4 Reasons Why We Should Eat Carbohydrates

What? We should eat carbs?  But I saw on the news last night that the Keto Diet is the best diet for weight loss and last week I read on Facebook that the Paleo Diet is the best way to stay healthy.  And for the last year, I have been yo-yo-ing through different low-carb diets because I was told by a friend that eating a low-carb diet is the best thing for me!  How could you possibly convince me that eating carbs is actually good for me!?

Yes, there is so much advertising in the news and on social media promoting low-carb diets, but what they forget to mention is that carbohydrates are extremely important nutrients that provide our bodies with energy, structural support and they help us to regulate our everyday bodily processes.  Perhaps you aren’t convinced just yet, but hopefully, after reading this article, you will be excited to fuel your body with the proper carbohydrates from this point forward.

SO, WHAT DO HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES LOOK LIKE?

Unrefined Whole Grains:   Rice, Corn, Wheat, Oats, Amaranth, Quinoa, Barley, Rye, Millet, Buckwheat

Fruits (Fresh, frozen): A mix of all colours of the rainbow

Vegetables (Fresh, frozen):     A mix of all colours of the rainbow

Fibre:      A mix of soluble and insoluble fibre is found in most unrefined whole plant foods.

Legumes: Lentils, Soybeans, Pinto Beans, Kidney Beans, Chickpeas, Green Peas, Peanuts

Seeds: Flax, Chia, Sunflower, Pumpkin, Sesame

If you start adding these food ideas to your nutrition plan and eliminate processed foods with added sugars, you can be sure that your body will be thanking you and will be benefiting from your efforts due to the following reasons:

REASON #1 – ENERGY!

Carbohydrates are the major energy source for our brain and our muscles and the energy needed for our regular metabolic processes.  When complex carbohydrates are digested, they are broken down into simple sugars, one of which is glucose.  Glucose travels in the blood to different areas in the body that require energy.  When we are active, the additional demand on our body to move and maintain movement requires the production of energy from somewhere.  Blood glucose and stored glycogen from our liver and muscles provide the glucose needed to support ATP (high energy molecule) production.  So, when you’re exercising at a moderate rate or at a high intense rate, you can thank your carbs for helping you to move.  Have you ever experienced the feeling of “hitting the wall”?  Your brain is foggy, maybe you’re even confused and your body can’t move properly anymore.  This happens when your blood glucose and stored glucose (in the form of glycogen) is depleted and your body can no longer produce enough ATP to sustain the demand on the body.

And speaking of feeling foggy, have you ever heard of the saying HANGRY?  You know, the term is given to people when they feel moody, irritable, tired, and cloudy?  Well, this just might be your brain and body telling you that it’s time to eat again to fuel your brain with the energy it needs from glucose!  As a mom of 4 kids, I know this HANGRY feeling all too well!  I am constantly packing healthy snacks to keep our family’s brains and bodies fueled so we don’t have to experience each other’s nasty attitudes during a low blood glucose moment.

REASON #2 – NUTRIENT DENSE SOURCE OF VITAMINS, MINERALS, ANTIOXIDANTS, AND PHYTOCHEMICALS

I can’t eat fruits!  They are full of sugar!  Have you ever read articles that try to convince you that sugars from fruits are bad?  Well, just to clarify, yes our body processes sugar from refined sources and sugar from fruits (and all other foods) the same way.  Having said that, the benefits of eating fruits in MODERATION far outweigh the risks from eating those natural sugars.  Fruits and vegetables (some vegetables are higher in sugar than others) are nutrient-dense sources of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.  Even if you tried to take supplements in place of eating fruits and vegetables in an attempt to replace the great qualities whole foods provide without the added sugar, you would never be able to replicate the benefits they provide.  Eating the whole food is always the best solution!

REASON #3 – PROMOTES GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH

Nobody likes to feel constipated!  So, what can you do about it?  Eat fibre and drink water!  Fibre can be broken down into two categories: insoluble fibre and soluble fibre.  Thankfully we don’t have to overthink this because most whole plant foods have a mix of both of these fibres.  So, how do they help?

