No doubt you’ve heard about low-carb diets. They’re the new wave crashing dieter nation. But there’s something you need to know about carbs before starting: they’re not all created equal. Namely, sugars are worse than starch.
To get technical, sucrose (or table sugar) is made from fructose and glucose. Fifty percent each. Starch (e.g., rice, bread, potatoes) is only made from glucose and here’s the difference. Fructose doesn’t metabolize well, so most calories go straight to fat. With glucose most go to energy.
That’s why modern nutritionists say a calorie isn’t a calorie. It’s because of how they metabolize. And in terms of metabolization, fructose is like alcohol. That’s why people get beer bellies.
But fructose is the sugar found in fruit? That’s right, and fruit is okay because the goodness in fruit outweighs its fructose. Besides, how many plums can you eat. Scientists only disparage the sugar we put in things like baking, candy bars, fruit juices, and pop. These are the culprits. And you’d be amazed by how many processed foods have it.
What about high fructose corn syrup? Isn’t it even worse? Yes and no. It’s a commercial sweetener made from corn that’s cheaper than what comes from cane. And you know how sugar is 50/50? Well HFCS is 55% fructose, 42% glucose, and 3% something else. So in terms of fructose it’s ten percent higher, but both are bad for us chubby people.
And now that we’re talking carbs, there are two types of starches. Ones made from flour (e.g., pasta and bread) and those that exist naturally (e.g., rice, potatoes, and corn). Obviously natural are better since they contain good things like vitamins, minerals, and fibre.
So there are three types of carbs. The worst is sugar (because of fructose). Second are foods made from flour. And third are natural foods that just happen to be starchy.
Dieters need to know these differences before starting any new program. Beginning with too many items on the restricted list often leads to failure. Start your focus with sugars and then eliminate from there. In the meantime, pass the potatoes.