14.03.

2016

8ScientificallyBasedReasonsWhyYouShouldntBeAfraidOfHealthyCarbs

ByVivianGoldschmidt,MA

8ScientificallyBasedReasons
WhyYouShouldntBeAfraidOf
HealthyCarbs
Imsureyourefamiliarwithlowcarbdietsastheyve
receivedsomuchattentioninrecentyears.Theideais
toeliminateorgreatlyreducecarbohydratesfromthe
diet,regardlessoftheirsource.
Butaccordingtoresearch,indiscriminatelycuttingoutall
carbsoffersnosignificanthealthbenefits,andactually
deprivesyourbody,includingyourbones,ofvitalnutrients.Thatsbecausenotall
carbsarecreatedequal.
Sotodayyoullgettheevidencebasedanswersonwhichtypeofcarbohydrates
youshouldconsumeandwhichtoavoid,plushowtheyaffectyoubonesand
overallhealth.

WhatExactlyIsACarb?
Carbisshortforcarbohydrate,atermdenotinganymoleculethat,chemically
speaking,consistsofcarbon,hydrogen,andoxygen.Thedietarydefinitionof
carbohydrate,however,refersspecificallytosugars,suchasmonosaccharides
(fructoseandglucose),disaccharides(maltose,sucrose),starch(amylase,
amylopectin),andpolyols(sorbitol,mannitol).
Thesearejustafewexamplesofthecarbohydratesfoundinfoods.
Carbohydratesarefurtherclassifiedassimpleorcomplex,whichisdeterminedby
thechemicalstructureofthefoodandthespeedofdigestionandabsorption.A
simplecarbconsistsofoneortwosugars,alsocalledmonosaccharidesand
disaccharides.Becausetheyarequicklybrokendowninthebodyandcausean
insulinspike,theygiveyoushorttermenergyandsatiation.
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Complexcarbsorpolysaccharideshavethreeormoresugars,andalsoinclude
fiberandstarchintheirchemicalmakeup.Theycauseagradualinsulinspike,
helpingyoutofeelfullerforalongerperiodoftime.
Examplesofsimplecarbsincludetablesugar,whiteflourbakedgoodssuchas
cookiesandcake,sugarysoftdrinks,andfruitjuiceconcentrate.Complexcarbs
includefiberrichfoodslikelegumes,wholegrains,fruitsandvegetables.
Asyoucansee,thereisadistinctiontobemadebetweencarbs,andlikedietary
fat,notallcarbsarebad.

SomeCarbsAreGood,AndEssentialFor
BoneHealth
Thatsrightinthe80/20pHbalanceddietdescribedintheSaveOurBones
Program,youllfindplentyofhighcarbfoods,manyofwhichareFoundation
Foods.Buttheyarehighincomplexcarbs,notsimpleones.Andunlikesimple
carbs,complexcarbscontainnumerousnutrientsyouneedforbonehealth.
Andthatsthedistinctionthatgivesrisetotheseeightreasonswhyyoushouldnot
avoidallcarbs.

1.HighCarbLegumesAreLowCostAnd
NutrientDense
LegumesincludealkalizingFoundationFoodslikegreenbeans,limabeans,and
greenpeasandacidifyingFoundationFoodslikelentils,chickpeas,kidneybeans,
andblackbeans.Thesefoodsarerichinbonehealthynutrientslikecalcium,
magnesium,boron,manganese,VitaminBcomplex,andVitaminK.Legumesare
oneoftherarefoodsthatarerichinbothproteinandfiber,andareverynutrient
denseonacalorietonutrientbasis.
Andtheyareremarkablyaffordable.Relativelyeasytogrow,harvest,and
package,legumesareaverylowcostfoodthatisuncomplicatedtoprepare.
Thatswhyyoullfindlegumerichdietsamongthepopulationsofdeveloping
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8ScientificallyBasedReasonsWhyYouShouldntBeAfraidOfHealthyCarbs

countries.
Butifyouareonalowcarbdiet,thesenutritiousfoodsaretypicallyofflimits.

