Carbs Don’t Make You Gain Weight – What You Should Know About Carbohydrates
It’s been a long discussion on carbohydrates, but I think an important one. With each new season, be it Spring, Summer or the Holidays, attention is always focused on improving one’s image, usually on losing weight and carbs get trashed. Protein diets and fitness are the rage, but though protein does build muscle, it’s carbohydrates that provide the energy to get out of bed, let alone work out. The body converts the starch in complex carbohydrates to glucose which is released into the bloodstream at a slow steady pace, powering us through the day. Excess glucose is stored in cells created for the purpose, which we term “fat cells”.
Sugars are called simple carbohydrates and the glucose created by them enters the bloodstream quickly resulting in a quick spurt of energy. Anyone familiar with children recognizes a “sugar high”. A “Snickers Break” can have value when an activity arises that requires more energy output than is normal for you, such as having to shovel the car out to drive to work but that’s about the only time. Unfortunately, the body interprets these bursts of energy as a depletion of its reserves and produces excess insulin to quickly build more fat cells and put a lock on those already there. This is why sweets cause a quick weight gain and make dieting impossible.
However, the glucose created by the starch in complex carbohydrates is necessary to life and makes them an important part of a balanced diet. That being said, the cautionary warning:”properly presented and in correct proportion” must be added, advice we in the U.S. often ignore. I remember a Japanese neighbor being amused at the many ways we served rice, including the California-style Sushi roll. To her, rice was used in modest amounts as a bed for other foods. I don’t recall once, during the years I lived in Italy, seeing pasta served other than at lunch, usually as a first course and that not often. We Americans not only serve entrée plates overflowing with these products, swimming in rich sauces, but also offer them as sides and create salads. Nor are second helpings rare. In short, it’s not the fact that we eat complex carbohydrates that adds the pounds, but the way, the amount and the frequency with which we eat them. I won’t even mention our love of French Fries and their easy availability!
We could go a long way toward maintaining a healthy weight if we, individually, calculated the amount of carbohydrates we should consume to sustain our energy level for our own lifestyle. To do this we need to stop focusing on the obvious culprits. There are many high carb foods other then rice, potatoes, pasta and bread which can quietly undermine dieting. Beans, corn, peas, carrots, beets and winter squash are among the vegetables, especially when combined. My daughter had a classmate whose mother always complained that she couldn’t lose weight, despite constant dieting. One night I saw their dinner being prepared, and understood the problem; sautéed pork chops, Harvard beets, peas and carrots and coleslaw. A carb convention!
There’s a misconception that vegetables and fruits can do no wrong. Legumes (vegetables that grow in pods) beans, peas and peanuts are complex carbohydrates; they also contain other nutrients, protein and fiber which keeps them from being labeled purely as “starches”. Root vegetables, beets, carrots and turnips as well as winter squash have a high carbohydrate content and contain sugar, but are considered complex because most of their bulk Is water and fiber, which helps the digestive process eliminate waste, and they don’t have a high glycemic load. Leafy greens have a very low impact on the glucose level and are often considered “free” on the carbohydrate scale. In meal planning, the best rule is to avoid including two items from the same group, and never three. A steady diet of legumes combined with other high carb vegetables will result in weight gain just as starchy foods do.
Fruits follow much the same path as vegetables. They generally have a high simple carbohydrate count, but their water and fiber content, plus the many other nutrients they contain, give them a low glycemic impact and put them firmly on the “healthy” list. Even though an apple contains more calories and carbs than a tablespoon of sugar, it’s the better choice for a quick energy boost than candy. Fruit juice, on the other hand, is robbed of most of its nutritional value. Removal of the pulp is removal of the fiber content and most vitamins. Processing for commercial sale renders a drink that for all purposes contains only empty sugar calories.
Dried fruits are much the same story as juice. The pulp is no longer viable, the water is removed and though the skin retains some fiber all that basically remains is the sugar content. They are classified as simple carbohydrates. Even reconstituting them, as with stewed prunes, doesn’t return the glycemic impact of a complex carbohydrate. I heard a story of a woman who loved raisins and decided while dieting to substitute them for snacks and desserts. She ate at least a six-pack of small boxes a day, and in a month had gained 5lbs.! So the next time you consider one of those tempting dishes filled with dried fruits, nuts and seasonings, especially if they’re paired with a starch, think a sec and maybe bookmark it for special occasions rather than a regular offering.
