. These when cooked or eaten raw brake down in the intestines by enzymes into glucose molecules (monosaccharides). The monosaccharide derived as glucose is in an absorbable form into your gut.

There are also carbs in non-starchy vegetables such as lettuce, peppers, cucumber, mushrooms and many others. There are fewer carbs in these food items because they have high water content. For example, a half cup of cucumber has around 2 grams of carbs and the rest is water (95%). Cucumber would be an ideal food component when you are on a weight reducing diet.

(2) Sugar is a carb with short chained molecules (monosaccharides) these include glucose, fructose, galactose and sucrose. Fructose is the major sugar in fruits. Sucrose is found in your table sugar you add on to beverages like tea or coffee. Natural sugars are found in milk and fruit. Sugar is absorbed into the body more quickly than complex carbs like the starches. They are called simple carbs in comparison to complex carbs.

(3) Fibre is found in vegies, whole grains, seeds and nuts. All plant frameworks are made of fibre. These carbs cannot be digested and absorbed and raise blood sugar. It slows digestion of food and minimise spikes in blood sugar. You need to eat about 20-35 grams of fibre per day.

Each gram of carbohydrate provides four calories whilst fat provides 9 cals and proteins 4 cals. Fibre does not produce any calories and passes through helping to form the bulk of the stool.

Sometimes, carbs are classified as simple and complex. Monosaccharides and disaccharides are classed as simple carbs and carbs including starches are classed as complex carbs.

Complex carbs are highly nutritious like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes, peas, potatoes. They are unprocessed and rich in antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Simple carbs are sugars and starches that are refined and stripped of their natural fibre and nutrients.

Complex carbs may help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, as they have high quantities of fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They do lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) in your blood and raise the good cholesterol (HDL)

Fibre in complex carbs feed the good beneficial gut microbes. They help these bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids beneficial for digestion of food.

Whole Grains

A whole grain contains three distinct layers: (1) Germ high in polyunsaturated fats and important nutrients. (2) Endosperm is the inner part of the grain that’s mostly made of starch. (3) Bran the hard outer coating that high in fibre and essential fatty acids. It is the bran and germ that are removed in processed grains.

Let’s discuss about the comparison of the nutritional values of a cup (120 grams) of whole wheat flour and refined wheat flour.

Whole wheat flour has 407 cals in a cup and refined 455cals. 87 grams of carbs are in whole wheat flour and 95.4 grams in refined flour. 16.4 grams of protein in whole wheat and 12.9 grams are found in refined wheat. Whole wheat has 14.5 grams of fibre while refined has 3.4 grams.

Whole wheat has more Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium and choline. Refined wheat flour has all above micronutrients in minute quantities.

So, it is a good idea to eat whole meal bread than white bread.

Complex carbs do not give rise to spikes in your blood sugar and it is reasonable for people having diabetes to stick to complex carbs only.
Processed refined carbs make you hungry sooner than the whole meal.

All carbs including fruits have natural sugars which have health benefits, whilst added sugars like those found in baked goods and soda drinks can harm your health.
Added sugars are harmful and may cause weight problems, lead to diabetes, increase your triglyceride level in your blood, and interfere with the hormones that regulate appetite.

Table sugar, agave, honey, and high-fructose corn syrup contribute calories (between 48 and 64 a tablespoon). So far, research shows that our bodies absorb added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar in a similar way. Instead of avoiding one particular kind of sugar, try to limit added sugars of any kind, like those in soda, candy, and other sweets. Adding too much of sugars to your daily food can cause fatty liver.

Glycaemic Index

Carbohydrate counting is a way of keeping track of the carbohydrates in the daily diet. A person with diabetes who uses carbohydrate counting to manage their diet sets an amount of carbohydrate to eat for meals and snacks.

Bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes are all sources of carbohydrates.

The American Diabetes Association suggests a target of about 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per meal. This recommendation may vary depending on other factors such as gender, weight goals, and blood sugar target goals. (MNT).

GI (Glycaemic Index) measures how quickly food is digested into sugar and absorbed in the blood. High GI carbs raise the blood sugar faster and should be eaten in small portions.

You need to know the glycaemic index of carbs if you have diabetes. The glycaemic index (GI) is a number associated with a particular type of food that indicates the food’s effect on a person’s blood glucose (also called blood sugar) level. A value of 100 represents the standard, an equivalent amount of pure glucose
Certain foods like rice, dates, and foods cooked or baked with process wheat flour have a GI of over 80, whilst noodles, pastas have a GI less than 50. Basmathi rice seems to have a low GI of 59 due to its high maltose content. It is a long grain rice variety and hence the GI is lower.

Rice is a high carb grain hence its GI is high. One third of a cup of rice has 15 grams of carb. That would be about a third of the amount of carbs recommended for a single meal. The total amount of carbs per meal should be targeted at 45-60grams of carb per meal.

It is sensible to eat low glycaemic foods and avoid high glycaemic ones, especially if you have diabetes.

What this means is that you should eat carbs that digest more slowly, such as those with a lot of fibre. Carbs included in fatty meals also is a way of slowing absorption of carbs.

Studies have shown that it is the carbs that cause most of the chronic diseases and not fats, like obesity, diabetes , heart disease among a few.

It is best to include complex carbs in your diet like whole grain, legumes, vegetables, fruits , nuts and avoid simple carbs like processed foods,
Complex carbs are far more nutritious than the simple carbs. As suggested earlier, concentrate on complex carbs that are absorbed slowly to avoid spikes in blood sugar levels after meals.

So, give a good think about the carbs you eat- always eat unprocessed, high fibre, complex carbs.
( Ref: some information from EcoWatch article on Carbs)