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Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates = Energy!

Carbohydrates consist of molecules or units which are called saccharides. The three main categories are:

• simple carbohydrates a.k.a. "sugar"
• complex carbohydrates a.k.a. "starches"
• non starch polysaccharides (NSP) a.k.a. "fibre"

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates or sugars provide us with fast acting energy. They are quickly absorbed into the blood stream and must be used quickly otherwise the extra calories will be stored as fat. Natural sugars from fruit are the best form of simple carbohydrate.

Sources of Simple Carbohydrate

Fruit: the healthy option	Biscuits, cakes, confectionary & soft drinks: less healthy
contains fructose and glucose in different amounts	contains excessive sugar (higher than 15g per 100g)
contains vitamins and minerals	contains excessive fat
contains antioxidants and phytochemicals	high energy density
contains high levels of dietary fibre	encourage an increase in body fat
contains trace of amino acids	contains no vitamins or minerals
cheap and conveniant	adverse effect on insulin levels

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are also known as starch and consist of several molecules of glucose joined together to form long complex branched chains. It is these complex chains which cause the breaking down process to take longer and therefore they release energy over a longer period of time.

Sources of Complex Carbohydrate

Sources of Refined Carbohydrate	Sources of Unrefined Carbohydrate
white bread	wholemeal or whole grain products
white pasta	whole grain rice
cakes	frozen vegetables
biscuits	fresh vegetables
pastries	sweet potatoes
rice cakes	yams
carbohydrate content in processed foods	pulses
white rice	quinoa
Properties	Properties
source of energy	source of energy
deficient in dietary fibre	good source of dietary fibre
largely stripped of their vitamin and mineral content	good source of vitamins and minerals
produces faster insulin response	slower, sustained insulin response

Fibre - Non-startch Polysaccharides

Although fibre doesn't provide us with any energy it is vital for a healthy body. Fibre is made up of indigestible plant material and this material is used as roughage. Fibre can be found in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. There are two kinds of fibre:

Insoluble

Generally the outer layer of plants. Found in unrefined wheat, bran, rye, rice, most grains and fruit and vegetable skins.

Soluble

Found in the inner part of plants. It is found in beans, barley, broccoli, prunes, apples, citrus fruits and oats.

Benefits of eating a high fibre diet

Research shows that if you eat a high fibre diet then you lessen your chances of developing colon cancer. A high fibre diet will:

• Reduce colon damage
• reduce risk of coronary heart disease
• regulate blood glucose levels
• provide weight management

The Glycaemic Index

The glycaemic index (GI) can be thought of as a ranking system for foods. It ranks foods from 0 to 100 based on their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. The higher a food's glycaemic index rating, the faster the rise in blood glucose. Diabetics should not consume too many foods with a high glycaemic index because this will cause their blood sugar levels to sky rocket and then ultimately crash back down again to dangerous levels.

Factors influencing the rate of entry of carbohydrate into the blood

• The total amount of carbohydrate eaten
• how much fat is present in a meal - fat is the greatest inhibitor of gastric emptying
• how much protein is in the meal - protein is also a gastric inhibitor
• how much soluble fibre is eaten - soluble fibre slows the absorption of glucose into the blood
• how the food is cooked - heat breaks down saccharides (sugar molecules) into simpler molecules
• ripeness of fruit e.g. as a banana ripens, enzymes become active and begin to break down the polysaccharides into smaller saccharide units
• food preparation - bread has a higher GI than pasta although they are both derived from wheat.

Glycaemic Index or Load?

Glycaemic load is the amount of carbohydrate per portion multiplied by that food's GI and dividing by 100. This method can give you an indication of the quality (GI) and quantity of carbohydrate foods:

GL = (GI x CHO per portion) / 100 or
Glycaemic load = (glycaemic index x carbohydrate per portion) / 100

You can obtain a high glycaemic load by eating small quantities of hight GI food (e.g. white rice) or larger quantities of low GI food (e.g. pasta). A high glycaemic load will result in a large surge in blood glucose and insulin

The best advice would be to aim for a small to moderate glycaemic load by eating little and often and avoiding overloading on unnecessary carbohydrates (excess carbohydrates means more calories and calories not being used for energy are stored as fat).