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Now, as promised, a note on sweet potatoes; to clear any confusion, potatoes are of the nightshade family and grow best in cooler temperatures. Sweet potatoes are related to morning glories and need a warm climate, but both are tubers native to the general area of what is now Peru. White sweet potatoes are the rule in Europe, but rarely seen in the U.S. The yellow ones or”Louisiana Yams” are common here. We call the deep orange variety “yams” but true yams are a tuber of a different family native to Africa and not cultivated in the Americas. The deeper the color, the sweeter the potato and the higher the carb count. Measure for measure, sweet potatoes contain three times the calories and carbs of white potatoes. So why are they praised as a healthy food? Because they contain less fat and more nutrients, including vitamins, and fiber than almost any other vegetable. Soybeans are the closest contender for the title.
While we’re dealing with footnotes, the subject of noodles in Asian cuisines comes to mind. Wheat is grown in Northern China, where pasta originated, and the product is very similar in content to that served in the West. When fresh they’re labeled Stir-Fry Noodles and when cooked Lo Mein, not to be confused with Chow Mein noodles, which have been soft -fried in oil. In Southern Asia bean and rice crops replace wheat. Cellophane noodles, made from mung bean paste are brittle, but turn translucent and gelatinous when they absorb liquid. Deep fried they become puffy and crisp. Rice flour noodles are called Rice Sticks and must be cooked in boiling water before cooking, but deep fried can replace cellophane noodles with the advantage of holding their shape better and being less brittle. All types of Oriental noodles are complex carbohydrates very low in fat and sugar content.
My last note is about my omission of the bread category from this discussion of carbohydrates. It’s such a vast field, with so many variations other than just loaves; pitas, bagels, muffins and on and on, even cakes and pies, that it’s almost impossible to catalogue. Every bakery, corporate or independent, every home baker in every country have their own recipes. Moreover, with so many artesian offerings on the market now the nutritional values can change from batch to batch, even loaf to loaf. The type of wheat used is another major factor, especially in fiber content. It’s wisest when choosing bread to take time to read the nutrition listing on the wrapping. Generically speaking though, bread is a complex carbohydrate with ratings generally in the upper range of vegetables, but lower than rice or pasta. In itself, it isn’t a real danger to the dieter, but, unfortunately, it’s usually eaten in conjunction with something else, often another carb and becomes guilty of aiding and abetting.
Bread is a great way to lead into the point of this discussion on carbohydrates. To paraphrase a current tag line, carbs don’t make people gain weight, the way people prepare them and the amount they consume does. Overindulgence in just about any food but the leafy greens, and even then drowning them in rich dressings and sauces, will trigger weight gain, so imagine what caloric sauces do to high complex carbs like pasta, rice and bread.
A few years ago, there was a popular fad diet going around that appealed because it was so easy to follow: Don’t eat anything white!” The theory was that anything white was a carbohydrate and therefore fattening. I never did get to ask about pumpernickel bread or egg whites, or if onions counted because their skins had color. The basic premise was ridiculous, but its rapid acceptance was indicative of the popular belief that almost all carbohydrates are concentrated in the obvious foods, pasta rice, potatoes and bread and eliminating them from the diet is a healthy, nutritious and weight reducing thing to do. Quite the opposite is true. Carbohydrates are essential to the balanced diet. Not only do they provide the energy our bodies need to function. They aid in the development of brain cells and help maintain the nervous system as well. Long term use of artificial energy boosters may well prove more injurious to our well being than a steady ingestion of the proper daily amount of complex carbs. The trick is to calculate your individual requirements, avoid overindulgence and keep the preparations simple.
The other trick is to learn about different foods, their nutritional values and what constitutes a balanced diet. This will differ from person to person, but the basic elements are the same. The important thing is to understand is how to build a healthy menu, what foods are necessary, their different groupings, the correct quantities, which combine well, which are redundant. Hispanic dishes combine beans and corn, but in moderation. It would be a big no-no to serve potatoes and succotash in the same meal. Above all, don’t judge foods by their colors. All carbohydrates aren’t white, nor are the obvious ones the only ones and no carbs, especially the complex ones, in themselves, consumed in proper quantity, fattening. It’s the amount you eat and how you serve them that is.
Next week some ideas on coping with Father’s Day menus at current prices.
