4 Steps to Improve Carbohydrate Intake

Carbohydrates are vital to good health.  The terms good and bad carbohydrates get thrown around. We are presuming carbohydrates are guilty of a crime.   Why else would we label them as good or bad?  Truth is carbohydrates provide energy, nutrients, and aid in GI health which contributes to good health.   Carbohydrates are easily accessible and come from a variety of sources:  bean, grains, fruits, legumes and vegetables.

When we consume carbohydrates, our goal should be to replace and resupply glycogen and fiber.  Glycogen is the storage form of glucose.  Another name for glucose is blood sugar.  Glucose is the preferred energy source for all the body’s activities.  The brain and central nervous system require glucose.  Although the body has a survival mechanism that allows it to use ketones (derived from fat) and/or amino acids (derived from proteins) to meet its needs when glucose is very low.  Fiber is indigestible and helps in the regulation of bile acids, increase satiety, lowered blood fat and cholesterol, reduced risk of cancer, proper intestinal motility and overall gut health.

So, what is a carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates are a combination of single molecules known as monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose), disaccharides (pairs of monosaccharides) or polysaccharides (long chains of monosaccharides and disaccharides).   In simpler terms monosaccharides and disaccharides are known as simple carbohydrates or simple sugars.  Polysaccharides are known as complex carbohydrates: glycogen, starches and fiber.

Plants are the only sources of carbohydrates. Recall beans, grains, fruits, legumes and vegetables are sources of carbohydrates.   When it comes to carbohydrate consumption most people meet their needs by consuming grains or fried foods.  Think pasta, breads, pastries and French fries.   If we want to improve our overall health, increase energy levels, improve bowel movements, lose body fat and have a sense of vitality then you need to make a shift in carbohydrate consumption.   Move away from pasta, breads, pastries, French fries and include more wholesome choices.   Choose to eat fruits and vegetables. The overall recommendation for men and women is to eat 2-2 ½ cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables each day.

I have found although most us may have a fruit or vegetable we despise, for me its onions. I think they should be banned. Overall most like fruits and vegetables they just haven’t regularly incorporated them into their diet.  Good news, you can start today.   So, here’s the plan:

1. Take out a sheet of paper and make two columns.   Label column 1 ‘fruits’ and column 2 ‘veggies’ in each column write down your favorites.
2. Next, think about which fruits or vegetables you can add to each meal.
3. Make sure you have the fruits or vegetables you intend to include available and readily accessible (don’t over stock)
4. Eat!

You may be thinking what a cup of fruits or vegetables looks like.  Well it is typically a piece of fruit for example an apple or 1 cup of grapes or chopped fruit.  Same for vegetables 1 large green pepper or 1 cupped of cut/chopped asparagus. 

Here is an example of 2 ½ cups of fruits and 3 cups of vegetables:

Top row left to right 1 cup asparagus, 1 cup sliced zucchini, 1 large green bell pepper. Bottom row left to right ½ grapes, 1 green apple, 1 orange.

Click below for customized fruit and vegetables recommendations

3 Things You Should Know About Proteins

Confused about dietary protein?   What’s better food or supplements?

Proteins are an essential nutrient for optimal growth, repairing or replacing tissue, immune functions and fluid regulation.  Once consumed in the diet proteins are broken down into the building blocks of life, amino acids.  There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are considered essential (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine): this means that we must consume through dietary sources.  Consumption of proteins also helps with feeling full.  Here is what you need to know about protein.

Protein Absorption

Once we consume a dietary protein source, through digestion the body will extract the essential amino acids.  This process works best with the consumption of dietary sources such as beef, chicken, poultry, fish and plants.  Consumption of individual amino acids does not help optimize absorption and can create imbalances.  For example, lysine (essential amino acid) and arginine (non-essential amino acid) are absorbed by the same transported, so an excess of lysine can impair absorption of arginine.  The following amino acids are most likely to cause toxicity when consumed in large quantities:  histidine, methionine and cysteine (non-essential).   Choose whole food sources to meet your protein needs.

High Quality vs Lower Quality proteins

Can also be referred to as complete or incomplete proteins.  This is not a reference to one kind being worse.  It is simply referencing whether a dietary source contains all 9 essential amino acids.  If the dietary source contains all 9 essential amino acids in enough amounts, then it is a high quality or complete protein.  Animal sources are high quality.  Plant sources except for soy bean and quinoa seed are considered lower quality or incomplete proteins.   This means that they don’t contain enough amounts of all 9 essential amino acids.  So, for example grains, nuts and seeds lack lysine.  Vegetable and legumes lack methionine.  We can combine the sources, referred to as complementary proteins, and create a high-quality protein source by providing all 9 essential amino acids.   Consuming black beans and rice would create a high-quality protein source.   In the past it was thought that the beans and rice needed to be consumed in the same meal to be effective, however this is no longer the case.  They just need to be consumed within a reasonable period, 24-48 hours.  Why you ask?  Through the digestive process both high- and low-quality proteins are broken down to the individual amino acids, absorbed through the small intestine, stored in the liver and reassembled as needed by the body.  So ultimately, we just need to make sure there are enough essential amino acids in the amino acid pool.

Protein needs

Most individuals consume more than enough protein.  The general recommendation is between 0.8-1.0 gram per kilogram of body weight per day (0.8-1.0 g/kg/d).  Example a 100 kg (220 pounds) person would need 80-100 grams of protein per day.   If you are highly active, training hard, or recovering from a traumatic injury the need could be 1.4-2.0 g/kg/d. 

For most protein consumption comes in the form of fast or convenience foods such as hamburgers, tacos, chicken tenders and nuggets.   These sources are also paired up with saturated fats, highly process breads or breading, fried foods and sodas.   These extra calories combined with low nutrient value contributes to an expanding waist line and poor health.  Ideally you would like to consume dietary protein through a combination of whole some sources such as lean cuts of meat, chicken, fish and by consuming a variety of plant sources.   The benefit of adding plant sources of proteins is that you add a high nutrient item with low calories.

It is important to note that excess consumption of protein can place a strain on the kidneys.  In addition, once the amino acid pool is full the body cannot store additional amino acids.  The amino acids the body cannot use will ultimately be stored as fat. Any excess consumption of proteins, carbohydrates and fats will be stored as fat.