Micah Stanley
Carbs have gotten a bad rap these days. It is important to distinguish between good and bad carbohydrates. We explain which carbohydrates are good and healthy and which are actually bad and therefore unhealthy.
Good and bad carbohydrates
Nutrition societies recommend that at least half of your energy needs come from carbohydrates. Others say – especially the representatives of the low-carb diet – carbohydrates are mainly responsible for obesity, diabetes, and many other health problems so carbohydrates should be avoided wherever possible or at least greatly reduced in quantity.
The arguments on both sides are not bad – and mostly it comes to the conclusion that it depends on the individual whether carbohydrates are good or bad for them. In fact, there are people who would benefit from lower carb consumption, even if they choose the good carbs and avoid the bad ones. But there are also people who only really thrive on plentiful carbohydrate consumption.
For the vast majority of people, however, it is not necessary to practice a low-carb diet. Because, in our opinion, the question of the quality of the carbohydrates consumed is much more important than the question of whether you should eat a lot or a few carbohydrates.
Because the majority of people can easily hit the good carbohydrates, while the bad carbohydrates can actually make you ill sooner or later – especially if the carbohydrates are eaten in combination with plenty of fats.
Let’s take a closer look at carbohydrates and carbohydrate-rich foods, their different forms and qualities, and of course their health properties. By the end of the article, you’ll have a good basic understanding of carbs – and you’ll be able to tell good carbs from bad carbs.
What are carbohydrates?
From a purely chemical point of view, carbohydrates are molecules made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. In nutrition, carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
In addition to the macronutrients, which supply the body with energy (calories) and building materials, there are of course also micronutrients. They don’t provide energy in the form of calories, but they have numerous other vital functions. These include vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and secondary plant substances.
The four categories
Carbohydrates can be divided into four categories:
Sugars: short-chain carbohydrates
Most carbohydrates that taste sweet are called sugars. There are many different types of sugar. The types of sugar can – very roughly – be divided into two main categories, namely simple sugars, and double sugars:
- Simple sugars (monosaccharides): The simple sugars include e.g. B. glucose (dextrose), fructose (fruit sugar), galactose (mucus sugar), or mannose, which many people now know as an alternative remedy for urinary tract infections. The slime sugar is as good as not known. It occurs quite frequently in nature and also directly in us humans, namely wherever we have mucous membranes – hence the name slime sugar.
- Double sugars (disaccharides): The double sugars include e.g. B. sucrose (which is what household sugar consists of), lactose (milk sugar in the milk of mammals), or malt sugar (maltose). The latter occurs in the human body during the digestion of starch, because the digestive enzymes first break down the starch into individual maltose molecules and only then – in a further step – into glucose, which now enters the blood and increases the blood sugar level there.
- Polysaccharides: long-chain carbohydrates
The most important representative of the multiple sugars (polysaccharides) is starch. It is found, for example, in grain products, potatoes, nuts, and legumes, and consists of many glucose molecules that are firmly connected to one another.
Compared to mono- and disaccharides, starch does not taste sweet. Only if you eat starchy foods. For example, if you chew bread or potatoes for a long time and salivate well, their taste will become sweeter and sweeter. This is because carbohydrate digestion would begin in the mouth if the individual ate slowly and chewed thoroughly, which is rarely the case today when everyone is pressed for time.
Ptyalin, a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme, is found in saliva. The ptyalin converts the starch into shorter-chain carbohydrates. The shorter the carbohydrate chains become, the sweeter they taste.
Fiber: indigestible fiber
Dietary fiber also belongs to carbohydrates. Humans can hardly digest fiber because they lack the appropriate digestive enzymes. Only a few strains of bacteria that live in the human large intestine can use the roughage and break it down into short-chain fatty acids. These in turn can serve as an energy source for the intestinal wall cells, help to regenerate the intestinal mucosa, and are therefore one of the most important reasons why fiber is said to be so healthy for the intestines.
Sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol
Sugar alcohols are also counted among carbohydrates. They taste almost as sweet as sugar but lead to a significantly lower insulin release than sugar. Sugar alcohols include xylitol, sorbitol, or mannitol.
However, while “normal” carbohydrates contain 4.1 kcal per gram, sugar alcohols generally only contain 2.4 kcal per gram, which is why they are often used in diets.
Many people do not tolerate sugar alcohols well because they can lead to digestive problems such as flatulence, stomach ache, and diarrhea from an individual dose. Xylitol is life-threatening for dogs, which is why it is better not to have sweets/cakes containing xylitol in the house if the dog likes to help itself. Other sugar alcohols do not appear to pose this risk, but of course, they should not be given to dogs.
