Not all carbs are created equal
> Studies show that it’s not so much about the amount of carbohydrates you eat, but the type
a chocolate bar does. During every meal, the body releases the hormone insulin, which enables the body’s cells to absorb sugar from the blood.
Insulin affects appetite. If it is released steadily for an extended period, you feel fuller for longer. So after eating a sweet, which causes a rapid rise in blood sugar levels followed by rapid clearing of the sugar from the blood, you are hungry again sooner than after eating some whole-grain bread – even if the amount of calories is the same.
“This is why the term ‘empty carbs’ is sometimes used in connection with shortchain sugars,” says Gunda Backes, an independent nutritionist.
Whole-grain products, vegetables and fruits also contain dietary fibre. “This not only facilitates intestinal function, but also lowers the risk of bowel cancer, high blood pressure and obesity,” says Dr Hans Hauner, director of the Else Kroener-Fresenius Centre for Nutritional Medicine at the Technical University of Munich.
For this reason, too, the carbohydrates in vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products are “good carbs”. They are an important part of a balanced diet, according to Hauner, who says no single food group should be avoided entirely.
“Nutritional medicine has stopped prescribing how much of what foods you should eat,” he adds.
There are, however, a few basic guidelines. You should eat as many fruit and vegetables as you want. When it comes to grain products such as bread and pasta, whole grain is preferable. Eat sweets sparingly, and try to avoid sugary drinks.
Backes has another tip: “If you mostly prepare fresh meals, you’ll avoid the superfluous sugar in convenience foods.”
So go ahead and eat carbs – but favour the good ones! – dpa