A lesson on Carbohydrates

Well, well, well… I lost another 4 pounds this week! That brings my total to 10 pounds thus far. So, in the 5 weeks that I have been with my nutritionist, I have managed to lose 2 pounds per week… right on target for my weight loss goals! Yay me!

Speaking of goals, my nutritionist gives me challenges each week, and one of my tasks was to learn at least 10 things about ‘carbohydrates’. I did a mini-presentation during our meeting yesterday and I managed to do a good job (which means I didn’t have to do 10 push-ups for every point I was less than the 10 required). I asked my nutritionist if I could put the information I gathered on my blog (I wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to misinform anyone), and she said I could. So, this is what I have learned, for anyone else who is interested in knowing more about carbohydrates: 

What are Carbohydrates?

• Carbohydrates are in everything we eat, and they give us essential energy-providing nutrients we need.
• Carbohydrates are made up of chains of sugar molecules; some of the chains have only a few molecules, whereas others may contain hundreds of molecules.
• They are often categorized into two main types: simple carbohydrates (sugars), and complex carbohydrates (fibers and starches).

How do we use Carbohydrates?

• Many of the carbohydrates we eat are broken down into their single molecule form, which are then able to cross into the body’s blood stream. The body’s cells use them as an energy source.
• As our blood sugar levels rise, our bodies produce insulin which moves the glucose from the blood into our muscles and fat cells for storage. Yes, FAT cells for storage.
• Insulin, too much or not enough, can lead to diabetes, which can then lead to a number of other health issues in the future. Editor's Note: She is watching me like a hawk! My nutritionist emailed me about this point, and I wanted to post it here so to clarify it for everyone: "I just wanted to clarify that the issue is actually not too much insulin but insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can be seen as too much insulin in the blood but what it actually is, is the cells inability to react to the insulin in the blood and therefore not allowing the cells to take up the glucose, which will in turn make the body less effective in reducing blood sugar. The other component that can cause diabetes is the body's inability to produce enough insulin was an accurate statement."

Simple Carbohydrates

• Also known as 'simple sugars' are made up of one or two sugar molecules. These are very easy for our body to process, thus making our blood sugars spike quickly (producing more insulin, which will store the glucose in FAT cells).
• Much of the ‘sweet’ that we taste in many of our foods are due to simple carbohydrates.
• Simple carbohydrates are often the refined sugars that are present in processed foods.
• Some of the most common foods which contain 'simple carbohydrates' are: soft drinks, fruit juices, products made with white flour (breads, pastas, etc.), candies and sweets.

Complex Carbohydrates: Starch and Fiber

• Starch must be broken down through digestion before the body can use it as a glucose source. This is a good thing, because our sugar levels gradually rise and spike later than with simple carbohydrates. Thus, we can burn off this energy before it gets stored in our FAT cells.
• Fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, instead it passes through the body undigested. Although not nourishing the body, it does help: soluble fibers bind to fatty substances in the intestines and carries them out as waste; insoluble fiber helps push food through the intestinal tract, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation.
• Some of the most common foods which contain 'complex carbohydrates' are: fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and dairy products.

What else have I learned?

I need to have a love/hate relationship with carbohydrates:

• I need to learn how to love complex carbohydrates because they require my body to do a little extra work for them to be processed.
• I need to NOT love simple carbohydrates so much because they tend to be stick around a long time … around my belly, butt, and thighs!