Health
Corner: Carbohydrates
.... Contributed by "Mohammad C. Jamali" <mjamali68@gmail.com>
Nowadays, we hear about carbohydrate all the time.
Foods that contain carbohydrate raise blood glucose.
Did you know three most common sources of carbohydrate? They are:
> Starch
> Sugar
> And Fiber
You'll
also hear terms like naturally occurring sugar, added sugar,
low-calorie sweeteners, sugar alcohols, reduced-calorie sweeteners,
processed grains, enriched grains, complex carbohydrate, sweets,
refined grains, and whole grains.
No wonder knowing what kind and how much carbohydrate to eat can be
confusing!
On
the nutrition label, the term "total carbohydrate" includes all three
types of carbohydrates. This is the number you should pay attention to
if you are carbohydrate counting.
Starch
Foods high in starch include:
> Starchy vegetables like peas, corn, lima beans, and
potatoes
> Dried beans, lentils, and peas such as pinto beans,
kidney beans, black eyed peas, and split peas
> Grains like oats, barley, and rice. These include pasta,
bread,
and crackers but the variety is expanding to include other grains as
well.
The grain group can be broken down even further into whole grain or
refined grain.
A grain, let's take wheat for example, contains three parts:
> bran
> germ
> endosperm
The
bran is the outer hard shell of the grain. It is the part of the grain
that provides the most fiber and most of the B vitamins and minerals.
The germ is the next layer and is packed with nutrients including
essential fatty acids and vitamin E.
The
endosperm is the soft part in the center of the grain. It contains the
starch. Whole grain means that the entire grain kernel is in the food.
If
you eat a whole grain food, it contains the bran, germ, and endosperm
so you get all of the nutrients that whole grains have to offer. If you
eat a refined grain food, it contains only the endosperm or the starchy
part so you miss out on a lot of vitamins and minerals. Because whole
grains contain the entire grain, they are much more nutritious than
refined grains.
Sugar
Sugar is another type of carbohydrate. You
may also hear sugar referred to as simple or fast-acting carbohydrate.
There are two main types of sugar:
> naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk or
fruit
> added sugars such as those added during processing
such as fruit canned in heavy syrup or sugar added to make a cookie
On the nutrition facts label, the number of sugar grams includes both
added and natural sugars.
There
are many different names for sugar. Examples of common names are table
sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, beet sugar, cane sugar,
confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, turbinado,
maple
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syrup,
high-fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, and sugar cane syrup.
You
may also see table sugar listed by its chemical name, sucrose. Fruit
sugar is also known as fructose and the sugar in milk is called
lactose. You can recognize other sugars on labels because their
chemical names also end in "-ose." For example glucose (also called
dextrose), fructose (also called levulose), lactose, and maltose.
If you are looking for information about artificial sweeteners, try
this section.
Fiber
Fiber comes from plant foods so there is no fiber in animal products
such as milk, eggs, meat, poultry, and fish.
Fiber
is the indigestible part of plant foods, including fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts, and legumes. When you consume dietary fiber, most
of it passes through the intestines and is not digested.
For good
health, adults need to try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day.
Most Americans do not consume nearly enough fiber in their diet, so
while it is wise to aim for this goal, any increase in fiber in your
diet can be beneficial. Most of us only get about ½ what is
recommended.
Fiber contributes to digestive health, helps to keep
you regular and helps to make you feel full and satisfied after eating.
Additional health benefits, of a diet high in fiber — such as a
reduction in cholesterol levels — have been suggested by some so may be
an additional benefit.
Good sources of dietary fiber
include:
> Beans and legumes. Think black beans, kidney beans, pintos,
chick peas (garbanzos), white beans, and lentils.
> Fruits and vegetables, especially those with edible skin (for
example, apples, corn and beans) and those with edible seeds (for
example, berries).
> Whole grains such as:
> Whole wheat pasta
> Whole grain cereals (Look for those with three grams of
dietary
fiber or more per serving, including those made from whole wheat, wheat
bran, and oats.)
> Whole grain breads (To be a good source of
fiber, one slice of bread should have at least three grams of fiber.
Another good indication: look for breads where the first ingredient is
a whole grain. For example, whole wheat or oats.) Many grain products
now have "double fiber" with extra fiber added.
> Nuts — try
different kinds. Peanuts, walnuts and almonds are a good source of
fiber and healthy fat, but watch portion sizes, because they also
contain a lot of calories in a small amount.
In general, an
excellent source of fiber contains five grams or more per serving,
while a good source of fiber contains 2.5 - 4.9 grams per serving.
It
is best to get your fiber from food rather than taking a supplement. In
addition to the fiber, these foods have a wealth of nutrition,
containing many important vitamins and minerals. In fact, they may
contain nutrients that haven't even been discovered yet!
It is also
important that you increase your fiber intake gradually, to prevent
stomach irritation, and that you increase your intake of water and
other liquids, to prevent constipation.
Because fiber is
not
digested like other carbohydrates, for carbohydrate counting purposes,
if a serving of a food contains more than or equal to 5 grams of
dietary fiber, you can subtract half the grams of dietary fiber from
the total carbohydrate serving of that food.
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