With all the hype around high-protein diets, more and more people want to cut down, and some want to eliminate, carbohydrates from their diets. But not only are carbohydrates present in almost all foods, eliminating them would disturb the body’s natural functioning, says Dietitian and Diabetes Educator Ujjwala Baxi.
Why do we need carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of fuel for our internal and external functions. Carbohydrates are digested and broken down into glucose, which powers all our bodily functions – be it enabling the heart to pump blood, the brain to think well or to even keep us in a good mood. When we consume adequate carbohydrates, they are utilised for energy, and proteins are thus spared to perform their tissue-building, cell-regeneration and micro-nutrients transportation functions.
Research published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862) says “Evidence abounds that low-carbohydrate diets present no significant advantage over more traditional energy-restricted, nutritionally balanced diets, both in terms of weight loss and weight maintenance. Studies examining the efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets for long-term weight loss are few in number, however few positive benefits exist to promote the adoption of carbohydrate restriction as a realistic, and more importantly, safe means of dieting. While short-term carbohydrate restriction over a period of a week can result in a significant loss of weight (albeit mostly from water and glycogen stores), of serious concern is what potential exists for the following of this type of eating plan for longer periods of months to years. Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet. The need to further explore and communicate the untoward side-effects of low-carbohydrate diets should be an important public health message from nutrition professionals.”
Choosing the right carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are found in all sorts of foods, like grains, pulses, beans, milk and its products, fruits, juices, vegetables, pastas, breads, noodles, tortillas, alcohol. But all carbs are not the same. What differentiates them is their composition and fibre content. In short, those containing less fibre are easier to digest and are termed as simple carbohydrates. Those with high-fibre content take longer to be digested and are called complex carbohydrates.
All carbohydrates are broken down by the body into glucose. When a simple carbohydrate food, like fruit juice, is consumed, it immediately raises your level of blood sugar, but it drops down quickly, too. This rapid drop leads to hunger pangs again.
In the case of complex carbohydrates, this release of glucose into the blood is gradual. The slower the release of glucose into the blood, the lower the glycaemic index of the food. Low glycaemic index foods help to control blood sugar and cholesterol. They also keep you feeling full for longer so you don’t feel hungry soon. This keeps weight gain in check leading to a healthier you. Low glycaemic foods include whole wheat flour, whole grains, multi-grain breads, pastas, beans, legumes, sprouts, fruits like apple, guava, berries, papaya, vegetables, nuts and oilseeds.
Guilt-free carbohydrates: Tips for healthy eating
A well planned diet with optimum amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats will do the trick of permitting you to eat carbohydrates within safe limits; without increasing blood sugars and weight.
Choose your carbohydrates wisely to control blood sugar and lose weight.
Drop the simple carbs like white bread, fruit juice or sugary canned drinks. Instead, give your body the carbs its needs. For example, replace your daily white bread with wholegrain bread and top it with baked beans and veggies instead of jam or creamy spreads.
