The Macronutrients part 1
Carbohydrates Explained
All food is broken down into three basic macronutrients. Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats. For optimum health we need a proper balance between all the nutrients. If you’ve ever been confused about carbs, read on!
We will go deep in to all the types of carbs, what they do, how their formed and how it impacts our bodies.
Carbohydrates are for energy and storage of energy. Their smallest units are composed of sugars. We are capable of making some of our own by breaking down other macronutrients.
Carbohydrates are responsible for most sweet tastes, (although some Amino acids also taste sweet).
Examples of food that contains carbohydrates are sweets like, pop, sugar and candies. Starchy foods like rice, potato, squash, corn, beans, lentils, and breads. All of them contain some form of sugars; some are more easily absorbed than others. Some other vegetables have digestible carbs but in a lower ratio to other foods.
These simple carbohydrates can quickly stress out the pancreas (the producer of insulin), and can cause yo-yo fluctuations in blood sugar resulting in cravings and those emotional symptoms. If you’ve ever felt Hangry, that’s the result of low blood sugar levels that leave us feeling short tempered, and shaky. I find that is usually the result of eating something that raises insulin but is quickly absorbed. Insulin is a longer acting hormone, so it can still be high long after the offending high sugar food is absorbed, giving us both low blood sugar and a high circulating insulin level. No wonder we feel off.
If we think of carbohydrates in a wood or gas furnace model, sugars would represent the natural gas - it’s a clean burning fuel. Our body can turn on a tap for quick fuel anytime. They burn quickly, and they provide instant energy. Glycogen is carbohydrate stored in limited amounts in the body (muscle and liver). With sufficient glycogen, maximal work can occur by using the maximum amount of energy possible when working a muscle. The result can be more stimulation of the muscle fibers and more potential growth. Carbohydrates are needed to replace body glycogen stores and to also provide metabolic intermediates to help with the degradation of lactic acid products (muscle soreness). That breakdown also occurs in the every busy liver. But trained muscles can store more glycogen, so you use more of your carbohydrates as energy.
Do any of you suffer from any of the following?
Irritability
Fatigue
Sugar cravings
Mood swings
Depression
Overeating
Anxiety
Depending on what carbohydrates you eat and how you consume them (timing, and food combination), your blood sugar can swing from a state of high blood sugar to low blood sugar, leaving you feeling all Jekyll and Hyde. I’ll explain more later but just know we are generally aiming for the middle of the road for most of the day, not living in a state of high or low for any length of time. It gets complex when we start to think of low carb diets, and intermittent fasting.
Simple carbohydrates such as the sugars (white, invert, brown, malt syrup corn syrup, molasses, honey) and even refined grains such as white flour, corn starch, white rice, and pastas, all lack the necessary nutrients to be easily metabolized because they have been removed by the processing. Refined carbohydrates have been altered from their natural state removing the natural nutrients. The lack of protein, fats, fiber and other nutrients such as the B -vitamins, Chromium, Zinc robs the body of its own stores. Without the proper nutrients to metabolize them, they are more likely to be converted into fat and stored. And without the protein fat and fiber they are digested much faster and result in a higher blood sugar and insulin response.
Functions of Carbohydrates: Why do we need them?
The short answer is Energy! Glucose is utilized by internal organs, nervous system, muscles (fast energy) and provides food for brain cells. (our brains can use up to 60% of circulating glucose- do not be low carb if you need your brain for something important.
Brain function- carbs can affect serotonin as we raise insulin more tryptophan can cross the blood brain barrier to raise Serotonin levels.
Regulates protein and fat metabolism (regulate thyroid/temperature)
Regulated appetite mechanism.
Fiber - aids in elimination via feces (carbohydrate bonds we can’t break act as a scrubby brush on the way out leaving your colon clean and sparkly)
Promote friendly intestinal bacteria (a bugs gotta eat, these guys make some neurotrnsmitters and B vitamins and other great stuff)
Source of vitamins and minerals (plant sources- some freed up by our bowel flora.)
Insulin produced in response to sugar levels in the blood also aids in transporting amino acids across the cell membrane of muscle cells (not just glucose) That’s why after a workout is an ideal time for your simpler carbs. If there are all kinds of amino acids in your blood and stream, tryptophan can’t easily cross the blood brain barrier, insulin encourages the other aminos into muscle cells, leaving tryptophan able to cross to be turned into serotonin.
All sugars are carbs, but not all carbs are sugars.
Monosaccarides-Single sugars
There are three simple sugars, Glucose, Fructose and Galactose. Glucose is what our body uses most easily, the other two need a slight change to become glucose so we can use them and that happens in the liver.
