Even though carbohydrates aren’t technically essential for our body, our bodies were designed to digest, use and store carbohydrates and to be healthy we need some carbohydrates. This is particularly true for athletes.
Carbohydrates are found in almost all foods. How health promoting they are depends on whether they are naked or fully clothed. Naked carbohydrates are simple carbohydrates meaning they are not very big, don’t contain much protein, fat and fiber and are easy to digest. This results in tall, sharp peaks of glucose. Fully clothed carbohydrates are complex meaning they are longer and have other components found naturally in food such as protein, fat, and fiber. The complexity makes it slower to digest and absorb. This results in a flatter wider increase in blood glucose when it is consumed.
Naked carbohydrates are found in ultraprocessed foods like sugar and refined flours. They are also in extruded products like cornflakes and cheerios. Table sugar, honey, maple syrup are all naked. So is candy that is essentially all sugar like Skittles or Jelly Beans. Fruit juice is also naked.
High fructose corn syrup is probably the most notorious naked carbohydrate. There are lots of not very good reasons why there is an abundance of corn. Food scientists figured out how to extract the starch and convert some if it into fructose so it tastes more like table sugar. It results in higher glucose spikes but has additional negative health impacts due to the extra fructose such as increased fat disposition in the liver.
Bread and baked products made with “white” all purpose flour spike blood glucose just as much as sugar. Weirdly pasta, which is made from refined flour, doesn’t have a very high glycemic index. The way it is prepared coats the “starch” (carbohydrate) in protein making it slower to digest. I’m not necessarily recommending pasta. There are healthier alternatives such as spiralized vegetables or spaghetti squash. That works for some recipes but definitely not all. There are so many more pasta options including pasta made from beans, cauliflower, or Shiratake (konjac) noodles.
Fully clothed carbohydrates are in or very close to their natural state. This would be vegetables, beans (legumes) and whole grains. They contain fiber, protein, sometimes fat that all make it harder for the body to rapidly digest and absorb the glucose contained in the food. Non starchy vegetables don’t cause much of a glucose bump because of all the fiber. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and sweet potatoes do which is why they should be limited in a healthy diet.
Even though whole grain bread is a healthier choice than “white” bread in terms of nutrients and fiber, its glycemic index is almost identical. Probably because there isn’t that much fiber, fat and protein to slow down absorption. Sourdough bread, though, has a lower glycemic index. The fermentation process lowers the starch content. Whole grain sourdough bread has the advantage of sourdough with the added benefits of the nutrients and fiber in whole grains. If you are at all interested in baking, I highly recommend the book Bittman Bread for making whole grain sourdough bread. It is super easy and forgiving. It takes me about 15 minutes a week to take care of the starter and deal with making the bread.
We talked all about glucose but the glucose peaks are not the real problem. It is the elevated insulin that is required to handle the glucose load that results in increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers and even Alzheimer’s disease. There are ways we can blunt our glucose and therefore insulin spikes. One way is to eat fully clothed carbohydrates. You can also put some clothes on your carbohydrate. For example, peanut butter on your banana. Changing the order that we eat our food at a meal also helps. Eat vegetables first, then eat the protein and fat and end with the “starchy” foods of the meal. Finally, don’t start your day with dessert, ie processed cereal. Instead have a savory breakfast or leftovers for breakfast.