Understanding Carbs: Slow carbs not no carbs

Understanding Carbs Part 2: Slow Carb Not Low Carb

It’s time to dust off that toaster and unleash your inner Italian. (Ok, I indulge a little here, but carbs are back, and they’re important as ever and they’re here to stay.)

But before you start munching on a donut or inhaling a piece of chocolate cake, read on.

See, only one type of carb is back. Unrefined, unprocessed, natural, whole carbohydrates. These are the carbs essential for weight loss, a healthy brain, more energy and for the prevention of disease.

I can hear you say, but why, for many years, has a low-carb diet been promoted for weight loss and health?

The reason, simply, is that a low-carb diet makes you lose weight. But the way that it makes you lose weight is not a healthy one, or a long term one at that. On a low-carb diet you’re restricting your main source of calories and thus, you lose weight. The diet is usually very dehydrating and so the first bit of weight you lose will just be water. Without the intake of carbohydrates, your body is forced to burn fat (and protein, your own body), leading to the production of a substance called ketone. This can cause all sorts of problems; nausea, headaches, sluggishness and weakness. Your blood sugar will be awfully low (no intake of carbs, no sugar in the blood) and this will start to affect brain function. You will feel tired, with more mood swings and food cravings than ever before.

If you’re restricting carbohydrates and all of its fibre and antioxidants, then you’re probably substituting by eating more meat. Eating large quantities of meat has been linked to high cholesterol,  heart disease and cancer [1] [2]. Just look at the Atkins diet – it’s supposed to “make improvements in the risk factors for heart disease”, yet Dr. Atkins (who followed the diet) had a history of heart attack and high blood pressure [3].   Popular diets that are high in protein and low in sugar, may help you lose weight (in the short term) but they are not good diets to increase lifespan or quality of life [4], and usually because of low adherence rates, they aren’t diets people are able to follow long term and so even the weight loss is short term.

The best way to control weight and improve health is to include slow-carbs in your diet. These carbs rate low to moderate on the Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load, which measures the rate that foods cause increases in blood sugar. Slow-carbs stabilize blood sugar, which is better for weight loss. They are also packed full of vitamins and fibre, which is essential for normal blood pressure, cholesterol and the prevention of certain diseases.  Most of our cells rely on carbohydrates to function, our red blood cells, muscle cells and nerve cells.  Naturally carbohydrate rich foods are often high in fibre, water and other nutrients that our body needs for example, leafy vegetables, fruit, beans, pulses, ancient and whole grains, legumes, root vegetables.  Their carbohydrate and nutrient content tends to vary depending on the food source.  So with carbs quality is definitely more important than quantity.

The key to weight loss and staying healthy is to have a healthy relationship with food. Do not deprive yourself, or your body will react negatively. Eat the foods that the earth provided us with – fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Yes, you can eat bread, pasta and rice, just eat them in their most natural form and eat in moderation. This is the key to a healthy mind and a healthy body full of energy and life, and free from disease and illness.

References:

[1] Cancer Council Australia. (2014). Nutrition and physical activity. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org.au/policy-and-advocacy/position-statements/nutrition-and-physical-activity/#jump_9

[2] Bingham, A.  High-meat diets and cancer risk (1999). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10466162

[3] Atkins. (2014). Science and good sense. Retrieved from http://au.atkins.com/new-atkins/the-science/science-and-good-sense.html

[4] Valter Longo, professor of biology at the University of Southern California (USC) and Director of the USC Longevity Institute. (As cited, March, 2014) http://www.livescience.com/43839-too-much-protein-help-cancers-grow.html