Choosing Carbs - Which Ones Are Best?
Many modern diets restrict carbohydrates or rely on Glycaemic Index (GI) as a tool for choosing foods. Nutrition misinformation is rife on this and can be confusing and misleading. So what is a carbohydrate, how do we know which carbohydrates are good for us and how can knowing a GI help us anyway?
Carbohydrate foods include sugar, starch and fibre. White, brown and raw sugars are carbohydrates as are breads, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates are formed by long chains of simple sugars such as glucose and fructose in various combinations. The function of digestion is to break down the chemical bonds in these chains reducing them to simple sugars which the body can use for energy. Once carbohydrates are broken down in the digestive process they are transferred around the body in the blood stream.
The GI was developed as a way to measure the impact of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. It allows a comparison between foods to determine how quickly a food will increase blood sugar levels. Carbohydrate foods that are digested very quickly have the highest GI. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, release glucose more gradually into the blood stream and have a lower GI.
When selecting foods to provide energy for a sustained activity such as an extended walk or hike choosing low GI foods can be helpful as glucose release is slow and steady. High GI foods have a rapid impact on blood sugar levels and can be useful for energy recovery after endurance exercise as they provide an energy burst.
While GI is a useful tool in helping to choose some foods there are a number of points to remember:
- The GI varies depending on the kind of food, its ripeness, how long it was stored, how it was cooked and variety;
- The GI of a food varies from person to person, and the composition of a meal will influence GI as it changes the speed of digestion;
- The amount of carbohydrate you eat is also important as is the fat, salt and sugar content of the meal;
- GI is only a useful measure of carbohydrate containing foods. Some popular diets promote protein or high fat choices as suitable because they are very low or no GI. Foods that don’t contain carbohydrate, such as meats, high fat dips, will have no impact on blood glucose levels as they contain no sugar. Many very low GI dips or spreads are very high fat and energy.
There are a number of websites that provide GI rankings for a detailed list of foods. An easier way to select carbohydrates is by following food and nutrition guidelines:
- Eat at least three servings of vegetables each day and two of fruit;
- Eat plenty of breads, cereals, rice pasta and breakfast cereals. Choose wholemeal and whole grain varieties (these tend to be low GI);
- Choose carbohydrate foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar. Avoid too many cakes and biscuits. Look out for sugars on food labels. Watch out – some muesli bars that are low GI can be high in fat.
Discuss this article in the Forum
BACKWondering about Alcohol ?
Wondering about Alcohol?
Do you take time out at the end of a long day to enjoy a quiet glass or two of wine in peace or do you suffer from a guilty sense of “I shouldn’t be drinking this”? Are you confused or concerned about what is the right choice? Is red wine better than white? What about spirits with a diet mixer? Does my squeeze of lemon increase my vitamin C load? Will I be able to metabolise fat if I drink alcohol as well? Do I have an alcohol problem if I drink more than two glasses a day, and do I really care?
Personally, I find after the first glass my concerns ease as I am tempted to indulge in another. At this point in the evening the snacks start to sneak in, and any concerns about additional calories, white or red etc, matter less than the joy of a few chippies or some cheese and olives. There is always tomorrow. I’ll start again then.
The most common question I am asked is whether red is better than white? The answer used to be simple, research showed that two glasses of red wine a day was associated with improved cardiovascular health and extended life expectancy. However more recently, an accountant friend (rather more skilled at addition than my mathematically challenged self) pointed out that that alcohol adverts indicated she may have a problem on her two glasses. The advertising indicates an intake of 4 standard drinks makes you a binge drinker (a standard measure being 100mls). My friends’ rather elegant wine glasses hold a little more than the standard measure. Her two glasses a day, previously medicinal now seem to hold another problem for her.
The other question I’m often asked is “what is the best kind of alcohol to drink if I want to loose weight?” The simple response is none – well not if you want to loose eat as well. Alcohol sadly is a source of empty calories. It doesn’t matter how you wrap it up or what variety you choose, any alcohol is extra calories, so if you are loosing weight not particularly helpful.
The moral of this story is moderation. An occasional glass or two is not going to do any harm. Yes there are a few extra calories, be careful about how often and how much. But remember when you do have the occasional drink – Enjoy!!
BACK