Life After Sugar: Complex Carbohydrates Made Simple
Copyright 2006 Cindy Lewis
So much has been made of carbohydrates the last few years, good
and bad.
Carbohydrates are chemicals that are changed by digestion into
sugars - glucose - which are then transported throughout the
body to either be used as fuel or stored as fat. But that's not
the whole story.
Carbohydrates come in two basic forms: complex and simple.
Simple carbs are one, two, or at most three units of sugar
linked together in single molecules. Complex carbs are hundreds
or thousands of sugar units linked together in single molecules.
Simple sugars are easily identified by their taste: sweet.
Complex carbs, such as potatoes, are pleasant to the taste buds,
but not sweet.
There are two groups of complex carbs: high fiber and low fiber.
High-fiber, complex carbs are not digestible, at least not by
human beings, because we do not have the enzyme to do the job.
Cows have that enzyme; that is why they can get calories out of
grass, and we cannot. The main stuff in high-fiber, complex
carbs which is indigestible by humans is called "cellulose."
High-fiber (high-cellulose) vegetable foods are the healthiest
choices for human nutrition, and intake of these foods is
associated with lowered incidences of hypertension, cancer,
arthritis, diabetes, etc. Examples are lettuce and broccoli.
Examples of low-fiber, complex carbs are banana, tomato, squash
and all cereals and grains (therefore bread and pasta), potatoes
and rice. It matters not if a carb is simple or complex. After
digestion, it appears in the circulatory system as glucose, on
its way to the cells where it is used for energy
Simple sugars and low-fiber, complex carbs represent a threat to
health when they are consumed in high amounts.
While it is true that fiber is an important part of your diet,
even necessary to protect you from some diseases, carbohydrates
themselves are not necessary. There are "essential" fatty acids
and "essential" amino acids (from protein), however there are no
known essential carbohydrates.
Most of our carbohydrates come from cereals and grains, both
products of the agricultural revolution. Our bodies are not
genetically designed to thrive on large amounts of these
fiberless complex carbs. With the popularity of cereal- and
grain-based "health diets," our carbohydrate metabolism has been
upset because we simply cannot handle this large load of carbs.
Increased insulin output from the pancreas, over the years,
results in hyperinsulinism, insulin resistance and the resulting
diseases mentioned above: hypertension, dyslipidemia,
atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Complex carbs with lots of fiber are rich sources of necessary
vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes when in the raw state.
The problem happens when carbohydrates are altered by processes
which provide empty calories stripped of much of their original
food value.
The most healthy form is the complex carbohydrates present in
high-fiber vegetables; however, it is certainly acceptable to
spice up your diet in moderation with simple sugars in the form
of whole fruits. Eat your fruits, do not juice them and drink
them.
Try to stay away from processed sugar and simple sugars. The
less you have the better you will look and feel for sure.