Importance of carbohydrates:
As we all know,
carbohydrates, including, sugar, starch, glucose, glycogen, etc. are generally
considered to be so bad. It causes diabetes. Weight gain heart issues. High blood
pressure etc.
Is it really true??
Functions of carbohydrates in our body:
What are good carbs?
Carbohydrates are the basic,
prime energy source in our body all types of carbohydrates whether simple or
complex digest in our digestive system with help of enzymes and convert to
glucose. Glucose is the gradient absorbed into our bloodstream and
determines the generally known sugar levels in our blood. The body is designed
to regulate sugar at a certain level with the help of certain enzymes
called insulin and glycogen.
So all the metabolic
functions, like growth, repair,
formation of new body cells, producing energy from food, digestion of food,
respiration, movement, nerve impulse transmission even the cognitive brain
functions, learning, memory, etc. require carbohydrates. Our daily
requirement of calories is met with carbohydrates. It is only unwanted when
somebody is overweight and wants to reduce weight.
Good and bad carbohydrates.
Just like fats, we can
categorize carbohydrates as good or bad as well. There are two categories
of carbs
·
Simple carbohydrates
·
Complex carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates
contain include, sugar, glucose, glycogen, fructose, corn syrup, etc. they are
sweet in taste.
Why are simple
carbohydrates not so good?
Simple carbohydrates are,
as the name suggests simple. They are small molecules. They are therefore easily
broken down into glucose by our digestive system. Glucose, the simplest
carbohydrate does not even require any digestion and directly starts absorbing
into our bloodstream.
When sweets are good for us?
So for hypoglycemia
patients (who suffer from lower sugar levels), children, sportsmen, or
pregnant women who require instant energy can get this from glucose. Instant
glucose or sugar can save their lives.
While this instant absorption
into the bloodstream is good for some, this is not recommended for people who
are obese, or overweight. As it instantly elevates blood sugar levels. The body wants to get rid of this excess sugar and ultimately store it in the form of glycogen and
then fats. Leading to weight gain and all mentioned health issues discussed
above.
Secondly, the sweetness
from the whole fruit is also good as it is accompanied by a lot of fiber. The
fiber makes the absorption of glucose slower into the bloodstream causing less rise
in sugar levels. So whenever you take something
sweet, take it with fiber. Brown sugar or jaggery is also preferable as it
contains a lot of fiber.
Why is honey a comparatively
safe source of sweetness?
Honey is a rich source of
many micronutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. It has excellent anti-bacterial
and anti-viral properties .so it is one of the sweets that is recommended, but still
not for diabetic patients.
Sources of Carbohydrates:
It is found in wheat, rice, and all the important diet components coming from plant sources. We daily need
up to 300 carbohydrates. That fulfills 1000 to 1300 calories required each
day.
Why should we prefer complex carbohydrates?
As complex carbohydrates
take time to be processed and break down into glucose and then they absorb into the bloodstream, roughly taking up to two hours for this whole process. They do
not cause an instant rose in blood sugar levels and ultimately storage as fat. That’s
why they are a good source to fulfill our daily calorie requirements.
Can I include potato fries in my diet?
calories from potatoes:
A single potato of medium
size can provide up to 120 calories. If we consider the total calories
requirement and keep it in a reasonable amount it will not lead to weight gain.
Another thing is that its
carbohydrate is mainly starch which is complex. So we can safely include one
serving of fries in a day.
0 Comments