CARBOHYDRATES - your guide for everything carbs

In todays society the humble carbohydrate has been unfairly demonised, however they are very important for the body.

Here is a breakdown of everything carb related including what they are, types of carbohydrates, fibre, the glycaemic index and why they are all important for different reasons.

What are carbohydrates?

A carbohydrate is a biomolecule made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are the sugars, starches and fibres found in predominantly plant foods with the exception of milk products.

There is no set Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for carbohydrates however, it is recommended that carbohydrates should take up 45%-65% of your daily energy intake (KJ /CALS) Carbohydrate needs vary for each individual based on gender, size, exercise frequency and intensity and can change from day to day.

Carbohydrates are the bodies preferred source of energy and are present in most foods.

• The preferred energy source for the brain and muscles is Glucose

Carbohydrates are important for digestion, gut health and disease prevention and they have 4 sub categories: Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, oligosaccharides (not as talked about usually relate to Fodmaps) and Polysaccharides

Monosaccharides:

Monosaccharides are also known as simple sugars as they are simplest form of sugar and basic units of carbohydrates.

These sugars include:

•Glucose: (blood sugar) which is an essential source of energy for all the bodies activities- stored as starch in plants and glycogen in animals/humans

•Fructose: the sweetest of the sugars, occurs naturally in fruit, honey and synthesised as high fructose corn syrup which is used in many sweet products

•Galactose: found naturally in only a few foods

Disaccharides:

Disaccharides are 2 pairs of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides are 3 pairs of monosaccharide, some disaccharides include:

•Sucrose: (Table sugar) this is glucose + fructose and has a very sweet taste

•Maltose: this is glucose + glucose and is a minor element of a few foods such as barley

•Lactose: glucose + galactose, this is the principle carbohydrate of milk

Polysaccharides:

Polysaccharides are many monosaccharides bonded together, they are complex forms of sugar. These sugars include:

•Glycogen: the storage form of energy (glucose). It is mainly manufactured and stored as starch in the liver and muscles

•Starches: plant storage form of glucose, bonds between them can be broken by  digestive enzymes

•Fibre: non starch polysaccharides are not digested by human digestive enzymes (some digested through the GI tract). The bonds between them can not be broken down by digestive enzymes.

There are different types of fibre and starch: soluble fibre, insoluble fibre and resistant starch.

Fibre

Fibre is a form of carbohydrate that comes from the indigestible parts of plant foods, and is important to have in our diet to keep our digestive system healthy.

Australians should aim to consume at least 25g for females and 30g for males of fibre each day

There are 3 main forms of fibre that all have an important role to play, these include:

Soluble fibre

• Helps slow the gastric emptying process in our stomachs which helps you feel fuller for longer

• Dissolves in water forming a thick gel, slowing the digestion rate

• Its helps stablise blood glucose levels and may help lower cholesterol

Found in foods such as:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Oats

• Barley

• Legumes

Insoluble fibre

• Absorbs water to help soften the contents of bowels as well as adds bulk to stools

• supports regular bowel movements, prevents constipation

• This type of fibre is very filling, therefore consuming it will help us stay full for longer

• Keeps the environment of the bowel healthy

Found in foods such as:

• Wholegrain breads and cereals

• The skins of fruit and vegetables

• Nuts and seeds

• Some legumes such as Lentils, kidney beans, and chickpeas

• Wheat bran (All Bran cereal contains this)

Resistant starch

• Resists digestion in the small intestine (hence its name)

• It is broken down and fermented by the good bacteria in the large intestine

• Products formed in the breakdown support gut health and keeps the bowls and gut lining healthy

• Produce short chain fatty acids such as butyrate gas which is healthy for the large intestine (this may cause gas/wind but is healthy!)

• Provides food for the good gut bacteria

• Helps prevent pathogens entering the blood stream, as the fibre protects the mucus layer

Found in foods such as:

• slightly undercooked or al-dente pasta

• under ripe bananas

• cooked and cooled potatoes, rice and pasta

• wholegrains

• legumes

Benefits of fibre in the diet:

•Reduces constipation

•Diverticular disease (small, budging pouches develop in the digestive tract, caused by low fibre, constipation and pressure over the years )

•Reduces Hemorrhoids

•Lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease , Bowel and colorectal cancer

•May reduce the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol

•Reduce or stabilise blood glucose level

•Aids in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight due to the foods being more filling

•Promotes the growth of ‘good’ gut bacteria

There are many ways you can get fibre into your diet.

By we can do this is by eating a wide range of plant foods (aim for 30 different plant foods in a week)
For breakfast you could have:

• Oats, all bran or a wholegrain high fibre cereal for breakfast

• Add fruit like banana and strawberries with a bit of yogurt or milk and maybe even a nut butter or if you are into savoury foods you could try baked beans with wholemeal toast for breakfast.

For lunch you could have:

• A salad sandwich using wholemeal, wholegrain or even a high fibre bread using a variety of veggies and your choice of protein

• Or vegetable soup with beans and legumes or even pasta/noodles

• or even a pasta you could use a pulse pasta, high fibre pasta or even pasta cooked and cooled- have with a pesto sauce or a veg sauce

For dinner you could have:

• A veggie filled fried rice,

• a curry with veggies,

• pasta cooked al dente with a lentil bolognese sauce,

• Loaded baked potato ( i like to add garlic mushrooms, four bean mix and spinach
  

Having meals like this will ensure you meet your daily fibre requirements.

There are so many ways to include a variety of different types of fibre and carbohydrates in your diet.

The Glycaemic Index

The GI index is where you can use carbohydrates for your desired needs, I’ll explain that in a moment.

The Glycaemic index is how carbohydrates are ranked based on how fast they are digested in the body.
it is important to note that neither Low or High GI foods guarantee the the nutritional value of the food, just how fast the sugar in the food is released in the blood stream.

Low GI is generally deemed as ‘better for you’ however ice cream and hotdogs are low GI and watermelon and dates are high GI, these classic examples of how these don’t reflect the nutritional value of food.

Both High GI and low GI foods can benefit certain situations:

• Low GI provide a slow, continuous supply of energy throughout the day; this could be beneficial if you have a long day at work and you can’t snack or before a sporting event. Low GI also help you feel fuller for longer and can therefore help you either maintain or lose weight.

• High GI provide a quick release of energy this is beneficial during or after sporting events.

Some examples of LOW GI foods are:

• Rolled oats

• broccoli

Some examples of MEDIUM GI foods are:

• white rice

• pineapple

Some examples of HIGH GI foods:

• white bread

• baked potato
  

In general you should aim to consume more low GI foods. If you are consuming a nutritious option of a high GI food, combine with a low GI source or a protein source to lower the over all GI of the meal and stabilise blood sugars (eg: have baked potato with beans, cheese, greens, tofu, tuna or even chicken)

a BALANCE of all carbohydrates are key

If your interested in more information about the GI Index the better health channel, The Glycemic Index foundation (gisymbol.com) , Sports Dieticians Australia and Dieticians Association Australia

Carbohydrates are a friend to the body not foe! they are a macronutrient meaning we need large amounts for our body to function.

I hope this has help you understand carbohydrates and why they important for our body and can be used for different energy needs.