Carbohydrates are always a hot topic and since there are different kinds of carbohydrates and different times carbohydrates should be eaten it can be oftentimes tricky and misleading.
Complex carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules that are strung together in long, complex chains. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables. Simple carbohydrates are broken down quickly by the body to be used as energy. Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in foods such as fruits, milk, and milk products. Both simple and complex carbohydrates are turned to glucose (blood sugar) in the body and are used as energy.
Although carbohydrates are demonized in the health and fitness industry they play a significant role in the body and are essential for our health and vitality. One of the primary functions of carbohydrates is to provide the body with energy. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose for the body to use up as energy. This is our body's prefered source of energy.
Another use of carbohydrates is creating stored energy. If your body already has the glucose it needs it can store glucose, or in the stored form of glycogen, for later. This stored form of glucose is called glycogen and is primarily found in the liver and muscle. This stored glucose helps maintain blood sugar levels in between meals. Your muscles also store glycogen which can be used by muscle cells and is essential for exercise.
Here are some other benefits of carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates Preserve Muscle Mass
By storing glycogen in the muscles this allows the body to help maintain energy for muscular function.
What can happen if you lack eating carbohydrates is the body begins to break down muscle mass for glucose.
Promote Digestive Health
Dietary fiber typically falls into the carbohydrate family.
Dietary fiber does not break down into glucose; it passes through the body undigested as a soluble or insoluble fiber.
Both kinds of fiber help with the state of the digestive system.
Prevent Heart Disease + Diabetes
Increasing fiber intake can help lower LDL cholesterol and prevent diabetes.
What can happen when you restrict carbohydrates?
Force the body to undergo gluconeogenesis or in other words force the body to make its own sugar.
Force the body to burn free fatty acids.
Either option is a survival mode mechanism that the body undergoes to try to maintain homeostasis and keep you alive. When forcing the body to make its own energy, breaking down muscle for energy, this is a stress response in the body increasing cortisol.
The option of burning free fatty acids is a backup plan. It is the last resort.
Glucose needs a hormone called insulin to get into the cells. We hear this commonly as a lock and key situation. Fructose on the other hand does not require insulin and often gets stored in the liver and muscles known as glycogen. As mentioned above, the body can store this and use it later or as needed to maintain blood sugar levels. Fructose is found in fruits and honey and can be the driving factor to allowing the body to better use glucose heavy foods such as potatoes.
So, what do you do if your blood sugar is all over the place?
You should look at your current carbohydrate intake. Not only how much carbohydrates you are eating, but what kinds and what other foods are you having with them.
Eating every 3-4 hours is essential to helping the body balance blood sugars. Switching your main carbohydrate sources to root vegetables, tropical fruits and honey. Making sure that you are pairing your carbohydrates with a protein and a fat source. Lastly, pairing starches with fruits to get the most bang for your buck is essential.
