Friday Reading Report: Carbohydrates

The chapter I am currently studying in my nutrition text deals with carbohydrates.  I know plenty of folks who think that carbs are the work of Satan and should be avoided at all costs and others who swear that life is not worth living without whole grains.

Here’s the deal:  the truth is somewhere in the middle.

To begin, there are lots of kinds of carbohydrates, ranging from monosaccharides like glucose to fibers like cellulose.  Each kind has a purpose.  Glucose, for example, is the primary energy source in the body.  Brains love it.  Glycogen is a starch that serves as the main storage for energy in the liver and muscle tissue.  Fiber adds bulk to the diet and keeps things moving along internally.  Any one kind can be useful in appropriate amounts and problematic in excess.

Americans, on the whole, tend toward excess in the starch and sugar department.  We love our white bread and soda.  These relatively simple carbohydrates have little nutritional value other than calories, making them a not entirely worthwhile investment for dietary happiness.  We also tend to miss out on the fiber end of things, which causes problems, well, at the end of things.  (Only women over 50, on average, get the appropriate amount of fiber, so before you get shirty with your mom or grandma, keep in mind who is actually probably full of something…)

The excess has led to a somewhat predictable backlash in the form of various ketogenic diets.  When the diet does not contain sufficient carbohydrates, the body adapts, making glucose from protein and using ketone bodies for energy.  Even the brain can cope with this alternative energy after an adaptation period.  This review suggests that this kind of diet can be helpful for a variety of metabolic issues, including weight loss.

The downside might lie in the difficulty of getting appropriate micronutrients (our friends the vitamins and minerals).  Most of the ketogenic diets I have seen encourage getting the few carbs allowed from vegetables, which tends to help with this problem.

That might be too extreme for some of us.  There is good evidence that eating a variety of foods, including whole grains and other complex carbohydrates promotes positive health outcomes.

In any case, we want to try to weed out as much added sugar as possible to maintain healthy weight, feel good, and get the most out of our calories.