2.GlutenSensitivityIsNotAsPrevalentAs
YouThink
Thelowcarbcrazehasgottentiedupinthesubjectofgluten,arather
controversialtopic.Theconnectioncomesfromthefactthatglutenisfoundin
highestproportionsinhighcarbfoods(particularlygrains),sothoseonalowcarb
dietautomaticallycutoutmostgluten.Alowcarbdietisalowglutenoneby
default.
Fortheverysmallproportionofthepopulationwithceliacdiseaseand/orgenuine
glutenorwheatintolerance,aglutenfreedietisessential.Butforthevastmajority
ofthepopulation,glutenissimplynotaproblem,andtheadversereactions
attributedtoglutenmaybeduetootherfoodsensitivitiesandfactors.
AccordingtoextensiveresearchpublishedinCellularandMolecularImmunology:

Glutenisthesolecauseofsymptomsinonlyasmall
subgroupofNCGS[nonceliacglutensensitivity]patients
inthemajorityofthesepatients,multiplefood
hypersensitivityunderliestheclinicalpicture.1

Soadoptingalowcarbdietinordertoavoidglutendoesnthavemuchbenefitfor
thevastmajorityofpeople.

3.CarbsDoNotInnatelyCauseWeight
Gain
Carbohydrates,likefats,takealotofunfairblameforcausingobesity.Theclaimis
thatcarbsareuniquelyabletopromoteweightgain,irrespectiveofcaloricintake.
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Butthefactis,peoplegroupsallovertheworldhavethrived(andstillthrive)on
dietsrichinhealthfulcomplexcarbs.
FromMelanesianpeoplewhosubsistprimarilyoncoconuts,fruit,andstarchy
tubersandarecharacterizedbyextremeleanness2totheantiatherogenic,
beansandcorndietoftheTarahumaraIndiansofMexico,3thehealthfulcondition
ofindigenouspeoplegivesnoindicationthatwholefoodcarbscauseweightgain.

4.FiberIsACarb
Thebeneficialeffectsoffiberarewelldocumented.Frompromotingdigestive
healthtoregulatingbloodsugarandweight,fiberisconsideredanimportant
dietarysubstance.Andhighcarbfoodsarefulloffiber.(Conversely,lowcarb
foodslikedairyproductshavenofiber.)
Thefiberfoundincommonhighcarbfoods(likelegumes,oats,andsweet
potatoes)slowsdigestionandabsorptiontime,allowingyourbodytotakeup
nutrientsandpreventingbloodsugarspikes.Thischaracteristicoffiberalsohelps
youfeelfullerforalongertime,thusregulatingappetiteandweight.
Andindirectcontrasttothenotionthatcarbsarefattening,afiveyearstudyof
participantseatinghighfiberdietsshowedadecreaseinvisceralfat,orVAT(fat
concentratedaroundtheheartandotherinternalorgans).
Thestudynotesthat:

Foreach10gincreaseinsolublefiber,rateofVAT
accumulationdecreasedby3.7%,4

Fiberitselfiscomposedofcarbohydratesitsjustatypeofcarbthathumans
cannotdigest.Asthestudyaboveshows,solublefiberisofparticularbenefit.

5.CarbCuttingDoesNotEnhanceAthletic
PerformanceOrExerciseAbility
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Theresarumorgoingaroundthatcuttingoutcarbsimprovesexercise
performance.Butthedatashowotherwise.
Inarandomized,singleblindcrossoverstudy,researchersfollowedcyclistswho
wereparticipatingina100kilometerracethatincludedintermittentsprints.They
foundthecyclistscompletedtheoverallraceinsimilartimes,butthehighcarb
groupdidmuchbetteronthesprintportionsoftherace.5
Theresearchersconcludethat:

1kmsprintpoweroutputafterHFDCHO[highfat
dietcarbohydrate]waslower(P<0.05)comparedwith
HCDCHO[highcarbohydratediet].5

Otherresearchsupportsthissameconclusion,withscientistsconductingreviews
andfindingthat:

Carbohydratefeedingspriortoenduranceexerciseare
commonandhavegenerallybeenshowntoenhance
performance.6

Whileeatingalotofcarbsmaynotboostyourathleticperformance,cuttingback
oncarbsisnotlikelytohelp,either,andinfactcoulddecreaseyourperformancein
sprintlikeburstsofexercise.Thisisimportanttokeepinmind,giventhe
importanceofexerciseforbonehealth.

