Issue 125: Carbs - Friend or Foe?

Inner Workings has broken down the benefits and myths around both proteins and fats. Now we’re putting the spotlight on one of the most discussed, and often condemned, of all of the macronutrients: Carbohydrates.

Do carbs deserve their bad reputation? Well, let’s go find out!

In wellness,  Mary Virginia

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But Before We Dive In…

There’s a whisper in my ear, “Psst…wait - what’s a macronutrient?”

Macro = large. A macronutrient is a major molecule in food that we need routinely in larger quantities in order to build our bodies and create energy. In contrast, a micronutrient is also an element in food that our bodies require, but only in very small amounts. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients.

There are three official macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrate. While I’m boiling down carbs in this newsletter, these three really work in synchronicity in the body. As I often say, our bodies are intricate and complex.

Ok, So What is a Carbohydrate?
People can pretty easily identify a protein or a fat. But lots of people seem to be confused about carbohydrates. How many times have I heard, “But I had some chicken!”

Carbs are made up of chains of sugar, and now you know the source of their supposedly bad reputation. When you understand them, though, you’ll see that they totally earn their macronutrient street cred.

There are three foundational single sugar molecules (aka monosaccharides) that define a carbohydrate-rich food: glucose, fructose, and galactose.

These combine to create disaccharides (which occurs when two sugar molecules bond together), which form many of the sugars we recognize:

• Sucrose = glucose + fructose (aka table sugar).
  
• Lactose = glucose + galactose (aka dairy sugar).
  
• Maltose = glucose + glucose (variety of foods, e.g. cooked sweet potato, honey, beer. It’s also made by our bodies when the enzyme amylase breaks down starchy foods).
  
  

Fuel Your Body

Here’s what makes carbohydrates an important tool in our food toolbox.

Our mitochondria - the powerhouses of the cell! - are designed by nature to use glucose as their #1 fuel source. In fact, this is so true that our bodies will actually transform other sugars and even fats and proteins into glucose so the mitochondria have a steady supply to power them.

When we eat foods with carbs, we first use the glucose that enters our bloodstream to make energy. That’s why we feel so much better after we eat! Then, once our energy needs are met, our body stores some leftover glucose molecules in the liver and muscles as a back up. (Stored glucose is used later in three major ways: overnight to fuel our brain; to fuel our muscles when we’ve used up the ready glucose in our blood; and to fuel our whole bodies between meals when we’ve used up the glucose from our prior meal. That’s about when you’ll start to feel hungry.)

If there is any left after that, then glucose is turned into fatty acids and stored in adipose tissue (body fat). This right here is why many people think carbohydrates = weight gain. It’s so important to understand the prior steps in the process and then work from there to meet your individual needs for this necessary macronutrient.

Finally, and critically, our brains use about 20% of our daily energy, and brains really, really prefer glucose as their primary fuel.

Most people’s bodies function best when 45%-65% of their daily caloric intake is sourced from carbohydrate-rich foods. That’s about 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrate daily. The higher end of that is likely best for people who burn a lot of energy daily, such as professional athletes or those who work in very physically or mentally demanding jobs.

Obviously what makes one person feel best may not be right for someone else, so like other macronutrients, the right amount for you will be personal. The amount also could change in response to specific health conditions and/or therapeutic food plans (e.g. for brain and mental health).

Simple vs. Complex Carbs

Simple carbs are made from sugars that are already broken down into their most basic components - that is, simple carbs are short sugar chains, like sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Because they are already so small, they are very easily and rapidly absorbed through the small intestine into the bloodstream. Simple, right?

Examples of foods that contain simple carbs: table sugar; sodas; juices; refined flours; baked goods (cookies, cakes, pies, crackers, bagels, pancakes, etc.); pasta; white rice; fruit filling in yogurt; potato chips; desserts, candy, and sweets; honey; agave; maple syrup; etc.

Key to understanding simple carbs is that they are so easily absorbed into the bloodstream. This can be useful when our energy is really flagging and we absolutely need something to get us from here to there. High performing athletes, like marathon runners, need the ready energy of simple carbs before, during, and after their races to keep up their strength and stamina.

Nevertheless, for the average Joe and Josephine, our bodies are not well designed to handle repeated swift spikes in blood sugar that arrive with consuming simple carbs often (occasionally having them won’t cause issues). Blood vessels like glucose best when it’s just passing through.