Insoluble fibres are not broken down in the digestive tract and therefore add volume to the material traveling through the intestines.  This extra bulk helps to stimulate muscle contractions in the intestines to help propel the material forward through the tract.  This naturally helps to strengthen the muscles in the tract making them more efficient at their job.

Soluble fibres also are not broken down in the digestive tract; however, these fibres not only help by increasing the bulk in the intestines, they also draw water into the intestines allowing for a smoother transit through the intestine and into the toilet.  Listen, this is very important!  You need to drink plenty of water when eating a lot of fibre to allow for this slippery ride.  If you don’t drink enough water, even a high fibre diet can cause constipation.

Now let’s talk about bacteria.  Sometimes we freak out when we hear about bacteria because we think bacteria is bad for us, but our bodies can be packed full of trillions of good bacteria.  Our colon loves to house a significant number of these good guys, and they need to eat.  Our indigestible foods, including fibre, resistant starch, prebiotics and oligosaccharides (all carbohydrate sources) are food sources for these bacteria.  How do you know if your gut bacteria are being fed?  GAS!  Yes, the breakdown of these products produces the ever so embarrassing, noisy and potentially stinky, gas by-products.  But don’t stop eating them!  Maintaining a healthy gut microflora helps to inhibit the growth of the bad bacteria and strengthens the immune system.  It also might help to protect against inflammation in the bowel and colon cancer.  The gas is worth it.

REASON #4 – DECREASES GLUCOSE AND CHOLESTEROL ABSORPTION

High blood glucose levels and high total blood cholesterol levels are a concern for far too many people in our country.  Highly processed foods add greatly to this problem, but not all foods should be considered equal, especially when it comes to carbs.  We should focus our nutritional plans around unrefined whole grains and whole foods and avoid highly processed foods, but what exactly does that do for us?  Well, refined processed foods typically have the outer bran layer (fibre layer) removed from their products, they’ve been heated and altered in ways that reduce their nutrient density, and they often have sugar products, salts and fats added to alter taste, smell, look and texture of the product.  So, not only can refined foods cause a spike in blood glucose levels, they can increase blood pressure levels and affect the total blood cholesterol levels in a negative way.  So, if refined processed foods can cause this response in our body, how do unrefined whole grains and whole foods help our body?

As we now know, soluble fibres from whole plant foods increases the bulk and water content in our intestines.  This increase in bulk slows nutrient absorption in the intestines, including glucose, which prevents the spike of glucose in the blood.  When glucose is absorbed at a slower rate, we prevent the “high” and then the “crash” feeling caused by dramatic changes in our blood glucose levels.  This slower absorption rate not only helps us to feel better throughout the course of the day, it is much more desirable for people with type 2 diabetes.

As for cholesterol, soluble fibre helps decrease cholesterol provided from both the diet and the liver.  Cholesterol is made in the liver and is not required from the diet.  Having said that, when we do ingest cholesterol, it can be absorbed by the intestines and can increase the overall cholesterol levels in the body.  But, guess who comes along again to help us out?  SOLUBLE FIBRE!  If you aren’t convinced to eat your fibre by now, hopefully this last piece of information will push you over the edge.  Soluble fibre binds to dietary cholesterol reducing its absorption.  Also, the liver makes bile which is a substance released into the intestine to aid in the digestion and absorption of fat.  Well, bile is made with cholesterol.  So, soluble fibre can also bind to this cholesterol from the body to eliminate it from the body as well.  Soluble fibre helps to reduce the absorption of dietary cholesterol and the reabsorption of cholesterol from bile and therefore helps to decrease the overall blood cholesterol levels.  EAT YOUR FIBRE!

 Now that you know just 4 amazing and health-promoting factors that healthy carbohydrates can provide our body with, share this new found knowledge with your family and friends so that you can all benefit from great brain and body energy, improved immune function, smooth digestion, improved blood glucose and cholesterol levels and a graceful understanding of each other's musical gas productions.

Happy eating everyone!