You’re staring down at the leftover sweet potato casserole from Turkeyday and thinking about how many carbs that basically-a-pie entree probably carries. It’s so good but it’s so heavy! In fact, looking at the bread, stuffing and mac-and-cheese, you begin to wonder if you shouldn’t just skip carbs entirely for a while. Low carb diets are better anyway, right? Let’s take a look.
Carbs are one of the most readily available forms of energy the body has access to. When you go to exert yourself in any way, carbs supply the fuel that lets you push. This is especially true in regards to physical workouts and exertion. Carbs are a big part of what are bodies’ run on. So then, are carbs good? Hmmmm, it’s a little more complex than that, though in this case complexity is a good thing
Carbs can be classified in a couple different ways. The most common is probably by type. There are sugars, starches and fiber. Sugars include those naturally occurring in fruits and veggies or dairy products, as well as processed sugars like what you use to bake or what’s found in almost anything sweetened. Even things like high-fructose corn syrup and agave nectar fall into this category. Sucrose, fructose and even lactose are all, technically, carbs.
Starches include grains like rice, beans, potatoes and even corn. Starch is a densely packed pod of energy that a plant forms to store what it collects from the sun. It is usually wrapped in an outer shell of some kind which in the case of grain consists of a bran and germ. This fibrous outer layer is filled with vitamins and minerals and is the reason whole grain foods are generally considered to be more balanced and nutritious than refined ones.
Fiber, as we’ve discussed in a previous blog, is the indigestible part of foods like beans and legumes, fruit and veggies, whole grain foods and more, that mostly passes right through the body but has a big impact on digestion and gastrointestinal regulation. It allows you to absorb more nutrients from your food and to regularly pass what the body doesn’t need. Fiber is hugely important and also falls under carbohydrates.
You can probably tell right away that the idea of totally cutting out carbs might not make as much sense as you may have been told. A lot of the healthiest and important foods we need are technically carbs. Fiber, for example, is crucial to digestion and adults in the US get only a small portion of what is recommended (which according to the American Diabetes Association is about 25 to 30 grams a day). Carbs aren’t always bread and potatoes. Sometimes they are split peas and corn or bananas and almonds.
The amount of carbohydrates that each person needs is much more dependent on the individual than any blanket statement could cover. The pile of gooey marshmallows topping that sweet potato casserole might be something to consider when cleaning up Thanksgiving leftovers but keep in mind that not all carbs are created equally!
Resources:
Role of polysaccharides in food, digestion,
https://exceednutrition.com/all-about-carbohydrates/and health