Carbohydrates have earned a pretty bad rep recently and to some extent it’s warranted, especially in an Asian society where carbohydrates take up a big part of our diet. But what about it makes everyone feel like carbs are a guilty pleasure?
Let’s break it down.
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are a macronutrient (the other two being fat and protein) that is broken down into glucose (sugar) once it is in your body. Glucose is the main source of energy that your body uses to function, especially for your brain and red blood cells. No matter what you eat – rice, potato, ice cream, bread, all these get broken down and digested as glucose and is transported around your body and absorbed to be used by cells.
What happens when more carbohydrates enter the body than it needs? The excess gets stored as ‘glycogen’ in your liver and muscles. But your body can only store a certain amount of glycogen and the excess will be converted by your body into fat. This means that you simply need to eat the right amount for your body to use and store as glucose and glycogen.
So, how much do you need?
A few dietary guidelines in various countries have a recommended macronutrient daily allowance/distribution range for carbohydrates, fat, and protein. For carbohydrates, it is 45-65% of your daily energy (caloric) intake. If you’re thinking that this is a pretty big range, it is. It’s to account for the varied health and medical considerations within a population and individual needs, so it is best to stick within the mid-range ~55% for most individuals or as a starting point. What does that look like realistically? If you think about a plate, 55% is essentially about half of the plate. It’s easy for our minds to immediately think of rice when we think about carbohydrates, but there is so much more to it.
So, what types should you eat?
There are many ways to classify carbohydrates and it can get confusing, but at the basic level there are simple and complex carbohydrates. It’s as easy as they are called – simple carbohydrates are simple to break down in the body so it is quick, while complex carbohydrates take slightly longer to break down because they are more ‘complex’. Simple carbs provide a quick source of energy to your body, but they will also immediately raise your blood sugars. Complex carbs provide a more stable balance in your blood sugars. Now this is just one type of classification for carbohydrates, and the main thing to note is that most foods don’t just belong to one food group. For example, beans are a great source of carbs, protein, and fiber.
The kind of carbohydrates you want to aim for are the higher fibre varieties. These types of carbohydrates have many benefits:
– Slows down and regulate your digestion to keep you fuller longer
– Controls blood sugar (especially helpful for a society with such a high percentage of diabetics!)
– Keeps your gut healthy by promoting good bacteria
– Lowers blood cholesterol levels
– And many more!
You can get these types of carbohydrates from:
– Starchy vegetables e.g. corn, pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas
– Wholegrains e.g. brown rice, whole wheat bread or pasta
– Legumes e.g. beans, peas, lentils (also great sources of protein!)
– Fruits e.g. banana, grapes, apples
Think about filling your half of your plate with at least two of these groups with each meal. It could be ¼ wholegrains like brown rice and the other ¼ could be a mix of starchy vegetables and legumes. Here’s a handy little guide of what your plate could look like the next time you buy cai png or are just cooking for yourself at home!
Carbs are an essential part of everyone’s diet, and the notion that it is a guilty pleasure often comes from the fact that when we start to feel tired, our body naturally looks to get a sugar hit and this is easiest from the simple carbohydrates I mentioned above. Foods like ice cream, sweets, and processed foods are great for a quick boost of energy to make us feel good, but it just as easily causes a sugar crash. Include more nutritious types of carbohydrates in your diet and stay consistent, and you won’t ever feel the need to over indulge in quick fixes.