There are different types of carbs: sugar, starch and fiber. What makes them differ is the chemical structure and bonds they hold, which your body's digestive process handles differently.
We have the following: glucose, sucrose, and fructose.
Glucose is a simple sugar that is found in many carbohydrates. When eating glucose your body releases a hormone called insulin. Many people who gain weight easily are insulin resistant, meaning your body’s receptors to release insulin are not working. Glucose is left in the bloodstream and, once the liver is already capped out on glucose storage, the body stores the rest as fat!! This is why the choice of carbohydrate is important. We will come back to this later.
Let’s look at starch carbohydrates. If we make a chain of glucose they link together to form starch.
The starch here is? The tortilla wraps. Evil? Not at all. Keep reading to find out how to finesse your tacos.
Your body has to break down the links in order to take the starch and use it as glucose, a simple sugar. This is where breads, pastas, and other processed carbs mostly lay. A starch that your body breaks down to sugar.
Why does this matter? Because if we start to look at many ingredients within the carbohydrates we choose, we will see that they are mostly glucose and starches disguised as whole grains, hearty food, healthy, etc...
Starch breaks down in the blood as glucose. Our body's digestive system has the enzymes needed to break the starch chain into glucose. The result? Single glucose molecules your body uses for fuel. If it’s a large amount of glucose, the pancreas releases insulin.
What is insulin? It’s a hormonal response that allows the glucose that's running in your blood now, access to get into your cells. If not, glucose is just sitting in your blood which is dangerous and toxic. It’s basically what type 2 diabetic is all about. Insulin doesn't work, so glucose is building in the blood. No bueno.
Now let’s not paint glucose as the total villain. When it is in your cell, it is used for energy, or is stored for future use. It is all about the ratio of glucose you are consuming to the amount of activity or exercise you have in your life.
We will talk about how to win this battle after we cover fructose and sucrose :)
Fructose is another sugar, but is handled in the body differently as supposed to glucose. This is the sugar found in fruits, and is in high volume in the food industry's high fructose corn syrup creation. Fructose is only used in the liver. The liver converts fructose into glucose or fat! This is all based on the health of the individual and the amount of sugar being consumed on a daily basis.
Last but not least, we have sucrose. Sucrose is another simple sugar. The difference is that it is a double molecule with a glucose and a fructose stuck together. This is what table sugar is made of. When you consume sucrose, your body breaks it down to it’s individual molecules of glucose and fructose very fast.
What changes the quality of carb? Is it fiber?
Fiber is what bonds these different types of sugars together. Every fiber is not the same. Our gut doesn't have the necessary intestinal flora to break down every fiber. Fiber is very good for you if it is the right fiber.
What’s the right fiber captain?
Fermentable fiber! On a scale of super duper processed to fermented AF, use your spider senses to figure out where the carb you’re about to eat is located on the scale.
Fermentation allows the bacteria in your gut to break the bonds down in the fermentable fiber. These bacterias eat some of the sugars that are dispersed when breaking down the bonds, which then create a waste product of short chain fatty acids called butyrate and propionate, If you want to learn more about them, watch my saturated fat lesson.
After these fats are released, the cells that line your colon use them as fuel, which keep them healthy.
Now let’s get into one more thing.
Insulin VS Glucagon
We already discussed insulin above. Re read it if you have to.
Glucagon is the hormone that is released when there is no insulin response from the food you eat. It breaks down glycogen (stored glucose in liver) to release some of that glucose. If you keep eating like this, the liver will have to release all of that stored glucose to the point it will start creating glucose out of thin air from amino acids.
This process is known as gluconeogenesis, and is a fast track to burning a bunch of fat. How so? When your body isn't occupied with clearing glucose and storing it as fuel or fat, the body now has to feed your brain that made up carbs and tap into its fat storage account now!
If this is too much, I totally understand, Watch an old video I made when I ran my fitness studio below, or just skip straight to the carbs to eat and carbs to avoid. (Start at 1:50 to get straight to it)
How to pick carbs
Use the fermentation scale I just made up. Also, look at the ingredients if you are in doubt. Many products lie to you by telling you whole grains, fiber, etc.. None of that matters. You have to see for yourself if this is fermentable fiber, or processed starch that will spike your glucose levels and take you away from your goals.
Pay attention to the sugar in each serving. How many servings? Also, when you look at the ingredients, you can see the type of sugars that are involved. Don’t go too crazy. Use the simple method I explained above. Also, use what’s below.
Now the goal isn't to avoid insulin and carbs altogether! There is no evil in them! Just be aware of what your diet consists of. The problem, as stated above is when the insulin receptors no longer work. If you are sensitive to insulin, there are several tests you can take. Contact me for more info on glucose tolerance testing
Also, what you eat your carbs with changes how fast or slow glucose is released! Everything in moderation and combined with other healthy foods.
For more info on how to build a healthy plate of food based on your body type and goals, here is my Green Zone system