The great advantage of sugar alcohols for humans is that they do not promote caries, i.e. they cannot be used as food by the caries bacteria. In particular, xylitol is even considered to be caries-fighting. You don’t have to eat sugar or alcohol to do this. Mouthwashes with xylitol are much more useful.
The roles of carbohydrates
The main task of carbohydrates (sugar and starch) is to provide energy. Most carbohydrates – whether from fruit, bread, pasta, biscuits, or the sugar in coffee – are therefore first broken down into glucose and then burned (converted into energy) in the cell. When there is no need for energy, the glucose is converted into fat and stored in the fat cells, which is why an excess of carbohydrate-rich foods can also contribute to obesity.
Dietary fibers are an exception here, see above. They hardly provide any energy because they cannot be digested. Depending on the intestinal flora, however, it may be the case that some people – often overweight – harbor a particularly large number of intestinal bacteria strains (which can metabolize fiber), so fiber also provides additional calories for these people.
A build-up of the intestinal flora (intestinal rehabilitation) could help to change the composition of the intestinal flora in such a way that fiber is not broken down in excess and can no longer contribute to obesity.
Complete and isolated carbohydrates
In the rarest cases, one eats pure sugar or pure starch. Instead, carbohydrates are in very different proportions in our food. While animal foods are among the low-carbohydrate foods, most carbohydrate suppliers come from the plant kingdom. And here, too, there are high-carbohydrate foods (potatoes, cereals) and low-carbohydrate foods (leafy greens, berries).
However, carbohydrate-containing foods differ not only in terms of the number of carbohydrates they contain but also in terms of their quality:
Carbohydrate-rich foods are often divided into two groups: “simple carbohydrates” and “complex carbohydrates”. In our opinion, the division into “whole carbohydrates” (complex = good carbohydrates) and “isolated or refined carbohydrates” (simple = bad carbohydrates) makes more sense and is easier to understand.
Whole carbohydrates are good carbohydrates
Whole carbohydrates include all (relatively) unprocessed carbohydrate-rich foods that still have their original fiber content.
Examples of whole foods rich in carbohydrates are vegetables, fruits, legumes, potatoes, and whole grains. These foods are generally considered healthy. “In general” because there will always be a few people who develop an intolerance or allergy to one or the other food. Of course, for these people, the foods they cannot tolerate are not healthy, no matter how beneficial they may be for other people.
The good carbs are also those carbs that have a low glycemic load or index, meaning they don’t throw off blood sugar levels as much as the refined/bad carbs.
Isolated carbs are bad carbs
Refined/isolated carbohydrates, on the other hand, have been industrially processed in one way or another, the processing being in particular to remove the fiber content, which usually increases the shelf life of the food in question or makes it easier to use in the food industry, but not exactly making it healthier. Here are three examples:
- In this way, wholemeal flour becomes white flour (=extract flour) – the outer layers and the germ of the whole grain are removed, and thus not only the dietary fibers but also most of the vital substances
- Wholemeal rice becomes polished rice – here, too, the outer layers and important vital substances are removed
- Sugar cane/sugar beets are processed into concentrated sweeteners (household sugar) by using only their juice, boiling it down, cleaning it, and crystallizing it – there are hardly any vital substances left, and fiber anyway
Of course, all those foods that are made from the foods just mentioned also belong in this category, e.g. B. Pasta and baked goods made from sugar and white flour (cakes, biscuits, snacks, croissants, rolls, bread, etc.), sweetened drinks (soft drinks/energy drinks), sweets, ketchup and other finished products that have high sugar content.
Bad Carbohydrates: The Health Implications
Numerous studies show that the consumption of refined, i.e. bad, carbohydrates is associated with health problems – such as e.g. B. obesity and type 2 diabetes. These bad carbs tend to cause blood sugar spikes, which in turn leads to cravings for more carbs, more unhealthy foods, and even worse obesity.
Blood sugar fluctuations and chronic diseases
Strong blood sugar fluctuations are also associated with chronic inflammatory processes – and since almost every chronic disease is also associated with inflammatory processes, bad carbohydrates can promote these diseases, strengthen them and thwart their healing.
But obesity is also considered to be pro-inflammatory, so bad carbohydrates also have a detour-causing effect. Because abdominal fat in particular is a hormone-active tissue and forms u. inflammatory messengers. The fewer isolated carbohydrates you eat, the easier it is to lose weight and the less risk there is of developing a chronic disease.
