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Carbs are Bad for You

Actually, carbohydrates are not bad for you. I just said that to get your attention. The problem with carbohydrates is related to the type of carbohydrates that we most consume and how often we consume them.

There are 3 types of carbohydrates. There are simple sugars, complex (starchy) carbs, and fibrous carbs. An example of each is as follows:

1. Simple Sugars - most fruits, all fruit juices, yogurt, candy bar, and soda.
2. Complex Carbs - potato, pasta, beans, rice, and oatmeal.
3. Fibrous Carbs - broccoli, celery, lettuce, and apples.

Now, how all of this relates to how your body reacts to these foods is based upon what is known as the Glycemic Index (GI). The GI is basically a table that helps us determine how quickly your digestive system can breakdown carbs to be released in to the blood stream. The faster they breakdown, the quicker your glucose levels increase in the blood.. The table starts at 0 and goes to 100. Between 0-50 foods take time to digest, while 50-100 foods breakdown fairly to extremely fast. Here are some examples:

• Apple - 35-45
• Peanuts - 25-35
• Wheat and White Bread 80-100
• Grapes - 60-80
• Donuts, French Fries, Cheerios, Grape Juice, corn chips - 100+

As you can see, the last few foods exceed 100. This means that they breakdown very fast, thus, increasing your blood sugar fast. Most high glycemic foods are simple sugars and complex carbs. But this does not mean that those kinds of carbs are bad for you.

Interestingly, most high glycemic carbs are foods that are packaged, fried, come in a bag, squeezed in a bottle, come in a can, a plastic wrapper, etc. I think you get the point. In other words- JUNK FOOD! Though potatoes and bananas are high on the GI, most people do not over indulge themselves with these types of foods. Also, the junk food carbs have no nutritional value and in many cases are loaded with additional calories from fat.

Naturally occurring higher GI foods that are natural (meaning that they have not been processed) are usually very good for you and are not loaded with fat, especially saturated fat. However, this does not mean you can consume huge amounts of them and you have to be careful as to what time of day you eat them.

To help you understand, a banana with some oatmeal is good for breakfast as they will get your blood sugar up to get you going. As the day progresses, you need to consume less simple and complex carbs. Instead, you will begin to increase your consumption of fibrous carbs, which are low on the GI. Here's an example of how it might go:

• Breakfast - Oatmeal and/or Banana
• Snack - Apple or Grapes
• Lunch - Salad
• Snack - Peanuts
• Dinner - Mixed Vegetable

Now, the example is only about carbs, so other types of food (for example) from meat to get protein and fat can be added. Chances are, your diet may need to be customized to your specific needs. Keep in mind that this article is more specific to controlling body weight to prevent it from getting out of control or reduce fat weight. Hope this sheds some light about how carbs really work.

Kelly Huggins, B.S., ACSM HFI
The Fitness MythBuster
404.303.8305 kelly@kellyhuggins.com