Carbs...Nothing To Be Afraid Of!

It is not necessary or indeed healthy to avoid carbohydrates... Their reputation deserves a resurrection in this Food Fairy’s eyes because carbohydrates are a vital component of a balanced diet...

First, let me assure you that YOU WILL NOT PUT ON WEIGHT from eating the right kind of carbohydrates in the correct amounts.

In essence, carbohydrates are composed of units of sugar and there are 2 different types:

Refined or ‘simple’ carbohydrates: These include sugar, fruit, white bread, pasta and rice. These forms are broken down very quickly and they give you a sudden burst of energy by spiking your blood sugar levels. Just as quickly as the energy levels rise, they plummet, leading to irregular blood sugar levels, mood swings, cravings and headaches.

Unrefined or ‘complex’ carbohydrates: These include whole grains (including bread and pasta) brown rice, millet, barley, quinoa and buckwheat. Starches contained in potatoes and pumpkins are also known as complex carbohydrates. This group of foods are broken down and released into your blood stream at a much slower rate, giving you a gradual energy release and a steady blood sugar curve to eradicate cravings and fatigue.

In many a nutrition consultation, we have needed to inform our clients that fruit and vegetables are indeed forms of carbohydrate.

So fruit, vegetables, starchy root veg like potato and swede, and everything that is made from grains are classed as carbohydrate.

The fact is, about 50% of our daily food intake should consist of complex carbohydrates. That is between 6 and 11 servings. Now don’t get too excited, that certainly does not mean that you should be eating 11 potatoes a day! At the very least, 5 of these servings should consist of vegetables and fruit. Ideally 7 or more vegetables servings and maximum of 2 fruit servings a day. Fruits are simple complex carbohydrates so it’s important not to eat a lot, however they contain very high levels of antioxidants, vitamins and fibre so they are still nutritional gems.

So what is a serving? 1 thin slice of bread, 1 egg-sized potato, 2 tbsp of rice, 2 oat/rice cakes or 1 heaped handful of vegetables.

Bear in mind that when counting your 5 (or more) a day, only different vegetables and fruit count. So 3 apples and 4 tomatoes still only count as 2 servings! For optimal health, a great aim would be 9-12 portions a day (2 of them fruit.)

Our body actually only really requires the equivalent of 1tsp of sugar in circulation in your blood stream. Any excess will be stored in your fat cells. But if you are on a carbohydrate-restricted diet, your body will start burning muscle for energy - literally eating its self!

The right combination and type of carbohydrate is essential for good health and a streamline figure! You always want to strive for a ‘good curve’ in blood sugar levels and energy balance. This means a steady release of sugar into the bloodstream, which is devoid of stimulants and sugary refined snacks. Go for complex, unrefined and whole grain foods in their correct serving sizes. A bad curve consists of a number of stimulants such as caffeine and highly processed sugary and starchy foods. Ensure that you eat little and often, never missing meals and resisting any temptation of quick energy fixes from Starbucks.

If you’ve ever read a glossy magazine, you will probably have heard of GI foods. GI stands for the Glycemic Index of a food - a number which expresses how fast your blood sugar levels will rise after eating that particular food. White bread and glucose scores 100 making it a very high GI food, i.e. best avoided. The lower the GI score of the food, the better effect it has on your blood sugar balance and energy levels.

However, GI scores are not to be relied upon 100% to determine a good or bad food. For example, a carrot has a high GI score, meaning that its sugars are released into the bloodstream quickly however the GI does not express how much carbohydrate said food contains. This is where GL (glycemic load) comes into the equation. Watermelon for example has a high GI, but actually mostly consists of water and hardly any carbohydrate at all, so it has a very low GL. Low GL foods are the ones to look for...

Another point to remember is that if you combine carbohydrates with a protein or fat source, you can actually lower their GI value, meaning that they are slower to absorb into your bloodstream creating the highly desirable steady curve of blood sugar release! Now we’re not suggesting that pairing bacon with your white bread makes it a healthy breakfast, more that combining some hummus with your carrot sticks is a healthy snack!

In summary: Always stick to a whole grain diet, with an abundance of vegetables and some fruit. Combine every meal and snack with a protein source (meat, fish, pulses, legumes, eggs...) and a little good fat (olive oils, oily fish, nuts, seeds etc,) eat regularly, never miss a meal and hey presto!

And last point (I promise!) EVERYONE is different. This means that although the general guidelines apply to us all, some of us deal well with carbohydrate foods and others are more sensitive. Whereas I am filled to the brim after a slice of toast, Lola could eat a whole loaf and have a belly a flat as a pancake. This is where an online nutritional consultation comes in - to learn how your body responds to food and tailor a nutritional plan to work in harmony with your every unique requirement and wish.