Carbohydrates: the basis of energy? The doctor advises which deep-rooted beliefs not to believe

There is no good or bad food

According to the interlocutor of the program, carbohydrates are an organic compound made up of hydrocarbon and oxygen atoms. They are divided into monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Simply put, we can call them simple or complex carbohydrates. Incidentally, fibrous materials are also classified as carbohydrates.

“I never want to divide food into good and bad, healthy and unhealthy. Food or nutrients alone cannot be good or bad if consumed as much as necessary, “said the nutritionist.

Classically, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for man, despite the fact that we obtain energy with proteins and fats. Carbohydrates are also included in the composition of cell walls, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, chitin. Like all nutrients, carbohydrates perform their own functions and therefore guarantee harmonious physiological processes in the body.

“Excessive consumption of monosaccharides and disaccharides, the so-called sugars, is associated with chronic diseases: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol in the blood and partly related to oncological diseases. As a result, the objective of limiting or abandoning the carbohydrates, – said E. Cikanavičiūtė.

– However, we really don’t have to give up all carbohydrates. We have certain carbohydrates, which are sugars, limited. Another commonly used statement is refined or unrefined carbohydrates. I think the English translation does the bear service here. “

According to the interlocutor, the word refined is more appropriate to describe ready-made products, such as flour, grain. Refined products mean clean, refined of some properties that we don’t like: taste, smell, color.

For example, refined sugar is purified from molasses, which gives it flavor and aroma, as well as a small amount of minerals and antioxidants, so that sugar is stripped of these properties.

Better an apple than a glass of juice.

Another division of carbohydrates is fast and slow.

“Perhaps we can sometimes call them that, referring to a physiological process. Fast or slow: describes how quickly carbohydrates break down into glucose and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Rapids break down and absorb rapidly, while compounds They slow down and decompose slowly. It is this slowness that helps maintain a more constant blood glucose level. This is associated with a lower risk of chronic disease, “said E. Cikanavičiūtė.

When asked by the presenter, Dr. Valery Morozov, how carbohydrate intake would be different after eating an apple and drinking a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice, E. Cikanavičiūtė replied that there would be no difference in terms of minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. .

“But in terms of absorption, we will digest and absorb the juice faster. Blood glucose levels rise and fall faster. Also, slowness and speed are associated with a feeling of satiety. What we absorb quickly, quickly, and” we evaporate, “then we feel hungry again. And what is digested more slowly produces a longer feeling of satiety,” said the dietitian.

– Therefore, we always recommend giving preference not to juices, despite being freshly squeezed, but to all fruit or vegetables. Also, when we chew, we realize that we are eating, and when we drink juice, we think it is a drink, even though it is also a food. Drinking juice puts you at risk of consuming more nutrients in fruits or vegetables, especially sugars, than we need per day. However, this does not mean that freshly squeezed juice is prohibited. It can be part of a healthy diet, only eaten in moderation with fruit and vegetable preferences. “

Honey or sugar?

According to the dietitian, honey is often heard and quite common as a very healthy product, which is why it is often said during colds or when a coronavirus outbreak occurs that this product will help protect against disease.

It turns out that the amount of simple carbohydrates in both sugar and honey is very similar. It is true, in honey a little less of them, because this product also contains a little water.

“Another claim is that honey is better than sugar because it has minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. It has but small amounts. However, those amounts are so minimal that we certainly will not value honey as a source of iron, magnesium, or other substances. We have to treat honey as sugar and it is subject to the same recommendations or restrictions ”, advised the dietitian.

In recent years, advocates of a ketogenic diet have argued that it is possible to live without or with a minimal amount of carbohydrates in the diet.

“But food and diet should not be understood as just three nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It must be remembered that there are other nutrients there: vitamins, minerals, and fiber and antioxidants, all of which create a balanced diet.” If a person supposedly abandon carbohydrates or consume them minimally, so you do not consume the other nutrients mentioned, which are necessary for our good health, “said the interlocutor.

We eat too little vegetables and too much sugar.

Do you need to run to exercise as soon as possible after eating a cake to burn off unnecessary calories? As E. Cikanavičiūtė said, dietitians do not encourage such thinking.

“We avoid creating a situation of punishment if a person has eaten a dessert, ice cream or cake, he definitely needs to physically do something here and now to exhaust the” illegal “energy. It is much more important that physical activity is sufficient and systematic and then everything It will fit, “said the interlocutor.

According to the 2013-2014 survey data on the actual diet and eating habits of Lithuania’s adult and elderly population, Lithuanians consume very few carbohydrates, only a third of people eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and only half of the people eat cereals every day. Consumption is only 44.4 percent. carbohydrates with a minimum recommended intake of at least 45%. However, consumption is almost 13 percent. sugars, although their content should not exceed 10%.

Furthermore, there is very little fiber in the Lithuanian diet. This means that we eat very few vegetables, fruits, and cereals, including whole grains.

E. Cikanavičiūtė recalled that efforts should be made to limit not only unrefined white or unrefined brown sugar, but also various syrups and honey and fruit juices.

When Dr. Morozov asked what the recommended amount of carbohydrates might be for him, the dietitian gave an example.

“It could be a serving of boiled buckwheat, about a pound of various vegetables, some fruit, and a slice of bread a day. That will be equivalent to 250-300 g of carbohydrates, “said the interlocutor.