Complex or simple? Whole or empty? What carbohydrates are the most beneficial for losing weight?

Every carbohydrate we consume, except of fiber, is eventually decomposed in the body to sugar.

That's how bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, pastries and other high carbs food, eventually become to be sugar in our body, even if they are not sweet when we eat them.

One of the parameters that affect our long lasting satiation feeling is how much sugar reach our blood after a meal.

Eating a meal that will be followed by high levels of blood sugar will cause us to experience repeated cravings for food for all long the day.

On the other hand, eating a meal that will be followed by normal blood sugar levels, will keep us satisfied for very long time.

Therefore we will always opt for foods that keep our blood sugar levels low.

But how will we recognize those foods?

The most suspicious nutrient to cause spikes in blood sugar is carbohydrate. Therefore one strategy is to simply reduce carbohydrates consumption in general.

Another strategy is to prefer carbohydrates that have less effect on blood sugar.

This strategy lays on the fact that not all carbohydrates are the same. While most of carbohydrates indeed cause spikes in blood sugar, there are some that have a more moderate effect.

We can recognize those carbohydrates by using two parameters:

1. Whole carbs vs Empty crabs

2. Complex carbs vs simple carbs

In this post we'll speak about the first parameter (Whole vs Empty) and how to use it in order to make the best food choices for our goal to lose weight.

So let's begin…..

Whole vs Empty

The wholeness or emptiness of carbs are determined by how much processed they are.

As much as the carbohydrate is processed as empty it is.

Empty carbs

Empty carbs are basically empty from fiber and many times are very low in vitamins, minerals and other nutritional values. The only component that is left in significant amounts in empty carbs is ….. CARBS.

Missing most of their fiber (that when exist they swell in the digestive system and provide satiation feeling), empty carbs don't make us feel full. At least not for long.

Poor in vitamins and minerals, empty carbs can't also satisfy the body's nutritional requirement.

Therefore consumption of empty carbs is not recommended.

Examples for empty carbs are:

· Refined grains

· Pasta from refined and whole grains

· Breads from refined and whole grains

· Flours from all kind: legumes, grains, and whole grains

· Rice cakes

· Cereals

· Juices (even the natural ones)

· Candies

· Pastries

· And more.

Please note that indeed flours from whole grains and from legumes are a little bit more whole from flour made of refined grains, but still, due to the milling process there is a significant loss of fiber, vitamins and minerals.

To illustrate this, take for example wheat flour.

When wheat is milled into wheat flour, there is an approximate 70% loss of vitamins and minerals: 70% loss of fiber, 25% loss of protein, 90% loss of manganese, 85% loss of zinc and linoleic acid, and 80% loss of magnesium, potassium, copper, and vitamin B6 (1). Another example is about turning grains groats into rolled grains. That's how, just by taking this quiet lightly process, the glycemic index of barley triples itself from 22 when appears in its natural pearl form to 66(!) when is processed to rolled barley (2), probably due to loss of fiber during processing.

Whole carbs

Whole carbs are carbs that retained most of their fibers and most of their nutritional values.

Therefore consumption of whole carbs causes a good satiation feeling, and also supply the body's nutritional requirement.

Examples for whole carbs are:

· Whole grains (not their flour!)

· Whole legumes

· Fruits

· Roots vegetables (beet, carrots, kohlrabi and more).

To summarize this, it would be best to describe the difference between whole and empty carbohydrate by the validity of the satiation feeling they supply.

What does it mean?

Whole carbohydrates induces a real satiation feeling.

Meaning, they're not only take place in our stomach making us feeling full, but they also fill the nutritional requirements of the body's cells. And when our cells are satisfied – we are satisfied. The body doesn't signal the brain to eat more.

In oppose, empty carbohydrates induce a false satiation feeling.

Meaning, they're actually only take place in our stomach making us feeling full for a moment, but they definitely don't supply the nutritional requirements of the body's cells. So after a while, when the fullness in our stomach gets a little down, the body recognizes it didn't get its nutrients and soon it signals the brain to eat again.

Therefore, regarding whole or empty carbohydrates, always opt for the whole ones. They are the preferable to incorporate into your menu in order to reach weight loss.

Good luck!