Carbohydrates have a reputation for being unhealthy. However, it is only the type of carbohydrate that is unhealthy. Carbohydrates are actually the body’s preferred fuel. Unrefined carbohydrates like legumes, whole grains, and vegetables are dense in nutrients and fiber, and they can give your body the fuel it needs.
Refined carbohydrates like white, refined flour, pasta, and bakery goods have no or little fiber and are (for the majority) nutrient-empty.
There is a difference in the way refined carbohydrates and unrefined carbohydrates are converted into glucose by the body. Refined carbohydrates are converted to glucose quickly, which causes blood sugar to spike. This makes the body work hard to get the blood sugar level under control. It puts pressure on the pancreas to make and release insulin, which works “like a key to open the door of the cells so glucose. . . can come inside and be converted into energy.”[i]
If too many refined carbohydrates are eaten on a continual basis, driving up blood sugar levels, this will stress the pancreas and eventually it will have trouble making insulin. This can result in diabetes.
The body stores excess glucose in the muscle to use later, but if the muscle is fully saturated, as a result of this, the body will also turn the excess glucose into fat. This can result in weight gain and obesity. Carrying too much fat can lead to glucose intolerance. The body will start ignoring the signal to take glucose from the blood.
To process nutrient-empty, refined food, the body must pull nutrients from itself. The spiking of blood sugar from refined and empty food results in cravings, because when the body is not getting the nutrients it needs, it will start begging for nutrients.
On the other hand, feeding the body with nutrient-dense food gives it what it needs, and there shouldn’t be any cravings.
Because unrefined carbohydrates are fiber-rich, they take longer to digest. This means they do not put additional pressure on the pancreas to produce insulin in an unhealthy way. Unrefined carbohydrates, such as whole grains, should be a major part of a well-balanced diet.
Packaging can be very deceiving and misleading. When looking at a package that says “whole wheat” or “whole-grain,” read the ingredient list and make sure it says “whole” before every grain listed. If the ingredient list contains just the name of the grain, then it is not whole-grain.
My research shows me that it is much better for our health to consume sprouted grains in place of simply eating the whole grains. So, I always look for organic, “sprouted” whole-grain breads, like Ezekiel or Alvarado Bakery breads when I am buying breads at the grocery store.
According to Secinaro, for Harvard Health, Sprouted grains have many health benefits. According to her, “This germinating process breaks down some of the starch, which makes the percentage of nutrients higher. It also breaks down phytate, a form of phytic acid that normally decreases absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body. So sprouted grains have more available nutrients than mature grains,” Secinaro says. Those nutrients include folate, iron, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, and protein. Sprouted grains also may have less starch and be easier to digest than regular grains. “It may help people who are sensitive to digesting grains.”
I believe that sprouting the whole grains or seeds, that this helps people digest the grains or breads more effectively and with less digestion issues, like gas or bloating.
If you are buying gluten-free products, make sure they are sprouted and whole-grain, and check the sugar content. I have found that even in the seemingly healthiest packages at the “healthy grocery stores,” the gluten-free foods are alarmingly high in sugar. It is extremely important to find ones that are low in added sugar.
It’s all about quality!
In closing, I recommend looking for breads with low sugar content, avoiding breads with canola oil, vegetable oils (like soy, corn, or cotton seed oils), and enjoying the organic, sprouted, whole-grain carbohydrate-types of foods in moderation, and they can benefit your health!
Bon Appetit!
Sources:
Cousens, Gabriel. (2008). There Is a Cure for Diabetes. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
104 Nazor, Nina. “All About Insulin.” People and Diabetes. Retrieved from http://peopleanddiabetes.com/
[i] Nazor, Nina. “All About Insulin.” People and Diabetes. Retrieved from http://peopleanddiabetes.com/
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