How Different Carbohydrates Affect the Body in Radically Different Ways
Carbohydrates play a crucial role in the body’s metabolism, providing energy in the form of ATP. However, not all carbohydrates are created equal, and different types of carbohydrates can affect the body in vastly different ways. Carbohydrates are classified according to their glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), which can be helpful but can also be misleading.
For example, dates have a very high GI and GL, but this does not mean that they should be avoided. Dates are an excellent source of potassium and other nutrients and can be a quick way to boost blood sugar levels between meals. However, if you only looked at their GI and GL values, you might think that they are less healthy than a refined chocolate chip cookie, which has trans fats and glucose as opposed to fructose. In general, complex carbohydrates tend to be better for your health than simple carbohydrates, but it is not always true.
The value of a carbohydrate lies in how it affects your blood sugar and insulin response. The best carbohydrates that are those that are lower in sugar, higher in fiber, and have more fructose instead of glucose, and cause a slower and smaller release of insulin.
The key to understanding how different carbohydrates affect the body is to consider how they affect blood sugar levels and insulin response. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body store glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, your pancreas releases insulin to help the glucose enter your cells. However, when your body sees high quantities of insulin on a regular basis, the cells change the lock of their glucose door to prevent too much sugar and insulin from entering all the time. This is called insulin resistance, which leads to excess sugar remaining in the bloodstream. The brain is the only organ that does not need insulin to take up sugar from the bloodstream because mental function is primarily determined by the maintenance of a stable blood sugar.
Excess sugar in the bloodstream can be damaging to your health, just like too many 18-wheelers on the road can cause traffic and pollution. When there is too much sugar in the bloodstream, it can damage blood vessels, lead to inflammation, and increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease and increase the likelyhood of pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
It’s important to consider how different carbohydrates affect your blood sugar and insulin response, and choose those that have a lower glycemic index and glycemic load. Complex carbohydrates are generally a better choice than simple carbohydrates, but it’s also important to consider the overall nutrient content and quality of the food.
In your diet, it’s important to focus on consuming nutrient-dense, unprocessed, whole foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates. These foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and provide important health benefits. At the same time, it’s important to limit the intake of foods high in added sugars or refined carbohydrates, which can contribute to chronic health conditions.
Additionally, recent research has shown that certain phytates and polyphenols found in carbohydrate-rich foods, which were once thought to be “anti-nutritive,” actually have complex health benefits {Craig, 1997 #218}. For example, they may inhibit the growth of cancer cells, improve gut health and lower the risk of chronic diseases. So, not only are you getting the energy boost from carbohydrates but also the nutritional benefits from these phytates and polyphenols, making them a win-win for your overall health.
A Better Classification of Carbohydrates (than GI or GL)
High Fiber + Low Carbs (HFLC): Leafy greens, lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.
High Fiber + Moderate Carbs (HFMC): Most vegetables, asparagus, carrots, soy, legumes, teff, sweet potatoes, quinoa
High Fiber + High Carbs: Whole grains naturally fit into this category and are both high in fiber and carbs. Sweet potatoes and quinoa are borderline foods between this category and the HFMC. This can be manufactured by baked goods, especially breads that are made with high levels of fiber by using whole grains and the addition of ingredients such as bran or flax seed.
High Fiber + Fructose (HFF): Most fruits (with a continum on a large scale depending on how much fructose and little fiber is in the fruit). Some fruits are not high in fiber, such as a banana.
Low Fiber + Moderate Carbs (LFMC): Starchy vegetables like potatoes or corn, whole grains in general such as wild rice, brown rice, amaranth
Low Fiber + High Carbs (LFHC): White rice, millet (a bit on an anomaly), pasta of all types (except for pasta made from legumes)
High Fiber + High Sucrose - This is not a natural state of foods but this can be synthesized by making sweets, such as cookies that are made with high levels of fiber by using whole grains and the addition of ingredients such as bran or flax seed.
Low Fiber + Fructose (LFF): Fruit juices
Low Fiber + High Sucrose (LFHS): Foods that contain sugar, often in combination with Low Fiber + High Carb foods. Examples would be cakes, cookies, sweet breads, donuts, and pastries (with a few exceptions if they are formulated with bean and grain flours with the addition of other high-fiber foods such as flax).- No Fiber + High Sucrose (NFHS): Candy and sugar foods in general. These foods have minimal fiber and can cause a quick spike and fall in blood sugar levels.
