Depending on certain chemical features of their structure, these macronutrients can be simple or complex in nature, generally the first mentioned category being considered to be "harmful" to the body if they are consumed in excess. Simple carbohydrates come from overprocessed sweet foods (cakes, candies, pastries) from which the plant fibers, vitamins and minerals needed by the body have been removed.
White bread and rice are also found in the category of simple carbohydrates along with refined sugar, which is why nutritionists recommend moderate consumption of these foods to prevent the accumulation of extra pounds.
Even if the ingestion of simple carbohydrates generates sudden increases in glycemic values, they should not be completely eliminated from the diet, being able to be consumed in moderation, preferably during the day, when the body absorbs them quickly. The body stores them in the form of fat during sleep when they are consumed in the evening.
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are among the main sources of dietary fiber that come from the consumption of wholemeal bread, beans, oats, fruits and vegetables such as apples, cucumbers or carrots. Consumed in their natural state or processed as little as possible, these foods ensure the necessary daily intake of fibers and carbohydrates that the body breaks down to absorb essential nutrients for metabolic processes.
Carbohydrates can be divided into 3 different categories depending on their origin as follows:
- Sugars or simple carbohydrates present especially in refined foods such as candies, sweets and carbonated sweet drinks, but also in certain fruits, vegetables and milk.
- Starch or complex carbohydrates found in bread, pasta and cereals, potatoes, peas and corn.
- Vegetable fibers are also complex carbohydrates that offer many benefits to the body and are found in fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.
Do carbohydrates make us fat or help us lose weight?
The complex carbohydrates that come from vegetables and fruits provide a feeling of satiety for longer and reduce the need to "nibble" snacks or sweets between meals. Vegetable fibers contribute to maintaining the initial peristalsis preventing constipation, decrease the serum cholesterol level and moderately increase blood sugar compared to simple sugars which are broken down much faster by digestive enzymes and cause a sudden increase in glucose at the circulatory level.
Adopting a balanced diet with a high content of plant-based carbohydrates, high-quality animal proteins and unsaturated fats ensures the body's daily nutrient requirements and contributes at the same time to maintaining an adequate body weight.
The difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates represent quickly digestible molecular structures due to the weak bonds between the sugar molecules that make up them.
Monosaccharides and disaccharides are broken down quickly after consumption by digestive enzymes and cause sudden fluctuations in glycemic levels (after the consumption of simple carbohydrates, blood sugar rises suddenly and falls just as quickly under the action of insulin synthesized by the pancreas) generating the feeling of hunger in a short time postprandial time (after the meal).
Complex carbohydrates are made up of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides that are more difficult to break down by the body's digestive enzymes due to the increased number of chemical bonds in their component.
The glycemic index increases more slowly after the consumption of complex carbohydrates and attracts a moderate and constant insulin response (the pancreas secretes less insulin after the ingestion of complex carbohydrates). Due to these characteristics, the consumption of complex carbohydrates contributes to maintaining constant energy levels and prevents the occurrence of metabolic imbalances such as diabetes caused by the exhaustion of the pancreas.
Lesser known sources of carbohydrates
After the ingestion of fruits, vegetables, cereals, rice, nuts and seeds, the digestive enzymes slowly break down the sugars contained in them, without having any effect on the dietary fibers that remain undigested and pass through the digestive tract, being eliminated as such (the human body cannot digest cellulose from dietary fibers and eliminates them as such).
Certain types of dietary fiber are soluble (they dissolve in liquid) and form a gelatinous substance in the digestive tract preventing the rapid absorption of sugars in the blood and implicitly the risk of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular pathologies.
Insoluble fibers are eliminated as such and ensure the regulation of intestinal transit, preventing the occurrence of constipation and its associated complications (hemorrhoids, anal fissures).
How do carbohydrates help us maintain our health?
The main sources of complex carbohydrates with a beneficial effect on the body are represented by:
- Pseudocereals: millet, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth
- Legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils, dried peas
- Whole grains: wheat, barley, oats, rye
- Bread, pasta, pastes from wholemeal flour
- Brown or basmati rice
- Root vegetables: potato, sweet potato, beetroot, carrot, celery
- Fruits: blueberries, apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes.
How do carbohydrates help us maintain our health?
Apart from the energy role, carbohydrates have the ability to bind specific proteins from the cells, thus constituting specific complexes called lectins. Lectins contribute to the proper performance of certain cellular biological functions, of which they are a part:
- Intercellular recognition and adhesion (function of molecular receptors)
- Maintaining cellular individuality
- Orientation of proteins at the level of cell membranes
- Ensuring the cation deposits involved in ensuring the transport of nutrients and catabolism products between the intracellular and extracellular spaces.
This communication between various types of body cells and the exchange of substances that takes place between the cell and the extracellular space ensures the smooth development of an extensive number of fundamental biological processes, among which are found:
- Fertilization of the egg
- Cell growth and differentiation during embryogenesis
- Recognition of pathogens by cells of the immune system.
Inflammation, bacterial and viral infections or the formation of tumor metastases are some of the pathological processes whose development is possible through the involvement of dietary carbohydrates.
The daily requirement of carbohydrates
The World Health Organization recommends a daily consumption of fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which should be between 20 and 35 g (0.7oz - 1.2oz) /day, the optimal amount for women being 25 g (0.9oz)/day, and for men 38 g (1.3oz) /day.
The total amount of carbohydrates consumed per day must ensure between 45 and 65% of the caloric requirement and not exceed 275 g (9.7oz) /day under the conditions of a 2000 calorie/day diet.
