Carbs

Complex carbs and refined carbs have such divergently different impacts on our health, it’s a shame they share the same name.

While refined carbs are major contributors to our epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, complex carbs, like whole grains, reduce your risk for the very same conditions. Eating just two servings of whole grain products daily has been shown to lower the risk for nearly all lifestyle diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

How do we know which carbs are good for us and which we should avoid? It really boils down to fiber. The more intact the plant fiber, the better the food will be for your gut microbiome, your waistline, and your overall health.

Take oats. If you are considering health benefits, oat groats are your best bet. The whole groat takes longest to digest, which means a slower rise in blood sugar and a lower glycemic index. You will also feel more satisfied and stay fuller for longer. Second best are steel cut oats (in which the oat groat is simply sliced), then rolled oats, then quick cook oats, followed finally by instant oatmeal packets filled with sugar and artificial flavorings. So, the question isn’t really, “Are oats good for me?” The real question is, “Which form of oats are best for my health?”

The same path can be seen for rice. There is a long road from whole grain brown rice to Rice Krispies treats. Somewhere along the line, rice goes from being a true health champion to a glucose spiking calorie bomb.

How do you recognize a good carb? Does the food look like it did when it grew? If yes, proceed. If it is totally unrecognizable, covered with fat, deep fried, or sugared to within an inch of its life, you might want to reconsider.

There are grey areas, of course. Whole wheat bread doesn’t look like a wheat berry. It does, however, still have much of the fiber included, so you will still gain the health benefits and your good gut bugs will love it. The same is true for most whole grain products.

Then, there are other foods that are highly processed, but which you might still consider keeping in your diet because they facilitate consumption of other healthy foods. I choose to eat rice paper wrappers (usually made from a combination of rice and tapioca), even though they are a far cry from whole grain rice and cassava root. They are such an excellent veggie delivery vehicle that I personally feel they are worth including as a part of my microbiome friendly diet. The same is true of corn tortillas.

So, instead of trying to “give up carbs,” maybe ask yourself which carbs you’d like to keep? Perhaps you’ll make brown rice instead of white this week, or you’ll try whole wheat pasta, or maybe you’ll just bake your potato with the skin on instead of peeling it and mashing it?

More fiber, happier microbiome, healthier you, no sacrifice required.
🌱💕