Carbohydrates: amount, quality and timing

Carbohydrates are not the enemy, but their amount, quality and timing matter a great deal. When your menu is full of sugar, white flour and ready meals, your blood sugar easily starts to swing and hunger comes back sooner than you would like.

The simple truth: your body needs carbohydrates for energy, especially in the morning and after training. The trouble starts when more fast sugar arrives than the liver and muscles can hold in reserve.

Why do carbohydrates cause so much debate?

When fat began to be cut from foods, sugar was added to many products to improve the taste. You find it in yogurts, juices, baked goods and ready meals. Later, sugar started to be replaced with artificial sweeteners. This created the impression that a sweet taste comes almost for free.

So what actually happens? Carbohydrates are made up of sugar units. They are divided into mono-, di- and polysaccharides, but by the end of digestion it is glucose that reaches the bloodstream anyway. From there, the body has to keep its blood sugar level under control.

Blood sugar must not be too high or too low. When it is low, glucagon, an important hormone, helps raise it. Insulin plays the central role in bringing blood sugar down. When too much energy comes in, the excess is stored for later.

With sugars, the question is not only about calories. It is also about how much carbohydrate the body is able to store in the liver and cells. According to the example in the original article, that is about 400 g of sugar. If you take in, say, 100 g of carbohydrates in excess, that 100 g can turn into fat even if the overall energy picture looks fine on paper.

Carbohydrates, blood sugar and insulin

Carbohydrates turn into sugar in the blood. The faster they are absorbed and the larger the amount, the more sharply blood sugar rises. This speed is described by the glycemic index, or GI.

Glucose, with a value of 100, is used as the reference. Regular sugar scores 65 and white baguette 95. The maltose in beer has a value of 110. These numbers don’t mean you should follow a table for the rest of your life, but they help explain why some foods give a quick burst of energy followed by an empty stomach.

Glycemic load, or GL, matters too. A carrot’s glycemic index can be high, but it contains little sugar in terms of quantity, so the effect on blood sugar stays small. Rye bread has a lower GI, but a single slice can contain over 20 grams of carbohydrate. That can push its GL higher than that of a carrot.

When blood sugar rises, the pancreas starts to release insulin. First, the sugar is moved into the liver and cells. When there is no room left there, the surplus sugar becomes a fat store. Insulin also signals fat cells to hold on to energy. When insulin levels are constantly high, it is harder to release fat.

Over a long period, a high insulin load can lead to insulin resistance. This means that muscle cells no longer take up energy as well, and the pancreas has to release more insulin to do the same job. That is exactly why the harmful carbohydrates shouldn’t be allowed to quietly take over your everyday menu.

How do you choose good carbohydrates?

You don’t have to throw carbohydrates off your menu. It is better to choose sources that provide energy together with dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. Good choices are vegetables, berries, fruit and whole-grain products.

Less beneficial are white flour, sugar and heavily processed ready meals. They can give a quick rise, but it is often followed by a quick drop. The result is a situation where you have only just eaten, yet already feel like snacking on something new.

Practical timing is simple: eat most of your carbohydrates when your body uses them best. This is usually in the morning or after training. When you eat carbohydrates together with protein and fat, the rise in blood sugar is gentler.

Be careful with sweeteners. The Food and Health Authority has declared them safe, but a sweet taste can interfere with appetite in some people. Aspartame is the most widely used sweetener, and hundreds of studies have been done on it, both for and against. In your everyday menu, sweeteners shouldn’t be an automatic solution.

Carbohydrates in a practical daily menu

Take, for example, an 85-kilo man who goes to the gym three times a week and does two aerobic workouts a week. His carbohydrate need could be about 300 g per day. This is not a norm that suits everyone, because the need depends on body fat percentage, the intensity of training and the physical nature of your work.

Carbohydrate intake could be divided as follows:

• in the morning 70 g, for example 2 dl of oat flakes, a banana and a slice of rye bread
• at lunch 40 g, for example 1 dl of whole-grain pasta, a slice of rye bread and 200 g of root vegetables
• as a snack 40 g, for example 2 pieces of rye bread
• with a recovery drink 60 g
• post-workout meal 70 g, for example 1 dl of brown rice and 200 g of root vegetables
• with dinner as little as possible, about 10-20 g, for example berries or wheat flakes

Fats and protein come on top of this amount. A suitable protein intake is 1.6-2.2g/kg. If your weight drops too fast, your training suffers or your recovery is poor, you may not be getting enough carbohydrates. If your weight and waist circumference are creeping up, it’s worth reducing the amount or changing the timing.

FAQ: carbohydrates and everyday choices

Do carbohydrates make you fat?

Not in themselves. Obesity develops when you take in more energy than your body burns over a long period. Carbohydrates can make that easier if you eat a lot of them and they come mainly from sugar or white flour.

Should you eat carbohydrates after a workout?

Yes, it works well for many people. After a workout the body is more receptive, and carbohydrates help restore energy stores. Add some protein alongside.

Are sweeteners a better choice than sugar?

Sometimes they can help cut calories, but they shouldn’t become a daily habit. If a sweet taste keeps your appetite up, a sweetener doesn’t solve the underlying problem.

Translated from Body magazine

Author: Rosin

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