Simple and Complex Carbs – How to Make Carbohydartes Work in Favor of Your Diet
I realize I seem to have been focused on carbohydrates forever. Originally, I intended to do just a few posts, but I was interrupted by holidays and work breaks to update my blog site. So instead of taking a month, it’s usurped several and enough is enough. I want to do a summation and move on but I do feel it’s an important topic which needs to be understood by everyone, particularly those who plan meals for other people, even if it’s only one.
My original motivation to open the discussion on carbohydrates was noticing stores stocking merchandize for the summer, and realizing the push to fit into bathing suits had started. This group includes most people I know, especially the women—me too! For lots of people this is a seasonal, cosmetic problem, unfortunately, for many others it’s a health one. Amazingly, in a nation which is increasingly aware of the importance of making healthy food choices and of low-fat cooking and is so focused on diets, one out every three adults is overweight and childhood obesity has become a serious concern.
It’s common practice when considering weight-loss diets in general, to put the white hat on proteins and the black one on carbohydrates. The reason for this, as I’ve explained several times, is because the body converts carbohydrates into glucose which is the fuel for the energy we need to function. Our body considers it so important that it creates cells, which we call “fat cells”, to save any excess we produce rather than lose it. Unfortunately, these cells tendency to cluster together forms a layer of fat on the body. So yes, carbohydrates are responsible for building body fat.
However, let’s qualify that statement. Excess consumption of the one is responsible for an excess of the other. Although we do need some energy reserves to get us through the day, so to speak, it’s the body’s compulsion to store EXCESS glucose which forms the fatty deposits. Excess glucose is created by ingesting more carbohydrates than the body requires to produce the energy to maintain its normal lifestyle. Consequently, we blame carbs for unwanted weight gain, categorically banning them from our tables when dieting. Yet here’s the catch, aside from pure protein such as eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, excluding mollusks, and pure fats, butter, oils and compounds thereof, all foods, including leafy vegetables, contain carbohydrates. How, then, is a person to determine what foods to choose in order to stay healthy, active and at a good weight?
The first trick is to know the different types of carbohydrates and learn which ones deserve the black hat. There are two classes of carbohydrates, Simple and Complex. Let’s start with the complex ones, because they’re the ones I’ve been examining over the past weeks, and those posts contain detailed descriptions. These are starches mainly associated with potatoes, pasta, rice and other grains. Complex carbs are the major ones responsible for providing energy. They take longer to convert to glucose than simple carbohydrates and enter the bloodstream at a slow steady pace which keeps us going 24/7. Because of the slower rate of digestion, if we ingest more starches and produce more glucose than our activity requires in a given period, that glucose is backlogged in the system and earmarked for storage or, simply put, turned into fat cells. This is why nutritionists and doctors warn people who want to lose or sustain a healthy weight, not to overdo their starch intake and to exercise. It’s also why increased carbohydrates are such an important part of an athlete’s training regime.
Simple carbohydrates are sugars. They are quickly converted into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream giving a rapid, short-lived burst of energy, in excess a “sugar high.” However, the energy provided by simple carbs isn’t sustainable as that from complex is, and once again the excess that isn’t used is stored as fat. A “Snicker’s Break” is one thing to help you through, or to recover from, an energy demanding activity. It’s quite another if you’re just snacking on sweets. In the one case you’re using the added fuel, in the other, you’re adding pounds.
Though simple carbs includes all types of sugar, not all sugars are the refined ones found in sweets. The carbohydrates in vegetables and fruits are also classed as simple ones, or sugars. Corn, beets, peas, bananas, mangos, dates and apples have a higher count than potatoes and some breads. A bowl of sliced apples, bananas or corn kernels would have more carbs than an equal amount of cooked pasta. Dried fruits are way up on the charts ranking with desserts. The reason these foods are included in any plan for a balanced diet is that they contain other valuable nutrients; protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals which are beneficial to us. This is why pure, especially refined, sugars are sometimes referred to as “hollow carbs”. That’s all they are—pure simple carbohydrate.
