Carbohydrate Basics

Just a couple of decades ago, carbs were the dietary rage. Athletes filled up on pasta before events and high-carb (low-fat) diets were thought to be the answer to everything from weight loss to the prevention of heart disease. Then came the Atkins diet and a spate of other spinoffs. With the advent of these carb-counting weight-loss plans, people mistakenly got the message that all carbs were bad. Recently, a more moderate view on carbs has taken hold which differentiates between them, categorizing them as bad, better and best. To understand the difference, however, we need to understand that the term carbohydrates really means.

The Good, the Bad and the Not-So Bad

Carbs encompass a large range of foods that vary from a teaspoon of white sugar to a cup of cauliflower to a loaf of bread. But there are huge differences in how our body reacts to different kinds of carbohydrates namely because of two factors: the carb’s effect on our blood sugar and its nutrient density (how much fiber, and how many vitamins and minerals it delivers).

The best carbs contain fiber, such as vegetables and fruits. They're loaded with vitamins, minerals and hundreds of important phytochemicals like cancer-fighting indoles (found in the cabbage family), lutein and zeaxanthin, which are the superstars of eye nutrition (found in watermelon and spinach), and quercitin, a natural anti-inflammatory (found in apples). To avoid these carbs makes no sense.

On the other hand, there are carbs that deliver sugar and little else (think soda). Most of the carbs you want to avoid come with a bar-code: They’re highly processed and offer little in the way of nutrition. Unfortunately many of the carbs we routinely eat fall into this category, including refined breads, cereals, pastas and most desserts. These are the carbs we’d be much better off without, especially if we’re trying to control our blood sugar or weight.

Whole Grains

Many foods cannot just be picked from a tree like an apple and eaten. Wheat for example, has to be processed before it's edible. You don’t have to eliminate foods like pasta and rice altogether; instead, the goal should be to eat the least processed form of these foods. White rice, for example, has been far more processed than whole grain brown rice (it's had the bran and outer shell removed, along with much of the nutrients). Same goes for white bread versus whole wheat. So how do you know how processed a food is? A good indication is fiber, which is usually lost when a carbohydrate is highly processed. When shopping, read food labels and use the five and five rule: Look for five or fewer grams of sugar, and five or more grams of fiber per serving. If a grain-based food meets that criteria, it's probably worth eating.

Check back soon to learn about portion control!