Chew soda cracker, (or a mouthful of white bread) in your mouth for a long time without swallowing, and you will start to notice it has become more sweet tasting. We have an enzyme called amylase in our saliva breaks the bonds between the sugar molecules. As that happens we begin to be able to taste the smaller sugars. The shorter the chain the sweeter the taste. (in actual fact we can start absorbing glucose in our mouths before it even hits our stomach)
Disaccharides- Double sugars
Disaccharides are 2 sugar molecules joined with a bond, sucrose (table sugar),
Lactose (milk sugar), maltose. Sucrose is a disaccharide formed from glucose and fructose. Disaccharide bonds require specific enzymes to break (digest) the connection.
Fun fact!
Those that are lactose intolerant lack the enzyme lactase to break the bond between galactose and glucose as a result your bowel flora basically ferment it, and the result is gas and bloating and discomfort.
Galactose + Glucose= Lactose
Complex Carbohydrate- Many sugars
A complex carbohydrate is a bunch of sugars linked together. Plants make glucose and to store that energy they link the sugars for compact storage to form complex carbohydrates. The carbohydrate portion of wheat, and other grains are the fuel source in seeds to germinate and start to grow. Veggies turn glucose to starch as they age (more compact), so things like corn, and peas, are sweetest when they are young. On the flip side, Fruits turn starch into sugar as they age, so they get sweeter. (More digested) (i.e. Bananas old vs. green)
Our bodies break these bonds between the sugar molecules using enzymes so we can absorb the individual sugars through the intestines and use the individual sugars as fuel.
Fiber- many sugars with complex structures we can’t digest.
Not all carbohydrates are digestible. If you read the label you will notice that Fiber is under the carbohydrate portion- Fiber is made up of sugars that have bonds that we don’t have the enzymes to break down. (more on fiber later) That’s why we don’t eat grass and hay like ruminant animals. We only have one stomach to digest, where as animals that graze have an extra stomach or two that contains microbes and enzymes to break down the plant material into absorbable macronutrients. .
These are your soluble and insoluble fibers. Some polysaccharides such as cellulose, lignin's (found in stocks, leaves, seeds) are insoluble fiber, and Hemicelluloses, pectins, are soluble but indigestible are found in psyllium husks, fruits, agar, irish moss – and can have a 50 x water absorption ability.
(Pay attention to your dietary fiber intake aim for 30-60 g per day.)
Other carbohydrates can be partially soluble but still indigestible, Raffinose and stachyose from lentils and beans are not digestible and usable to us, but can be digested by our bowel flora resulting in flatulence. We lack the enzymes to break the bonds between the sugars, when the bacteria use them, they produce a by-product of their metabolism… gas! Beano and Gas-ease aren’t some magic gas absorbing space age material, they are enzymes that break the bonds so that we can digest it and the bacteria in your lower digestive tract, can’t.
What about low carb diets?
Ok whether you love or hate the idea, here’s the breakdown of the initial weight loss when you go low carb.
Our body stores glucose in a small amount as glycogen. The main stores are found in the liver and muscles. Up to 1000g can be stored. 800g in the muscles and about 200g in the liver. If you want to understand the initial weight loss due to a low carb diet, you must understand this process. So for each gram of glycogen we store in our body, it takes 4 grams of water to keep it bioavaiable.
So the math goes like this-
Glycogen 1000g
Water 4000g
Total weight 5000g
That’s 11lbs of body weight. When you cut the carbs and you use the glycogen you have stored and don’t replace it, your body releases the water.. so if you go low carb for 2 weeks all you’ve done is changed the scale- your level of body fat may not have changed at all!
Once you eat carbs again, that scale is going to move the other direction.
That being said if you continue on the low carb ride, you will begin to burn fat through ketosis. By manipulating your carb intake consciously you can rev up your metabolism but it’s not a lifestyle, or to be used long term. Carb cycling may be an effective way to kind of have it both ways, but it takes more effort than just avoiding carbs all together. Getting a handle on your carb choices and exercising means you can eat some of the foods you love, without feeling deprived, but if you would rather suffer that’s up to you!
For some people that got excited about the Atkins craze a while ago had moderate success, But long term everything about being a human fights against it (mentally and physically), so most eventually fall off the bandwagon, and some have uncontrollable cravings, and then we have the whole guilt shame spiral, and eventually give up.
Or worse, you really got into the high fat/high protein thing (cuz admittidly it’s usually pretty tasty!) , and now you are back eating carbs full on, plus the high protein fat you got used to… so weight gain will ensue. Which brings me to the next point….
How Do Carbohydrates Make us Fat
If too much fuel is in the bloodstream at any one time, they flip the switch for lypogenesis... or fat production. That switch is high insulin level. It does take some energy (about 20% of the calories to make carbohydrate into fat but that still leave’s an 80% production rate.