Complex carbs, on the other hand, are found in foods in their most whole form (which are also more nutrient dense). The chains of sugars in complex carbs are long and - you got it - complex.

They are also full of fiber, a type of complex carb that is consumed by our gut bacteria, sweeps out debris in our digestive tract, or is used to create bulk and softness in our stool.

Between the complexity of the sugar chains and the fiber, these foods digest more slowly. This means that the sugars are released only bit by bit into the bloodstream - time release energy, if you will.

Examples of foods with complex carbs include: whole grains (oats, brown rice, wheat, millet, amaranth, corn, etc.); starchy and non-starchy vegetables; whole fruit; beans and legumes; nuts and seeds (including quinoa, though their carbs are mostly as fiber).

Try this experiment: take a bite of raw carrot and chew it really thoroughly. Maybe even close your eyes so you can focus on flavor. Can you taste the carrot getting sweeter and sweeter? That’s the sugars being broken down into their more simple forms.

Where will you not find carbs? Meats, poultry, fish, or shellfish or any cooking or food prep oil.

Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs

I’m going to share something you may struggle to believe. There’s no such thing as a “good” or “bad” carb.

I see you shaking your head in disbelief. This is a new perspective for a lot of folks who have experienced a diet-culture mindset. Remember, food has no moral value. It can’t be good or bad: it only exists as a practical tool for physiological and biochemical building blocks, fuel, and pleasure. It’s up to you to decide how and when you use that tool.

For example, there’s not a thing wrong with choosing foods with simple carbs simply because you enjoy them. We bond and celebrate over many of these delightful sweets. What is a birthday without cake? My personal favorite ways to round out a meal are with a square or two of chocolate or a Mexican wedding cookie!

Sugar is a natural taste preference for humans. Carb-rich foods from hunter-gatherer days to now have assured our bodies have the energy we need to live our lives. I follow an Instagram account called jennthedietitian. She captures neutrality around food so well!! I hope you will absorb my version of her message: “Some foods that taste good give us more vitamins and minerals. Others give us more joy and pleasure. Both are good for us.”

Low Carb Diets

Remember the primary role of carbohydrates? Energy production.

When we persistently eat poorly designed low carb food plans, odds are that we will begin to drag. Those who eat low and very low carb food plans often end up on my office doorstep with fatigue, lethargy, brain fog, poor focus and attention, anxiety, depression, disrupted sleep, stubborn fat accumulation, and more.

If we don’t consume enough carbs or fat (see my newsletter on fats), or if overall the body is not getting enough food, then it begins to break down protein, i.e. your muscles, to make the missing glucose, which in turn makes you weaker.

And also, remember how much your brain loves glucose (have you seen the Ryan Gosling meme on this?)

Many commercial weight loss plans are guilty of recommending long bouts of inadequate food intake overall to promote weight loss. Many people on these diets begin to lose muscle and strength along with shrinking fat. In case you’re new here, I am not a fan.

High Carb Diets

The flip side of the coin is when we have too much glucose in the blood repeatedly, often, and for too long. Blood glucose dysregulation ultimately triggers illnesses such as insulin resistance, diabetes, imbalanced cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, mood disorders (anxiety, depression), and sleep disturbances, and can even contribute significantly to brain diseases, such as Alzheimers and vascular dementia.

It’s very easy to have too much glucose in the blood when food choices are consistently overly high in carbs, especially simple carbs, compared to the other macronutrients and fiber. Normally a well-oiled machine, too much easy carb energy really messes with how our bodies manage our blood glucose levels.

The Sweet Spot (haha - see what I did there?)

At this point you may be wondering how to use carb-rich foods so that you have the Goldilocks amount that keeps you feeling great.

1. Choose carbohydrate foods in their most whole form the majority of the time. The fiber in these foods causes them to be slow to digest, and that creates a slow drip instead of a big bomb of sugar in the bloodstream.
   
2. Pair carbs (whether simple or complex) with protein and a healthy fat every time you eat. As with fiber, fats and proteins take longer to digest. Voilá! Time release energy so that your meal keeps you hoppin’ and poppin’ for 3-4 hours, i.e. until it’s time to replenish your energy sources.
3. Move your body! Just merely walking for a few minutes after a meal does an outstanding job of helping to utilize blood glucose properly, keeping it nice and balanced. Imagine how much better your body will manage blood glucose when you move it more often and in more rigorous ways!