In the 90s, low fat dieting resulted in high carbohydrate diets due to a plethora of snacks that touted their low or no fat ingredients. Unfortunately these fats were frequently replaced by sugar and starch and America's weight kept increasing.
This continued increase of our waistlines caused us to search for an alternative and the Low Carbohydrate, High Protein diet craze began in the early 2000s with the rediscovery of the Atkins diet. In his clinic, Dr. Atkins utilized an extremely low carbohydrate diet, which was followed rigorously, until a healthy weight was achieved. At that point, some carbs could be allowed back into the diet.
Other diet theories, such as those using a glycemic index, claim that some carbohydrates affect the body differently from others. Starchy and sugary foods trigger our insulin to rise quickly, while higher-fiber foods have a slower effect on our blood sugar, called glucose. The "high glycemic carbs" are to be avoided and the “low glycemic carbs” are to eaten more often.
What is a Carbohydrate?
OK. Carbs are good? Carbs are bad? Which is it? In fact what is a carbohydrate anyway? Dictionary.com defines a carbohydrate as:
"Any of a group of organic compounds that includes sugars, starches, cellulose, and gums and serves as a major energy source in the diet of animals. These compounds are produced by photosynthetic plants and contain only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, usually in the ratio 1:2:1."
Lets ignore the chemistry and look at the rest: sugars, starches, cellulose......major energy source....produced by...plants. OK, that makes it easier; we know carbohydrates come from plant foods.
Types of Carbohydrates
There are basically four types of carbohydrates in nutrition. There are sugars, starches, fibers and gums.Sugars usually make things taste sweet. We find sugar in fruits called fructose, and sugar in sugar beets and sugar canes called sucrose, plus there is lactose in milk. Another type of sugar is glucose, which is the simple form of sugar our bodies like to use for fuel.
Starches are long chains or branched chains of glucose and sometimes other sugars. The starches are used to store energy in plants. Some vegetables, like potatoes and corn have a lot of starch, while some vegetables like green beans and spinach don't have so much.
Fibers are also found in plants. Fibers are carbohydrates that our bodies can't digest, so they pass through our digestive systems. You might commonly hear about two types of fiber called soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers are found in fruits, flax seeds, and oats. Soluble fiber will help to reduce cholesterol, and will slow down the absorption of sugar into our blood.
Gums are carbohydrates that are often used as fillers and thickeners like carageenan and guar gum.