Lack of vital substances
Foods that are high in refined carbohydrates are usually also low in essential nutrients. That’s why people like to say: They are “empty calories”, meaning that these foods provide calories but no vital substances. Anyone who likes to eat bad carbohydrates runs the risk of developing a lack of vital substances in the long term.
No more control over sugar consumption
Bad carbohydrates are often not recognized at first glance. A lot of sugar is added to many finished products, which you would not think of from these foods, e.g. dips, desserts, fruit yogurts, juices, lemonades, snacks, ready-made sauces, etc. This is also referred to as “hidden sugar”.
Consumers who don’t read the ingredient list of their food can quickly lose track of their sugar intake due to the hidden sugars and end up consuming far more sugar than they actually want. In addition, the other ingredients of such products are usually not very healthy either.
Cause of the leading cause of death
No wonder hidden sugar is linked to all sorts of diseases, e.g. B. high blood pressure, high blood fat levels, high uric acid levels, fatty liver, diabetes, obesity, etc. All of these problems now increase the risk of other diseases, such. B. the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which are still the most common cause of death in our time.
So there are clearly bad carbohydrates that are by no means recommended. Now, it’s not very wise to demonize the entire group of carbohydrates just because there are some unhealthy foods in this group along with healthy ones.
After all, a Mars bar cannot be compared to an apple, a piece of cake cannot be compared to a jacket potato, and a table roll cannot be compared to a slice of wholemeal spelled bread. The good carbohydrates, therefore, fit very well into a healthy diet.
Good Carbohydrates: The Health Implications
Good carbohydrates or high-carbohydrate foods not only contain carbohydrates, but also numerous vital substances and roughage. They do not cause blood sugar spikes, and consequently no food cravings, and therefore do not pose a risk for chronic inflammatory diseases.
Hundreds of studies on high-fiber carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains) show that eating these foods improves metabolic health and reduces the risk of disease.
No matter what full-fledged topic you’re looking for studies on, whether it’s vegetables or single grains, whether pseudo-grains, nuts, beans, peas, or fruits, the results will be positive.
One of the most popular and healthiest cereals is oats, which provide numerous vital substances and trace elements so that even small daily consumption amounts are sufficient to meaningfully enhance the diet. The situation is similar with the pseudo-grain quinoa, millet, or buckwheat.
Peas, chickpeas, and other legumes provide trace elements, minerals, and antioxidants as well as naturally high-quality protein and fiber. Not to mention nuts, which protect the heart and pancreas and also have an anti-cancer effect.
Good Carbohydrates: Primeval Food
Carbohydrates have also been consumed for many thousands of years – whether in the form of roots, tubers, nuts, grass seeds, unripe legumes, or fruits. The obesity epidemic, on the other hand, only started in the late 20th century, and the type 2 diabetes epidemic followed shortly thereafter. So it doesn’t make sense to suddenly blame foods we’ve been eating for thousands of years for new health problems that basically developed because we’re sedentary and let the food industry prepare our food.
Also, keep in mind that there are a great many peoples who are in excellent health with a high carbohydrate diet or were – before the influence of the food industry – e.g. B. the inhabitants of Okinawa (Japan) or those from Kitava (Pacific). They all eat or ate extremely high in carbohydrates, but at the same time only real food, that is, as far as possible natural, unprocessed, and industrially hardly modified food rich in vital substances and fiber.
However, once natural eater switches to processed and refined carbohydrates, their fitness levels decline, and chronic disease sets in.
You can live without carbohydrates, but you don’t have to
You can also live without carbohydrates, as low-carb fans explain again and again. That’s true, but what’s the point of putting yourself through that when so many high-carb foods not only taste great but are also incredibly healthy?
There are many foods that are not essential to life but are extremely healthy if you choose to eat them. For example, you can live well without walnuts, dandelion, endive, parsley, freshly harvested apples, etc. But why should you do that? They are delicious foods that provide the organism with extremely helpful and healing substances. The same applies to many other foods that happen to belong to the category of carbohydrates.
Decide on a conscious diet
Surely you know one or the other acquaintance, colleague, or relative who eats a lot of bad carbohydrates and is still completely healthy. Of course, there are these people. Just like there are chain smokers and non-sports people who are still fit at 80.
For us, however, it is not about finding those exceptions that have become age-old with unhealthy diets and lifestyles. It’s much more about finding out how you can behave in order to increase the chances of a happy, healthy, and, above all, more conscious life – and this automatically includes a consciously selected healthy diet that contains good, but if possible no bad carbohydrates should.
Try it out to see what kind of diet suits you best! If you’re seeing vegetables and salads becoming your staples and seeing good carbs and naturally high-quality protein sources served as side dishes, then you’re already on the best possible path.
