A carb is not a 4-letter word!

We've all heard it- carbs are "bad" for you. They are making you fat.  Avoid them.  

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Over the past several decades, Americans have increased their relative proportion of carbohydrates and gotten fat.  But, are the carbs the problem?  The answer turns out to be- yes and no.  Since 1970, the average consumed calories per person has increased 300-500 calories per day, and these calories seem to be coming from carbohydrates.  So, in a way, the 20 lb increase in the American body weight is coming from carbs.  But, they are not the enemy!  In fact, countries that live on a traditional high-carb or rice-based diet (Japan, China, Africa) have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  Why?


Carbohydrates are essential for your diet.  The sugar from carbs (glucose) plays a vital role in the functioning of body tissues and are a critical energy source for nervous system (think, your brain!).  Carbohydrates also are an important factor in weight management because they supply fiber, other nutrients, and beneficial phytochemicals!

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I'm not saying to go out and eat as many carbohydrates as possible.  There is a MAJOR difference between whole grain, fiber-rich carbohydrates and simple carbs (like white flours and refined, simple sugars).

Why?

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Wheat

"A carb is a carb is a carb is when it comes to calories."*  Your body does not know the difference between glucose coming from a white bagel or glucose coming from brown rice.  But, they are not the same when it comes to nutrition.  Whole grains provide, among many other things, fiber, folate, vitamin C, and potassium.  Refined or white flour is made from removing the healthy parts of the grain kernel (the germ and bran) and leaving the endosperm- which is starch devoid of fiber, vitamins and minerals.  This is why you get fluffy, white (if bleached), smooth, non-nutritious bread as opposed to a crunchier, dark brown, nutritious one.  


The simple carbohydrates are generally the ones that promote weight gain as they are often the ones eaten mindlessly in the form of white flour products like crackers and cookies, but they are also the ones in chips, sodas, candies, etc.

Some benefits of a fiber-rich, complex carbohydrate diet:

• Promotion of normal blood cholesterol concentrations and reduced risk of heart disease
• Control of blood pressure- reduced risk of hypertension
• Modulation of glucose by slowing its absorption and preventing the surge and rebound that is often associated with diabetes
• Maintenance of healthy bowels by  enlarging  and softening stool and and ease its passage out of the body- reduced risk of bowel diseases and inflammation caused by bacteria
•  Promotion of healthy body weight because foods rich in fibers tend to be low fat and low in added sugars
• Fiber is an appetite suppressant because it absorbs water from digestive juices which causes swelling and then makes you feel full.

Recommendations:

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

• People should consume 45% to 65% of total calories from carbohydrates
• (20-35% from fat; 10-35% from protein)
• Most healthy people should consume 130 g of carbohydrates a day
• 1/2 of them should be whole grains (men should be getting about 38g of fiber, women 25g).
• Be aware of portion control- it's easy to get carb heavy and eat mindlessly
• (Eating that white bread that sits on the table at a restaurant can be easily 3 or 4 servings of bread.  Think one 1 inch slice = 1 serving!)
• Diets are based on calories in and calories out.  You want to make sure that the calories that go "in" are nutritional dense
• Adding fiber as a dietary supplement is not the same as eating it.  You can easily "overload" your digestive system through powders, causing abdominal pain and other unpleasant side effects.
• You can incorporate whole wheat flour into your cooking- here's a helpful substitution guide.
• Cooking Light has some great recipes

People who eat these foods	Obtain these fibers	With these actions in the body	And these probable health benefits
Barley, oats, oat bran, fruits (apples, citrus), legumes (especially yuoung green peas and black-eyed peas), seaweeds, seeds  and husks, many vegetables, fibers used as food additives	·         Gums ·         Pectins ·         Psyllium ·         Some hemicellulose	·         Lower blood cholesterol by binding bile ·         Slow glucose absorption ·         Slow transit of food through upper GI tract ·         Hold moisture in stools, softening them ·         Yield small fat molecules after fermentation that the colon can use for energy ·         Increase satiety	·         Lower risk of heart disease ·         Lower risk of diabetes ·         Lower risk of colon and rectal cancer ·         Increased satiety, and may help with weight management
Brown rice, fruits, legumes, seeds, vegetables (cabbage, carrots, Brussels sprouts), wheat bran, whole grains, extracted fibers used as food additives	·         Cellulose ·         Lignins ·         Resistant starch ·         Hemicellulose	·         Increase fecal weight and speed fecal passage through colon ·         Provide bulk and feelings of fullness	·         Alleviate constipation ·         Lower risk of diverticulitis  hemorrhoids, and appendicitis ·         Lower risk of colon and rectal cancer

*Young, Lisa R. Portion Teller Plan: the No-diet Reality Guide to Eating, Cheating and Losing Weight Permanently. New York: Bantam Dell, 2006. 50-58. Print.

Other general information from: Webb, Frances Sizer., and Eleanor Noss. Whitney. "Chapter 4: Carbohydrates." Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. 12th ed. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. 61-67. Print.