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Carbohdyrates like starches are polymeric sugars. They are easily broken down by enzymes. They don't taste very sweet unless they are very short. Between white
by static_noise 12y ago
Carbohdyrates like starches are polymeric sugars. They are easily broken down by enzymes. They don't taste very sweet unless they are very short. Between white flour and glucose powder there is little difference except for the taste. Demonizing sugar is of little use when the other carbohydrates are ignored.
If you have cravings you should limit your intake of total carbohydrates per hour (starting with sugars and simple carbohydrates). Complex carbohydrates should also be kept low. Protein and fat are not too bad. The body can use both sugar and fat for fuel. Everybody has a different body and different needs depending on genes and activities. Don't demonize food. Sugar as such is not evil.
Try a fruit - but not more than a handfull at a time.
Drink a glass of soda - but not more than once a week and preferably before doing exercise.
Eat a bag of chips - on friday with a group of friends.
- vlasev 12y ago> Between white flour and glucose powder there is little difference except for the taste. That's not the only difference. Simpler carbs are processed faster than more complex ones. This plays a big role in the body's chemistry after eating.
- static_noise 12y agoWhat I wanted to express is that white flour which is usally used in industrial food is a simple carbohydrate and its digestion is so fast that it doesn't really make a difference compared to pure glucose. Complex carbs are less bad - but still, eating too much of them is not good.
- Sammi 12y agoFibers (very long/complex carbonhydrates) actually retard the intestines ability to process simpler carbonhydrates. That's why it's ok to eat a lot of fruit, cause they have the right mix of simple and complex ones.
- static_noise 12y agoYes, I forgot fiber. In Europe they are not counted as carbohydrates because they are indigestible. In the US you can subtract fiber content from total carbohydrates. Yes, fiber helps slowing digestion down and thereby reduces the height of spikes in the blood sugar level. But No, it's not OK for everybody to eat a very high amount of fruit because it may still be too much easily digestable sugar. Fruit as such is no saint - partially because our current crops are optimized for sweet taste.
- mrfusion 12y agoI've always heard that but I've never been able to find an explanation of how fiber actually does that and to what degree? could I take fiber supplements before eating dessert to minimize the impact, lower the calories absorbed?
- agumonkey 12y agoRecently tried to avoid processed food, and it was almost a revelation. Raw food with no additives (oil, vinegar, any kind of sauce): - is quite rich in taste, that taste is good AND bad - meaning it's pleasurable but your brain is gonna be sick of very fast. - you can't over eat This resonnates with R. Lustig talks [2] IIRC saying that processed food tricks your brain into "hunger" by coating things into fatty sugary content. ---- [1] I don't know how well founded his ideas are [2] you won't eat 5 carrots or 1 kg of salad WARNING: May be completely subjective bias, or just biological clock changing my senses.
- oliv__ 12y agoGive me a break. The paternalism on HN sometimes...