Try to combine high glycaemic foods with protein and/or little amounts of healthy fat. This will lead to less potential fat storage.

Which foods contain high/low glycaemic indexes?

Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load Ranges

Glycaemic Index Range		Glycaemic Load Range
High	Above 85	High	20 and above
Moderate	60 - 85	Moderate	11 - 19
Low	Below 60	Low	10 and above

The following table lists different foods and their glycaemic index and glycaemic load ratings.

Glycaemic Index and Load

FOOD	Index	Load
Sugars
Glucose	100	10
Sucrose (sugar)	68	7
Fructose	19	2
Honey	55	10
Fruit
Mango	51	8
Papaya	59	10
Watermelon	72	4
Pineapple	59	7
Strawberry	40	1
Banana	52	12
Kiwi Fruit	53	6
Grapes	46	8
Orange	42	5
Apple	38	6
Plum	39	5
Pear	33	4
Unsweetened Apple Juice	40	11
Unsweetened Orange Juice	52	12
Unsweetened Pineapple Juice	46	15
Dried Apricots	32	10
Grains & Grain Products
French Baquette	95	15
White Bread	73	11
Wholemeal Bread	73	10
Wholegrain Rye Bread	50	6
Chappatti	63	32
Fruit Loaf	54	8
Ryvita	69	11
Bagel	72	25
White Spaghetti	38	16
Instant Noodles	47	19
Wholemeal Spaghetti	37	16
Rice Noodles	61	23
Rice Crackers	91	23
Puffed Rice Cakes	82	17
Brown Rice	55	18
Basmati Rice	58	22
Long Grain White Rice	56	24
White Rice with Miso Soup	61	29
Plain Sponge Cake	46	17
Banana Cake	47	18
Doughnut	76	17
Cereals
Puffed Rice	67	13
Cornflakes	92	24
Alpen Muesli	55	10
Kellogg's Special K	84	20
Shredded Wheat	67	13
Porridge Oats	58	12
Weetabix	74	16
Dairy Products
Ice Cream	61	8
Yoghurt	36	3
Low fat Fruit Yoghurt	33	10
Whole Milk	27	3
Skimmed Milk	32	4
Soya Milk	44	8
Beverages
Coca Cola	63	16
Orange Fanta	68	23
Lucozade Original	95	40
Confectionary & Snacks
Corn Chips (Nachos)	63	17
Potato Crisps (chips)	54	11
Milk Chocolate	43	12
Mars Bar	65	26
Snickers Bar	55	19
Popcorn	72	8
Peanuts	14	1
Pulses
Baked Beans	48	7
Butter Beans	31	6
Chick Peas	28	8
Blackeye Beans	48	7
Haricot Beans	38	12
Kidney Beans	28	7
Lentils	29	5
Soya Beans	18	1
Vegetables
Parsnips (cooked)	97	12
Potato (baked)	85	26
French Fries	75	22
Potato (new)	57	12
Yam	37	13
Beetroot (cooked)	64	5
Sweet Corn	54	9
Sweet Potato	61	17
Peas	48	3
Carrot	47	3
Ready Meal & Snacks
Margarita Pizza	80	22
Spaghetti Bolognaise	52	25
Sushi	52	19
Macaroni	47	23
Crunchy Nut Cornflakes bar	72	19
Kellogg's Just Right bar	72	17

Summary

Try to avoid too many simple and refined carbohydrates, try to eat foods with low glycaemic indexes or combine foods with high glycaemic indexes with protein and healthy fat.

Food Recommendations

Avoid	Advise
white sugar, syrups	wholegrain products
white flour, rice	brown rice
white bread, pastries, cakes, biscuits	fresh, whole fruit and vegetables
carbohydrate content in pre-packed meals	home baking - know exactly what ingredients your eating
sweets and confectionary	drink mainly water
soft drinks, cordial, cheap fruit juices	lower glycaemic loads
processed fruit or vegetables
high glycaemic loads

Remember to read the food packaging labels to see exactly what you are putting into your body. Make sure to get plenty of fibre into your diet too

Learn more about food labelling and additives.