When Blood sugar is high, Our body then begins clear the blood of the excess circulating glucose, by packing it into our fat cells; so not only are we making more fat, We can’t burn any until blood sugar levels return to a normal level.
If we are constantly snacking on stuff that spikes our insulin- we NEVER get into fat burning mode.
Type II Diabetes
In some people chronic high insulin levels can begin to affect how the cells listen. Think of your cells as being constantly yelled at by insulin, eventually they are going to cover their ears and become desensitized. It will then cause your pancreas to produce more and more insulin (yell even louder). Insulin is a hormone and does have other effects on the body, besides fat production. If insulin levels are consistently high, you are consistently in fat production mode and never in fat reduction mode! Do you think this could be the link between obesity and diabetes?? Of course other factors can contribute to the development of Type II diabetes, but this is a huge factor.
A lifestyle that includes exercise, a low fat diet, with moderate glycemic index foods and a mostly vegetarian diet can promote insulin sensitivity and may help prevent or postpone the onset of Type II diabetes in those at risk.
Understanding they glycemic index
The Glycemic index was created to show the effect of foods on insulin levels. This has to do with type of sugar, the ease of digestion and the speed of absorption into the blood stream. The slower the digestion and absorption the lower the glycemic score. Conversely, as the speed of digestion increases, so do the insulin response and the glycemic index.
When we cook foods, (grains, vegetables etc) we break some of the bonds holding the sugars together, making it easier for us to digest, and increases the glycemic index and insulin response.
If we look at the carbohydrate content of raw carrots vrs cooked carrots. We see that Raw carrots have a large portion of their sugar content bound up with bonds we can’t break down by digetstion.
Raw Carrots – 16
Cooked Carrots 92
Depending on the plant, sugars can be linked in single chains of sugars (like peppers) and our enzymes can act anywhere on chains like cutting a piece of string.
More complex linking makes starches like those found in sweet potato, squashes, and grains. To digest complex carbohydrates we must break more bonds, so it is a slower process, because it can only occur
From the outside to the middle
Think of it as 3-D block, like a sugar cube, and only one grain of sugar can be removed at a time, how long before you got to the center? (another reminder to chew your food well!)
If we look at the table below- Brown rice is high glycemic in that it has lots of carbs per weight, but the insulin score is lower because it still has the protein and fiber in it which slows digestion.
Looking at white bread and potatoes- you see they are basically like a sugar because they have nothing to inhibit digestion and absorption.
And if you look at jelly beans (a processed sugar) the insulin is even proportionally higher because it provokes such a high insulin response.
You would expect ice cream to be a high glycemic but it’s only moderate because of the protein and fat slows down digestion. (proteins and fat take a little more work to digest, and stomach won’t empty till things are done)
Food Glycemic Score Insulin Score
GLYCEMIC EFFECT OF CARBOHYDRATE-RICH FOODS
All-Bran 40 32
Porridge (Oatmeal) 60 40
Muesli 60 40
Special K 70 66
Corn flakes 76 75
White pasta 46 40
Brown pasta 68 40
Grain [rye] bread 60 56
Brown rice 104 56
French fries 71 74
White rice 110 79
Whole-meal bread 97 96
White bread 100 100
Potatoes 141 121
GLYCEMIC EFFECT OF PROTEIN-RICH FOODS
Eggs 42 31
Cheese 55 45
Beef 21 41
Lentils 62 58
Fish 28 59
Baked beans 114 120
FRUIT
Apples 50 59
Oranges 39 60
Bananas 79 81
Grapes 74 82
GLYCEMIC EFFECT OF SNACKS AND CONFECTIONARY
Peanuts 12 20
Popcorn 62 54
Potato chips 52 61
Ice cream 70 89
Yogurt 62 115
Mars bar 79 112
Jellybeans 118 160
GLYCEMIC EFFECT OF BAKERY PRODUCTS
Doughnuts 63 74
Croissants 74 79
Cake 56 82
Crackers 118 87
What do they mean by:
Whole Grains: Includes bread, rice, pasta, cereal, corn, millet, quinoa, barley, bulgur and buckwheat. Grains are rich in fiber and other complex carbohydrates, protein B-vitamins and zinc.
Vegetables: Dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip and beet greens, bok choy and chard all contain vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, and other vitamins, iron, calcium and fiber. Dark yellow and orange vegetables such as carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkins provide extra beta-carotene. Vegetables are the greatest source of fiber.
Fruit: Citrus fruits- oranges, lemons, limes, etc. Melons -cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, kiwi, fresh berries. Apples, pears, bananas. Fruits contain fiber, vitamin C and beta-carotene.
Hopefully that has cleared up any questions you had surrounding carbs. For further insight or questions, push the button below.