Healthy Carbohydrates
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In previous newsletters, we've discussed the importance of incorporating healthy proteins and healthy fats into your diet. But what about carbohydrates? Often when people think of carbs they think of pizza, baked goods, and processed foods. But there are many sources of carbohydrates that are healthy and important for disease prevention and optimal performance. Today we’re going to discuss the third and final macronutrient, and how we can incorporate healthy sources of carbohydrates into our diet every day.
Unless under very specific circumstances, such as starvation or if you are following a ketogenic diet, carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for your body. Carbohydrates are the quickest source of energy during exercise, and the brain relies almost exclusively on glucose to function. So why are carbohydrates often demonized? Just like fats, there are “healthier” and “less healthy” sources of carbohydrates. Let’s clear up the confusion so you can make healthy carbohydrate choices on a daily basis!
Carbohydrates can be broken down into two main categories: “simple” and “complex”. Simple carbohydrates are made up of molecules that contain either one or two sugars, such as glucose or sucrose. These simple molecules are broken down quickly, causing your blood sugar to spike to give you a quick burst of energy (think of how you feel immediately after drinking a can of pop or fruit juice). These are considered High Glycemic Index foods, as they cause a large increase in blood sugar levels. The problem with having these simple carbohydrates is that this spike in blood glucose also causes a spike in insulin, which causes a sudden drop in blood sugar levels (and energy!). A diet high in these high glycemic index foods is associated with a number of health risks including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, depressed immune system, obesity, kidney damage, atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, and cancer.
On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are made up of three or more sugar molecules, which means they take longer to break down. This causes a slower release of sugar into the bloodstream, which gives you a steady source of energy for a long time, helps keep you full for longer, helps control body composition, and improves cholesterol. These are considered Low Glycemic Index foods and are mainly found in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans and legumes.
Figure from Carneiro & Leloup, 2020. This graph depicts the general trend of high, medium, and low glycemic index foods on blood sugar and blood insulin levels. High Glycemic Index foods cause a sudden spike and then drop in blood glucose, whereas Medium and particularly Low Glycemic Index foods allow for a slower release of blood glucose levels that are maintained over a period of a few hours.
There are times when you might choose a medium or high glycemic index food. For example, if you are having a snack within an hour of exercise, you want to stick to food that has a medium-high glycemic index so that you are able to quickly digest it to use as fuel during your workout. However, this doesn’t mean having a piece of candy or pop. You can still choose healthy sources of carbohydrates that can give you a quick burst of energy but that are still full of nutrients. A few pre-workout snack options are fresh fruit, oatmeal and banana, applesauce, rice crackers with hummus, or starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes or squash.
However, in general, healthy carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates that are high in fibre and slow digesting (low glycemic), while unhealthy carbohydrates are simple and high glycemic. Stick to healthy carbohydrates as much as possible such as quinoa, whole grains, root vegetables, fruits (especially berries), beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, white bread, pastries (such as cakes, cupcakes, muffins), candy, sweet drinks (including fruit juices), sugars, and syrups.
One of the simplest things you can do to improve your carbohydrate intake is to avoid processed and packaged foods full of refined sugars. Eating real food rather than pre packaged or processed foods will make you feel healthier and allow you to perform to your highest potential every day.
What are we finding in the research?
One of the questions we get asked a lot is what about fruit? While fruit is high in sugar, it is also full of antioxidants! Antioxidants are substances that prevent and heal tissue damage, reduce inflammation, and keep you healthy! To help offset the sugar content, make sure you eat the entire fruit, including the skin or peel. Having only fruit juice won’t provide you with the fibre you need to slow down the digestion of carbohydrates.
The fibre we get from fruit is also associated with reduced risk of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and metabolic syndrome. A 2017 meta-analysis of 28,241 participants revealed that 30–40 g fiber/day lowered risk of metabolic syndrome by 27%!
Read the summary here!