It is important to note that high fructose corn syrup is a completely different food than discussing “high” fructose levels in fruit as measured on a scale of levels of naturally occurring fructose in fruits. High fructose corn syrup is man-made and does not occur in nature. It is extremely damaging to the body to the level that could be an entire chapter. It is best to avoid this non-food poison the same way you would not drink car oil while pregnant. It is in most sodas and cheaper packaged sweets, especially those from big national and international brands. This food alone fuels billions of medical bills a year so it is not in the government’s interest to ban this ingredient (the same sentiment could be said for Trans-Fat).
*A note should be said about white rice. It has the highest carbohydrate to fiber ratio of 75 compared to all other foods. Millet has a ratio of 18, and potatoes a c:f of 11. So while they are in the same category of low fiber and high carbohydrate, white rice is a food to be avoided, unless for example, you need a fast available source of energy, such as an hour before a run or a weight workout and you have not eaten for 5 or more hours.
Additional Factors Affecting GI/GL:
The above scale is not perfect because proteins and fats also affect glycemic load of a meal. That is why science uses glycemic load instead of just measuring the carbohydrate and fiber in a food. But since this requires the time consuming task of looking up each food, it more simple to start with the fiber content of a food. High fiber, high protein, and high fat all mixed together in a meal lower the glycemic load of a meal. For example if you consume a fruit smoothie or juice, that will affect your blood sugar to a much greater extent than a fruit smoothie that has 1/4 c of walnuts added to it.
Fats
After evaluating the type of carbohydrate the food contains, ask yourself if this food contains fat? If the answer is yes, then it will take longer to digest and therefore have a lower glycemic load. Also, how high a quantity of fat is in the food. If for example you are evaluating two cookie recipes and one has double the volume of sugar to fat, and the other has a higher volume of fat than sugar, the second recipe is going to be easier on your families physiology. Additionally ingredients such as nuts are a fat that will lower the glycemic load of a food.
Make sure the fat is a healthy fat such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, or ghee as these are nature made fats and fats such as canola oil or vegetable oil are not nature made. This is important because surprisingly these unnatural oils have been shown to also cause insulin resistance and the point of this scale is to regulate your insulin levels to prevent weight gain.
Protein
It is crucial to be aware that protein is affecting the glycemic load of a food. If you have, for example a cookie recipe with no protein source, and then you have another baked good or cookie recipe made with a bean four, or nuts, or seeds, or a combination of the three, then this recipe is going to have a drastically different response on your blood sugar than a recipe missing these ingredients. This is especially the case when comparing, for example two cookie recipes where one has a higher sugar and lower fat content than the one that also contains nuts/seeds.
Consideration of Cooking and Processing:
How cooking methods and food processing affect the fiber content and glycemic impact of foods might also be worth mentioning.
The brain and body run on carbohydrates, but they run most efficiently on carbohydrates that are high in fiber, ie HFLC, HFMC, HFF. Low fiber, moderate carbohydrate options (LFMC) such as starchy vegetables and whole grains are also beneficial in moderate amounts. For other low fiber options you should aim to only eat LFF or LFLC from natural sources and these should be only with raw high nutrient juices or fruits (LFF) or on occasion LFLC.
Consuming low fiber, high fructose options like fresh raw fruit juices is beneficial for their nutrient content such as vitamins and phytochemicals that have not been killed by heat. It’s important to note that pasteurized juices may not provide the same benefits and have a higher glycemic load/index. Therefore, it’s best to consume them only occasionally and opt for organic brands. However, if you are transitioning from consuming high sugar drinks like soda to pasteurized fruit juice, it’s still a positive step towards a healthier diet. To further improve your nutrition, consider investing in a mechanical press juicer to make your own fresh juice from fruits like grapefruit, which are high in fiber and vitamins.
An additional note should be included on pasteurized juices. Many brands, such as Simply Orange or other brands from large companies are high in toxic chemicals that are called forever chemicals or PFAS because of their persistence in the body.
