Uncovering the hidden Carbs you never think about

There is so much confusion about what to eat, how are you supposed to keep things straight?  This is especially true when it comes to sugar and carbohydrates.  Are all carbohydrates sugar?   Are different carbohydrates better for you than others?  What about artificial sugars, they are zero calories, so that’s good right?

So let’s go through this jungle and clear a path to a better understanding of the ways sugar sneaks into your life.  First, all carbohydrates contain sugar.  A carbohydrate is defined as a sugar, starch, or cellulose that is an essential structural component of living cells and a source of energy for animals. 

So what does that mean? 

A sugar is a simple molecule your body can burn immediately for fuel in your cells.  Starch is a group of sugar molecules bound together by weak bonds that can be broken apart easily to become a simple sugar molecule quickly.  Cellulose is a carbohydrate that cannot be broken down by digestion and is also known as insoluble fiber.

So what does that have to do with you?

Sugar is found in almost every food imaginable.  All foods can be digested down to sugar to be used to by your body.  Proteins and fats also are eventually digested down to sugar.  The issue is how fast your food is digested down to sugar.  The faster your food becomes sugar, the more problem your body has dealing with it.

One common dietary thought is to divide your plate into four parts to balance your meal.  The four parts include: a protein, a starch, a complex carbohydrate and finally a fruit.  On the surface this sounds reasonable but the more you look at this plate the more sugar sneak attack occurs. 

So let’s look at each part of this plate.  First is protein, proteins become sugar slowly.  Protein keeps your blood sugar stable because protein is digested slowly and puts sugar into your blood stream slowly.  The starch breaks down extremely fast into simple sugar so it will be absorbed into your blood stream quickly.  The complex carbohydrate contains starch and cellulose, which is why it’s called “complex”.  But the starch is still digested down to sugar quickly.  Finally, fruit contains quite a bit of sugar so three out of the four parts of this plate turns to sugar very quickly. 

What about artificial sugars?  They are zero calories so they have to be good for you right?  It’s true these artificial sugars don’t have calories, but studies have shown these substances stimulate the same nerves sugar does and causes the same type of reaction in the body. 

The reason that’s important is once your sugar receptors are stimulated insulin (your blood sugar hormone) is produced.  When you produce too much insulin over time it leads to diabetes.

So the bottom line becomes limit your sugar, starch and fruit to about 25 to 30 percent of your diet and increase your protein and good fat.  If you do this you’ll stabilize your blood sugar and keep your sugar sneak attacks to a minimum.