Nutrition Info 101: What are carbohydrates?

July 17, 5:08 PMNutrition ExaminerCarol Bardelli

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Dietary starches are caloric dense and fattening.

The government touts a diet high in carbohydrates, while many weight loss experts and low carb advocates swear by low carbohydrate diets. So, what exactly are carbohydrates? What happens when you eat carbohydrates?

The scientific definition of carbohydrates is that they are biomolecules. Biomolecules are simply molecules produced by living organisms such as plants.

The main function of carbohydrates, or plant based foods, is to transport energy to our cells in the form of starch (the scientific term for starch is glycogen.) When we eat carbohydrates, our bodies produce the hormone insulin. Insulin tells the carbohydrates we eat whether to go to our muscle cells to be used as fuel when we move, or whether to be stored as fat. If our muscles have enough carbs, or glycogen, already then the carbs we eat are stored in our fat cells. If we eat more carbohydrates than our muscles need, the excess is converted to body fat.

There are two types of foods rich in dietary carbohydrates, also called starches. Foods that your mother and grandmother commonly called "starches" and which they knew were "fattening" are foods high in carbohydrates, low in fiber, and energy dense. Energy dense means they deliver a lot of calories in a small amount of food, versus carbohydrate based foods that deliver very little calories per serving. An example is a cup of broccoli has about 50 calories and lots of fiber  versus a cup of plain white potatoes that has 170 calories and virtually no fiber.

The energy dense carbohydrates in foods like white rice, white pasta, white breads, sugary fruits, fruit juices, and sodas are examples of carbohydrate foods high in calories and low in fiber. Most commercially produced carbohydrate rich foods like breads, baked goods, cakes, cookies, donuts, snack foods like crackers and chips, even those "diet" 100 calorie snack packs, are all high in refined carbohydrates and have little to no fiber. This means if you don't burn them off through activity right away, they will be stored as body fat.

Refined calories have been processed to remove most of their fiber. Fiber is the part of plant based foods that make them filling and generally low in calories like vegetables and most fruits. Removing the fiber makes carbohydrate based foods less filling, and higher in calories than when they're in their natural state.

The second type of dietary carbohydrates you'll find in grocery stores are unrefined carbohydrates like those found in unprocessed, whole vegetables, beans, legumes, and lower sugar fruits. These carbohydrate foods are rich in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. They're more filling and generally lower in calories than refined carbohydrates. This means you can eat more of them without getting a lot of calories. These carbohydrate foods are less likely to be stored as body fat. But research shows carbohydrates, particularly starches, should not be the bulk of your diet as the US government advises.

Why eating too many carbs makes you fat. by Barry Groves Ph.D. Carbs and carbs alone, not fat, increase body weight. Diabetes Health article.

FATLOSS 101: How carbs, sugar and grains fatten you up!

For more info: The soft science of dietary fat: low fat diets don't help you live longer by Gary Taube. from "Science" Volume 291.

Health: The Myth of the Low-fat Diet ; For Years, We've Been Advised to Eat a Low-fat Diet in Order to Help Prevent Heart Attacks And Promote Weight Loss. But, Says Jerome Burne, the Latest Research Suggests That Such a Diet May Actually Do More Harm Than Good.