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The other trick to dealing with carbohydrates is calculating how many you need to sustain the level of activity required by your lifestyle. These calculations vary with the individual. When shopping for family meals each person’s requirements should be taken into consideration. Growing children, especially teens, need more energy than someone with a desk job. Do your wallet and everyone’s waistlines a favor and remember these calculations when making your shopping lists and don’t forget them in the market. Decide the quantities you need before you go and resist “adding one for the pot.” Having the correct amounts discourages overindulgence and over spending.
The balanced plate contains protein, fiber and carbohydrate. Protein is easy and so are the complex carbs but the fiber can get tricky. Fiber means inclusion of fruits and/or vegetables and they, as I wrote last week, also contain carbohydrates. The best thing in menu planning is to familiarize yourself with the nutritional values of a variety of key foods. Avoid placing two high carbonates in one meal, like combining corn and/or potatoes and/or beans. There are a few exceptions. I love succotash made with corn and limas, but make that dish the only thing on the plate aside from the protein, and include a leafy salad.
Usually, if you want to lose weight, you cut back on carbs and depend on your reserves to kick in thus depleting the number of fat cell in your body. If drastic weight loss is your aim, please consult a professional, a doctor or nutritionist. Even if slight weight loss is what you want, you should consume at least a minimum amount of complex carbs to maintain your energy level. Low-Carb diets are plentiful, and many are quite effective but none are written in stone or personalized. Before blindly jumping into one, see if you can, or should modify it to fit your own needs. For example, depending on the carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables alone may not be sufficient to consistently fuel your activity pace because they are simple ones. You could end up eating frequently to just keep going and not lose pounds or, even worse, gain some. You may need to reinforce your diet with some low level complex carbs like a small broiled potato at dinner, a small amount of beans in a luncheon salad, even a glass of milk. If you are in doubt as to the balance of simple and complex carbs in a prepared product, consult the “Nutrition Facts” on the package. Subtract the “Sugars’ number from the “Carbohydrates” one and the difference is the amount of complex carbs in the item.
Don’t just blindly depend on the same diet regimen to lose weight year after year either. Your nutritional needs may change. Even adding to your age can do it. At a family dinner recently a relative told me she had elected to join her husband on his annual “get in shape for summer” kick. This is a woman who developed Gestational Diabetes with each of her pregnancies, and by rigidly adhering to a very restrictive low-to-no- carb diet, delivered three healthy children and avoided progressing into Type 2 Diabetes herself. She thought this would be a cinch Yet, within one week, the relatively low-carb diet so successful for her husband, had sapped her strength and caused her to faint, because her body chemistry had changed. I was reminded of a friend who went on a liquid protein diet, replacing solid food with shakes. He did lose a lot of weight, but as soon as he went off the diet, even though he ate sensibly, he quickly gained most of it back. Both these people learned that they need carbohydrates to function and they had miscalculated the amount they required, at that point in time, to maintain their normal lifestyle.
The point of this discussion is that carbohydrates aren’t the enemy. They are a very important part of our diet, perhaps the most important part. Protein builds muscles, but it takes energy to move the muscles and that requires carbs. They are basic components to our existence and welfare. The place we go off the rails is when we turn to adding starchy carbohydrates when trying to sate hunger or to stretch a dish. Here is where fiber comes in. Fiber satisfies hunger. Using whole grain pasta and bread, serving brown rice, leaving the skins on potatoes will all make a meal more filling without having to add more ingredients. I put carrots and raisons in spaghetti sauce, and can easily stretch it by adding more of them rather than meat. Stews always welcome more peas, which though high in carbs are full of fiber and very filling as well as economical. If you know the nutritional values of various carbohydrates, and use good sense, you can use them to create wonderful, satisfying meals without breaking the budget.
I realize this has been an overly long discussion on one subject, but I did feel it was important. I only hope, if you’ve the patience to read through it, or archive it for reference, that it helps you in by easing your menu planning tasks and rendering the whole kitchen experience more pleasant. Being able to make informed choices both when drawing up your lists and when actually doing the shopping goes a long way toward improving your attitude about cooking, because you gain confidence. Confidence gives you the ability to try new things, gastronomically, economically, visually even in scheduling.
