Don’t Blame the Carb!
Honestly, it’s not its fault. We often feel victimised by the tiny carbon-hydrogen-oxygen compound — it’s an enemy we should repel with upmost force. But in all truthfulness, when consumed correctly, carbohydrates are a true life-long friend to our health and happiness. The poor macronutrient has been unjustly short-changed by myths and old wives tales that led us to believe it give us unsightly, waistline bulges*. The poison sent from Satan! But fear not, here is the real story…
(*FYI, while it is important to know when too much ‘bulge’ is becoming a health issue, I am an enthusiastic believer that being comfortable in your size is so important. I won’t start a lecture about it, but a personality does backflips over body image!)
Not All Carbohydrates Are The Same
Let’s go back to basics for a minute. Carbohydrates are compounds made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. If we go into the chemistry of it all (only briefly, I promise!) the carbohydrate compound can be arranged in different ways and at different lengths which translates to different tastes and metabolic effects on the body. There are three main categories of carbohydrate.
- The small, short carbohydrate compounds are called monosaccharides (mono-sacca-rides) — they comprise of one carbohydrate unit — otherwise known as ‘sugars’. You may have heard of these compounds: glucose, fructose, galactose.
- The slightly less small, still short carbohydrate compounds are called disaccharides (die-sacca-rides) — comprised of two carbohydrate units — you may have heard of these: sucrose, lactose, maltose.
- The large, long carbohydrate compounds are called polysaccharides (poly-sacca-rides) — comprised of three or more carbohydrate units. You may have heard of these as starch, glycogen and cellulose.
- Ok there’s a sneaky fourth. There is one extra special type of starchy carbohydrate that the body cannot digest — fibre! The indigestibility of fibre makes it a perfect fuel for the good bacteria in the gut (YUM), which in turn provides us with a multitude of health benefits, physically and mentally (more detail on this later).
Hold on a sec, why on earth have I bothered lecturing you about carb structures?! Well, for one I think it’s pretty interesting. No surprises there. But, more importantly, it is useful for you! Understanding carb structures lets us understand how they are metabolised in the body and what that means in terms of health. Carbohydrates only enter the blood stream as monomer units (the most widely known is glucose, although fructose and galactose are absorbed too) — glucose is the primary source of energy for the body. Longer polysaccharides (starchy carbs) require more digestion and take longer to break down into glucose (the primary source of energy for the body), which means they release energy slowly, over a long period of time. This is great for us, as it means we are provided with energy across the day. On the other hand, mono- and disaccharides (sugars) serve a purpose to provide us with quick release energy for immediate use. They elevate blood glucose levels rapidly since they are pretty much absorbable from the get go. These kinds of carbs are best for when you want to do exercise of some form that will require lots of energy — not your go to carbs for everyday purposes. So there you have it — carbohydrates are not all the same!
Common Carb Misconceptions…
Just a side note here, you may (or may not) have heard ‘fruits contain loads of sugars’ or ‘honey is a natural source of sugar so it is healthier’ or ‘if brown bread is better than white bread, then brown sugar must be better than white’. I’m sorry to say your ears have been lied to. But let me set things straight so we are all on the same page. Firstly, the sugar you find in fruits (fructose and glucose) are bound within cellular walls of the fruit which means they are not as readily absorbed by the body (if you wanna get real fancy, these are called intrinsic sugars) — they are not ‘bad’ for you. Secondly, although honey is a natural source of sugar, from a ‘health’ point of view it is the same as having cane sugar or table sugar. Honey or cane sugar are free sugars and are quickly absorbed by the body (fancy pants time, these are called extrinsic sugars). Thirdly, brown sugar is not healthier than white — they are exactly the same in terms of raising blood glucose levels. The only difference is in the colour — brown sugar is made by combining white sugar with molasses (black treacle). And now that’s cleared up, let’s move swiftly on!
Where did that Carb from?!
The humble carb is found in pretty much every food — except meat, fish and eggs. The type (sugar, starch, fibre) of carbohydrate is found in different quantities of different foods. The best carbohydrate foods to eat are those with a higher fibre content — as an extra bonus you also receive complementary vitamins, minerals and sometimes even a good source of protein for good measure. These high in fibre foods I’m talking about are *drum roll please* *takes deep breath*: wholemeal pastas, wholegrain breads, brown rice, porridge oats, high fibre cereals like branflakes, chickpeas, lentils and other pulses, bulgur wheat and (even though it’s not a high fibre food, it’s still worth credit for this carb category) potatoes.
*Breathe*
What’s important is that we steer away from white, refined carbohydrates such as white breads, biscuits, cakes, crisps and (yes, I’m sorry) pastries, since these are (gram for gram) higher in calories and do not keep you full for very long. I’m very much not saying never eat these delicious treats — they do have a place. But treat them as treats, because that’s what they are!
How much ‘good’ carb should I be eating?
We know need to eat the correct type of carbohydrate, but it is equally important to eat them in the correct proportions. What do I mean by this? About 50% of total energy you consume should be from those high fibre, starchy carbohydrates we spoke about earlier. Yep, I know what you’re thinking. Golly goshkins, do I really have to calculate 50% of what I eat every day?! Not one bit. In fact, there’s a useful tool to help visualise your diet as a whole — the Eatwell Guide.
This visual representation of food is what we aim to have in the diet as as whole. It’s not saying that each and every meal needs to look like this — with a third of vegtables, third of starchy carbs and third of proteins and dairy plated up. That is unbelievably unrealistic, especially for breakfast (although may be a good way to portion out your lunch and dinner). Overall, making sure that a good portion of your daily energy intake is coming from starchy, high fibre carbhydrates will stand you in good stead for better health.
While sticking to this guideline, it also good to remember we need to consume 30g of fibre every day. The statistics for people in the UK who are meeting this recommendation is shockingly low — only 1 in 10 of us do. Making simple swaps in our diet, like wholegrain breads, pasta, rice and swapping meat out for lentils and pulses and consuming fruit with each meal, will help us to meet this goal. (At the end of this post you’ll find an example meal plan to show you what 30g of fibre per day looks like).
Carb power!
As previously mentioned, high fibre foods can do wonders to our gut and even our mental health. The evidence is out there and below is the evidence summarised:
- They help to lower blood cholesterol — high blood cholesterol is linked to increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease (high blood pressure, stroke, vascular dementia). Certain carbs in oats called beta-glucans may actively lower cholesterol in the blood stream. Regular fibre consumption is also associated with general good heart health.
- They reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. When fibre is consumed, it eventually ends up in the large intestine, where ‘good’ bacteria ferment it and release a compound called butyrate, well known to inhibit tumour development.
- They help us to feel fuller for longer and are often incorporated in weight-reducing diets. This is especially useful to reduce the risk of obesity (which in itself is known to come with a multitude of health risks).
- They make up part of a healthy diet, which is associated with reduced risk of depression. OK, I know, it’s not the only thing that is needed to help with mental health, but there is a growing body of evidence that shows what we eat and when has a huge impact on how we feel about ourselves — and that’s pretty important.
High Fibre Diet Example
And here you have it! The high fibre example meal for one day — it just goes to show that high fibre foods need to be consumed throughout the day in order to total up a good amount.
*Summary*
Now you’ve read all this, I hope you’ve come to relasie carbs really shouldn’t be blamed for all that they are labelled with. For the most part, they are a nutricious macronutrient that are associated with several health benefits. So tell your friends, your family, your neighbours and spread the word that there are ‘good carbs’ in the world and hopefully, just mayyyyybe, one day the dreaded carb will get the shining spotlight it truly deserves!
