::
You are here - Weight
Loss >> Weight
Loss Articles
>>
Weight Loss and Carbohydrates. . . Some
Basics
When it comes to weight loss diets, carbohydrates are becoming
misunderstood nutrients. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in
your body. They are also one of the three macro nutrients required for
nutrition. The other two are proteins and lipids.
Carbohydrates are
organic molecules, made up of sugars called saccharids. A carbohydrate
with one unit of sugar is called monosaccharides. Carbohydrates with
two units of sugar are called disaccharides. Those with more than two
sugars are generally referred to as polysaccharides.
Carbohydrates
Classification:
Carbohydrates are
grouped into two types depending on structures of their molecules.
1) Simple
carbohydrates:- These are the mono and disaccharides e.g. glucose and
fructose.
2) Complex
carbohydrates:- These are polymers or polysaccharides. Examples include
starch, fibre, and glycogen. Carbohydrates can only be also be grouped
into three main forms as foods.
(i) Sugars: -
These consist of simple carbohydrates both mono and disaccharides for
example glucose (the blood sugar) galactose, the sugar found in milk
and fructose the sugar found in fruits and honey are all
mono-saccharides. Common disaccharides include sucrose the common table
sugar which is glucose bonded to a fructose, lactose the main sugar in
milk (glucose + galactose) and maltose a product of starch digestion
(glucose + glucose)
(ii) Starch: -
This is a complex carbohydrates and a polysaccharide. It is the
principle form used by plants to store glucose. It is a polymer or a
chain of bonded glucose molecules.
(iii) Fiber: -
This is also a complex carbohydrate also called cellulose found in
plants. This is one of the carbohydrates that cannot be broken down
into sugar molecules in your digestive system. It passes through mostly
undigested. In your body it cleans the digestive system keeping it
healthy. Cellulose is probably the most abundant molecule in the
biosphere e.g. wood is mostly cellulose, while cotton and paper is
almost entirely cellulose.
Carbohydrates are
essential energy sources though some kind when eaten often and in large
quantities actually increase risk for diabetes and coronary heart
disease. It also may result into increase in your body weight.
The digestive
system handles all carbs in much the same way. Basically it breaks them
down to glucose or any other simple sugar that can be absorbed into the
body. When we eat carbohydrates, its digestion starts in the mouth
using saliva. Saliva has enzymes called amylace which breaks down
polymers of starch. By the time starch is getting to the stomach it has
been broken down to glucose. This glucose is then absorbed into the
blood stream then the blood transports it to your body cells. Body
cells absorb the glucose for the use of creating energy.
When excess
carbohydrates are eaten, the body converts the extra glucose into
glycogen. Glycogen is stored in skeletal muscles and liver. This acts
as the glucose reservoir in your body. In case of energy shortage,
glycogen is broken down to glucose in a process called glycogenolysis.
Glycogen is the
immediate store of energy in your body. It gets depleted in about 24
hours if not replenished. Your diet should always consist of some
energy for nutrition. Most of this energy is provided by the
carbohydrates. In some circumstances, energy is provided by proteins
and fats.
Good and bad
Carbs:
Science on
nutrition is proving that there are now healthy and unhealthy
carbohydrates. They are using the glycemic index to be able to
determine the healthier carbohydrates.
The Glycemic index
measures how fast and how far blood sugar (glucose) rises after you eat
a certain carbohydrate source of food. For example, white bread is
considered to be a high glycemic index food. This is because it is
quickly digested and absorbed into the blood stream. This consequently
increases the blood sugar level very high and very fast. On the other
hand whole wheat bread is digested much more slowly. This causes a
lower and more gentle change in blood sugar level so it is said to have
a low glycemic index.
Carbohydrate foods
with high glycemic index have been linked to increase in both diabetes,
unhealthy weight and heart disease while low glycemic index has been
shown to control type two diabetes. You will find, even though the food
pyramid recommends a mainly plant based nutritional diet, it insists on
whole foods. This is because a major determinant of a food's glycemic
index is how processed the carbohydrate is.
Some determinants
of GI (Glycemic Index) are listed below;
i) Processing:-
The more finely ground grain is rapidly digested due to increased
surface area hence a higher GI. Processing tends to remove the fibre
rich outer bran. It also removes the vitamins and mineral rich inner
germ, basically stripping the food all its nutrients except carbs.
ii) Fiber-content:
- The bran for example shields the food from immediate rapid action by
enzymes. This slows the enzymes effectiveness in releasing the sugar
molecules into the blood stream.
iii) Ripeness: -
The more ripe a fruit or vegetable the more the sugar it has hence a
higher G.I.
iv) Structure of
the starch: - Occurring in many structural forms, the more a starch
isomer is branched the less easily is broken down. For example a potato
is more easily broken down because its starch is only a long chain.
This makes it a high G.I. food.
v)Fats and acid
content :- The more fat and acid a food contains the slower its
carbohydrates are turned into sugar.
Determining G.I.
may end up being a little complicated. A combination of the above
factors may have counter-intuitive results. But the rule is simple;
always prefer whole grain products and them more natural forms of
carbohydrates. Use them more often than highly processed grains, just
as recommended in any good weight loss diet.
Weight loss diets
are one of the Top 4 Reasons you fail in losing weight permanently.
However there are three other factors that you need to effectively
tackle to avoid failure in losing weight.
More Bookmark Buttons Below. . .
|
©
Health-eMark.com
|
|
Disclaimer
:
This
content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new information on weight loss becomes
available. The information is intended for
educational purposes only. Please
consult your healthcare provider before beginning
any kind of weight loss program
|
|
