Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates are carbohydrates that have been messed with by our
modern food-processing technology. That's significant for a bunch
of reasons:
1. Foods contain the nutrients necessary for their own absorption
(basically). Once refined (bleached, rolled, whatever), many of
those nutrients are removed. So now, in order to absorb the
nutrients, we must dip into our own nutritional body stores. If
you don't have adequate stores you may get some form of illness.
2. A primary non-nutrient removed in processing is fiber. Fiber is
essential to our diets because it regulates intestinal health and
bowel movements and slows the release of sugar into the system.
3. Carbohydrates are either simple carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates
are starches. Simple carbohydrates form sugar very quickly; complex carbohydrates
form sugar a little less quickly. Once the starches of complex carbohydrates are processed,
they form sugar even faster still, which is a stress on the
pancreas.
Nutrient density is desirable in all forms of our foods, not just
carbohydrates. It's just that carbohydrates require insulin to be
absorbed, which makes trouble for those wanting to lose weight --
since fat is formed, not burned, when insulin is high in the
bloodstream. Refining those carbohydrates makes insulin go even higher.
Many people are confused about the differences between simple carbohydrates
and complex carbohydrates -- and many of the popular weight loss
books seem to do all they can to muddy the waters even further.
Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients that provide
calories in our diets. The other two are protein and fat.
Carbohydrates provide most of the energy needed in our daily
lives, both for normal body functions such as heartbeat, breathing
and digestion and for exercise such as biking, walking and running
up the stairs.
Carbohydrates are considered simple carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates based upon their
chemical structure.
Both types contain four calories per gram,
and both are digested into a blood sugar called glucose, which can
then be used to fuel our bodies for work or exercise.
Somehow, simple carbohydrates have become known as the "bad"
carbohydrates, while complex carbohydrates seem to be designated
as the "good" carbohydrates. But there is no real scientific or
nutritional justification for these descriptions.
Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple
carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins
and minerals. Examples of simple carbohydrates include fruits, fruit juice, milk, yogurt,
honey, molasses, maple syrup and sugar.
Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed
with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Examples of complex carbohydrates are vegetables,
breads, cereals, legumes and pasta.
Most experts recommend that 50-60 percent of the total calories in
our diet come from carbohydrates. The bulk of the carbohydrate
choices should be complex carbohydrates and most of the simple
carbohydrate choices should come from fruits and milk or yogurt,
which also contain vitamins and minerals.
Avoid making the bulk of your carbohydrate choices from refined
foods high in sugar carbohydrates, since they are usually low in the nutrients
we need to maintain health and energy levels.
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