6.YourGutBacteriaNeedCarbsToThrive
Didyouknowthatthebeneficialbacteriainyourgutrequirecarbsinorderto
thrive?Youalsomaynothaverealizedthatyourbonesdependonahealthful
communityofgutmicrobes.Moreandmore,scientistsarerecognizingthe
crucialnatureofhealthygutbacteria,andcarbsprovidetheprebioticsubstance
thatprobiotics(thegoodbacteria)feedon.
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Researchonratshasshownthat:

Prebioticfibershavepromiseasasafeandcost
effectivemeansofmodulatingthegutmicrobiotato
promoteimprovedhost:bacterialinteractionsinobesity
andinsulinresistance.7

Again,carbsplayaroleinhealthfulweightcontrolbynourishingbeneficialgut
bacteria,andthisisextremelyimportantformaintainingandimprovingbonehealth.
Infact,scientistsarejustbeginningtodiscoveralltheamazingwaysthatgutflora
affectotherbodysystems,withtheevidencemountingthatthegutbiome
influenceseverybodysystem,includingthenervousandskeletalsystems.
Therefore,theingestionofcarbsisgoodforthewholebody,includingthebones,
byfeedingsuchaninfluentialmicrobiome.

7.YourBrainOnCarbs:NoWorries
Inflammationofthebrainandafeelingofbrainfogissaidtoaccompanycarb
consumption.Thismayholdsomerelevancewithregardtosimplecarbs,but
complexcarbssuchaswholegrainscontainantiinflammatorynutrientslikefiber
andmagnesium.AndifyouarefollowingtheSaveOurBonesProgram,youare
alreadyeatingplentyofthesenourishingfoods.
Asystematicreviewofalargeamountofdatashowedthatadherencetoa
Mediterraneandiet,whichisrichincomplexcarbs,wasassociatedwithbetter
cognitivefunction,lowerratesofcognitivedecline,andreducedriskofAlzheimer
disease8inthemajorityofstudiesreviewed.
Consideringthatthebrainrequiresglucosetofunction,itmakessensethatanti

inflammatory,nutrientrich,complexcarbswouldnourishthebrainand
nervoussystem.
Ampleresearchsupportstheantiinflammatoryeffectsofwholegrainsand
healthfulcarbs.A2013study,forexample,concludesthatdietsthatincludewhole
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grainsactuallyreducesystemicinflammation.9
Infact,itsanimalfoods,nothealthfulcarbs,thatincreaseinflammation.Greaterred
meatintakeisassociatedwithincreasedlevelsofbiomarkersforinflammationand
glucosemetabolism10accordingtoa2014study,andseveralotherstudies
supportthesameconclusion.
IfyourefollowingtheSaveOurBonesProgram,youranimalprotein
consumptionisalreadygreatlyreducedandyourintakeofnourishing,complex
carbsisincreased.Animalproteinisnotonlyinflammatoryitsalsoveryacidifying,
sowhileanimalproteinisnotofflimitsontheProgram,itisincludedamongthe
20%ofacidifyingfoodsandthereforedoesnotmakeupthemajorityofapH
balanceddiet.

8.LongLivedPopulationsAroundThe
WorldEatHighCarbDiets
Interestinglyenough,thelongestlivedpopulationsintheworldarethosewho
consumelargeamountsofcomplexcarbs,suchastheGreekislandIkariaand
Okinawa,Japan.TheinhabitantsofIkariaeatprimarilypotatoes,wholegrain
bread,andlegumes,andthepeopleofOkinawaconsumemostlygreen
vegetables,legumes,andsweetpotatoes(almost70%oftheirdietwassweet
potatoespriorto1950!).
Thereareotherareasoftheworld,too,wherepeoplecommonlyliveintotheir90s
andevenpasttheageof100,andtheyconsumelargeamountsofplantfoods
highincarbs.Clearly,carbsarenotaproblemfortheselonglivedpopulations!
Sothequestionis

AreYouEatingEnoughHealthfulCarbs?
Asmentionedearlier,ifyourefollowingtheSaveOurBonesProgram,the
answerisyouare.ThankstoitspHbalanceddiet,itincludesplentyofnutrientrich,
carbohydraterichfruits,legumes,andvegetables.

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AndtofacilitatetheimplementationoftheProgramsdietaryguidelines,I
createdBoneApptit,acompanioncookbooktotheProgram.
YoullfindallkindsofbonehealthycarbohydraterichdishesinBoneApptit,like
WinterfestLimaBeanAndTomatoSoup(page41),whichischockfullofalkalizing
limabeansandwholegrainquinoa.Oradeliciousmocktunasalad,alsorichin
complexcarbs(page38).
AndletsnotforgetbonehealthydessertssuchasPearsAplentyCrumble(page
124),CountryPeachCake(page126),andLipSmackinDateMacaroons(page
130),tonameafew.

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