Simplifying Carbs (sort of)

I’ll say this upfront – I’m not a medical professional, nor am I a nutritionist or a registered dietitian. What I am is an informed consumer, who was killing myself by eating bad, BAD foods and not getting enough exercise. 

I made it my business to take control of my health and turn things around before it was too late. That included educating myself on ways to improve my diet. One way that I did this was to severely limit my carb intake.

My Story…

After my ER visit, I knew I needed to make some lifestyle changes. Becoming active again and eliminating sugar and salt from my diet was a no-brainer for me. Unfortunately, I neglected to recognize how eating too many “bad” carbs was severely hindering my health transformation. On my second visit to the cardiologist, the answer to my lack of weight loss and continued high cholesterol levels was clear – I had to cut out the carbs. I’d long since stopped eating gluten, but I was still happily eating gluten free pastas, breads, crackers, etc. Gluten free does NOT mean low calorie. Nor does it mean low carb. Lesson learned. I was just plain too inactive to burn off all of the carbs I was consuming. The answer was two fold - far less carbs and much more activity.

I left the cardiologist’s office that day, determined to quick carbs cold turkey. To do that, I needed to educate myself on the incredibly confusing topic of carbs. Turns out that was easier said than done. This is indeed a subject that thoroughly confuses A LOT of people. I did my research and immediately started on a diet that worked for me, which is important to note here…everyone is different and it’s essential to begin a regimen that’s designed specifically for you and that often means consulting with a professional.

So What the Heck Are Carbs Anyway?

Put in the most simplest way, carbs are sugar molecules that are a blend of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbs are one or more sugar molecules, bound together and broken down into glucose by the body to be used as fuel. In other words, our bodies use carbs as fuel. That’s why we hear about athletes “carbing up” before a strenuous event – think long distance running.

Not all carbs are created equal. If you’ve been considering a low carb or Keto diet, then you’re most likely aware of the term good and bad carbs or complex and simple carbs. Going back to the paragraph above, we’re reminded that carbs are one or more sugar molecules, broken down in the body and used for fuel. The one or more is important here. The three separate types of carbohydrates can be defined by the number of sugar molecules contained:

• Monosaccharide – One sugar molecule
• Disaccharide – Two sugar molecules
• Polysaccharide – Several sugar molecules

Source: Maureen Zimmerman and Beth Snow, An Introduction to Nutrition 

Monosaccharides and Disaccharides are considered simple carbs because they are easily and quickly absorbed in the bloodstream. Polysaccharides are complex because they contain a more complex molecular structure that takes the body longer to break down. Confused yet? You’re not alone. It’s like you need a PhD to understand all of this science stuff. Instead of muddling through it all here, have a look at this incredibly informative and simplified article that goes into the topic of carbs in much greater detail. There’s even a body fat quiz at the end.

The Glycemic Index (Just in Case You Weren’t Confused Enough Already)

The Glycemic Index was developed as a reference for consumers to measure how fast the carbs in certain foods break down in the body. Foods high on the list are absorbed the quickest, causing sugar spikes and have been shown to contribute to diabetes and heart disease. Foods low on the list take longer to be absorbed, thus releasing glucose into the bloodstream more slowly. 

This is why high glycemic foods are generally thought of as bad and low glycemic foods are generally thought of as good. However, what you eat with those high glycemic foods can greatly affect their absorption in the body. 

Whew! I said this was a confusing topic...

If you want to see a detailed explanation of what the Glycemic Index is and how you can use it, the American Institute for Cancer Research published a study here.

Source: https://infograph.venngage.com/p/217295/glycemic-index

What’s the Takeaway?

The important thing is to remember that the more active you are, the more carbs you can consume. Up your activity and you can add more carbs. This is exactly what I did. In order to jump-start my fitness journey I eliminated ALL carbs and boy was it difficult. I was hungry constantly. But that was to be expected. My body was used to gorging on carbs and once I stopped this health-sabotaging habit, it was screaming in protest.  

The good news is that once I reached my goal – weight reduction, lower BP, lower cholesterol and normal blood sugar level – I was able to gradually add some good carbs. No candy, cakes, crackers, chips, pasta or breads, however, but that was a personal choice. I know my limitations. I know how active I am now and what it takes to maintain my ideal weight and good health. Like I said at the start, it’s all personal and you have to find what works for you.

I hope my carb story didn’t drag on for too long. This was a much lengthier post than I normally write, but I blame it on those darn carb explanations. Please let me know about your personal fitness journey. I’d love to hear from you!