In the traditional view, carbohydrates are considered harmful. But in reality, carbohydrate intake is the most important thing you can do for your health and weight loss. Of course, we are talking about the right carbohydrates.
Why not all carbohydrates are the same
You may ask: aren’t carbohydrates that make us fat, contribute to insulin resistance, heart disease, and other health problems? Some yes. The fact is that both ice cream and cauliflower fall into the “carbohydrates” category, but these are completely different products.
Almost all plant foods are carbohydrates. These are the very slow carbohydrates that are characterized by a low glycemic index and do not “explode” blood sugar and insulin levels. These slow carbohydrates enter the body with nutrients, fiber, and amazing molecules called phytochemicals.
When you consume a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, rich in phytonutrients – carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, they help fight almost all health problems, including dementia, obesity, and the aging process.
Ideally, approximately 75% of the carbs you eat should come from non-starchy vegetables and low glycemic fruits. The bulk of the food on your plate should be complex carbohydrates – natural whole plant foods that contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients. I mean the amount of food, not the amount of calories. Many plant-based carbs are actually very low in calories.
Unfortunately, most people do not eat these carbohydrates, but completely different ones: donuts, bread, bagels, candies, etc. These are highly processed foods, devoid of nutrients and fiber. They contain a large amount of sugar, corn syrup with fructose, white flour “premium”. In the body, these easily digestible carbohydrates are very efficiently and quickly converted into belly fat.
How different types of carbohydrates affect sugar levels
Simple and complex carbohydrates have different effects on blood sugar levels. “Sugar” calories are different from those calories that come from proteins, fats, or non-starchy carbohydrates such as greens. While soda and broccoli are both carbohydrates, 750 kcal from soda and 750 kcal from broccoli behave differently when ingested.
The intestines quickly metabolize the non-fibrous sugar from soda. Glucose raises blood sugar levels. There is a domino effect due to the growth of insulin and a cascade of hormonal reactions, the biochemistry of the body is disrupted. High insulin increases inflammation, raises triglycerides and lowers high-density lipoprotein, and raises blood pressure. It reduces the amount of testosterone in men and contributes to the development of infertility in women. Such sugar interferes with natural appetite control – this is one of the reasons why you eat more and more sweets, which are converted into fat during the metabolism. Another reason is that after some time after consuming such carbohydrates, the level of sugar and insulin in the blood drops sharply – and you again feel severe hunger and are drawn to sugar.
Carbohydrates that are high in fiber and low in sugar, such as broccoli, are slow to digest and do not cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin. These slow carbohydrates reduce the risk of cancer and increase the body’s ability to detoxify.
This is the main difference. Slow carbohydrates tend to heal rather than harm.
Choosing the right carbohydrates
Quality carbohydrates from plant foods have unique health benefits, including high levels of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and special plant compounds with medicinal properties called phytonutrients or phytochemicals. Phytochemical drug molecules are curcumin in turmeric, glucosinolates in broccoli, anthocyanidins in berries and black rice, etc.
Many of these foods are high in fiber, which helps remove excess sugar from the body. This is one of the reasons why, for example, a cup of blueberries has a completely different effect on the body than four teaspoons of sugar in coffee.
In addition to stabilizing blood sugar levels through slower absorption of carbohydrates, fiber nourishes and detoxifies healthy intestinal flora naturally, thus maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal tract.
Try to gradually increase your fiber intake to 30-50 grams per day. It’s easy when you eat legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. When you focus on these herbal products, your weight is normalized. You feel better and your risk of developing multiple diseases is reduced.
To help you make the best choices among the variety of carbohydrates, I have divided them into four categories – “green”, “yellow”, “red” and forbidden.
Green Carbohydrates: Eat Without Restrictions
Slow-absorbing, low-glycemic vegetables should be the mainstay of your diet. Fill your plate with broccoli, asparagus, spinach, cabbage, green beans, bok choy, lettuce, and more. These foods can be eaten in truly unlimited quantities!
“Yellow” carbohydrates: eat in moderation
- Whole grains. Brown, black and red rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat can be used to make delicious gluten-free meals. Black rice contains the same amount of anthocyanidins as blueberries and has a low glycemic index.
- High in fiber and phytonutrients, legumes are unfortunately not abundant enough in our food culture. They slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream and help prevent the excess secretion of insulin that causes resistance to this hormone. Try red, French, or common lentils, chickpeas, green and yellow peas, soybeans, pinto beans, adzuki beans, black beans, navy beans, and other legumes. Recipes for all of these products are in my mobile app, which you can download here.
- Dark berries. Blueberries, cherries, blackberries, and raspberries are full of phytonutrients. The richer the color, the more “medicine” you get. Eat half a cup a day. Frozen berries can be added to smoothies.
- You can eat no more than two pitted fruits each day. Plums, peaches, nectarines and their variants are known as stone fruits. They are loaded with fiber and healing chemicals.
“Red” carbohydrates: eat in limited quantities
It is better not to overuse these products.
- Starchy, cooked vegetables with a high glycemic index. These include squash, peas, potatoes, corn, and root vegetables such as beets. Starchy vegetables raise blood sugar more quickly, so they can only be eaten in small amounts (up to half a cup a day) and ideally combined with other foods that lower your overall glycemic load.
- Fruit high in sugar. Melons, grapes, pineapples contain more sugar than other fruits, so their consumption should be limited, and if sugar in the body is high, they should be avoided altogether.
Forbidden carbohydrates: avoid them in any form
- Processed store foods (including “low carb” foods). Many of them cause serious health problems. Always try to opt for natural, whole, unprocessed foods.