Carbohydrates are comprised of starches, sugar and fiber. The number of carbohydrates that is healthy and that affects an individual’s fat accumulation is different for every person. A significant factor in whether carbs will make you gain weight is your resistance or sensitivity to insulin.
Eating carbohydrates raises your blood glucose and prompts your body to release insulin. This redirects this glucose to your cells. Insulin sensitivity refers to how sensitive the body’s cells are in response to this insulin. High insulin sensitivity allows the cells of the body to use blood glucose more effectively, reducing blood sugar.
Low insulin sensitivity is known as insulin resistance. For people who have low insulin sensitivity, a lower carbohydrate regimen is usually advisable. Very simply put, insulin sensitivity or carb tolerance is a healthy hormonal state that allows your body to digest and store carbohydrates without a problem. Insulin resistance is when insulin tries to store glucose in the cells, but the cells resist the insulin signal and won’t let the glucose in. Then the glucose just remains in the blood and the body begins to store it wherever it can, causing inflammation.
Insulin resistance can be triggered by several factors: eating too many refined carbohydrates for too long, genetic predisposition, excess body fat, chronic inflammation, and/or diets that are high in both fat and sugar or empty carbs such as in highly processed foods.
Not all carbs affect insulin equally. Healthier carbs trigger a slower glucose response, particularly those rich in fiber and protein. Usually, the ones higher in fiber and/or protein are also higher in vitamins and minerals. Processed foods tend to be empty, these refined carbs are stripped of their fiber, outer grain and protein, making glucose levels spike quickly. Examples include white bread, white rice, pasta, chips or cake.
Carbohydrates that contain more fiber, like whole-wheat bread, or protein, like beans, raise blood glucose more slowly, requiring less insulin, and keeping you satiated for longer. But even these more “complex” carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes, or fruit should be eaten moderately as they can still spike blood sugar because their overall carb content is still high. For weight loss, a basic rule of thumb is to limit your portions to official serving sizes, choose “whole” products like “whole” wheat or “brown” rice and combine your carbs with a serving of lean-to- moderate fat protein and one serving size of healthy fat to mediate your blood sugar response.
If you have diabetes in your family and find yourself gaining weight when following these perimeters, then you may also want to consider a lower carbohydrate eating regimen. Low carbohydrate diets run the gamut from 20 grams of total carbohydrates a day to 150 carbohydrates a day. Some diets also make a distinction between net and total carbohydrates. To calculate the net carbs in whole foods, subtract the fiber from the total number of carbs. To calculate the net carbs in processed foods, subtract the fiber and a portion of the sugar alcohols. It’s important to figure out your individual carb tolerance to see at what amount of carbohydrates per day you feel energetic and are able to maintain a healthy weight.
The best way to know how your carb tolerance is to track your carb intake in relation to how you feel and your weight. If you have more significant symptoms when you eat more carbs, please get your blood sugar checked by a medical professional. To see how you react to different foods, use a glucose monitor and check your blood sugar levels about an hour after eating. If that’s too much for you, you can also use the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates with a low GI value (55 or less) are more slowly metabolized and cause a slower rise in blood glucose and, therefore insulin levels.
No matter what diet you are on, keep sugar intake to a minimum and get most of your carbs from vegetables and other complex carbs. Fruits contain lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants but they also have more sugar than vegetables, so they are not to be consumed in the same quantities as vegetables. The general recommendation is to not surpass two pieces of fruit or two cups of cut fruit a day. Remember that natural and organic fruit tend to be smaller and reflect the way a piece of fruit should be. Stick to smaller sized fruits. This is whole fruit, not juice. Juice is a processed food because it has been stripped of its fiber and contains a lot of sugar. Smoothies are a bit better as they contain the entire fruit but avoid smoothies with more than two pieces of fruit in them.
General dietary guidelines recommend that carbs provide 45 to 65 percent of your daily calorie intake. So, if you eat a 2000-calorie diet, you should aim for about 225 to 325 grams of carbs per day. But if you need to lose weight or are insulin resistant, you will get much faster results eating around 50 to 150 grams of carbs. Make at least half of your carbs non-starchy vegetables for maximum health and weight benefits. Strive for 3 cups of vegetables a day. If this is not reasonable for you, try for a cup at lunch and a cup at dinner. Vegetables are packed with nutrients, high in fiber and lower in carbs.
Finally, don’t surpass serving sizes for starchy vegetables or whole grains. Portion sizes tend to be smaller than what we are being served in restaurants or when we eat out. You may be surprised to realize what single serving sizes are. To give you an idea of the single-serving sizes for some popular grains and starches, see the single-serving sizes below and remember that these are measuring cups not Starbucks sized cups 😊!
Serving sizes
Rice- ½ cup cooked
Pasta- 1 cup cooked
Bread- 1 slice (about 28 grams) or 1 ounce
Potato- 1 medium potato
Fruit- 1 small piece of fruit
I find that the meals that satisfy me the most are ones in which I have one serving of protein-rich food, 1 serving of vegetables and 1 serving of grains or starchy vegetables. I use one tablespoon total of Avocado, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, butter or non-hydrogenated fat to cook or season my entire meal. I’ll have a serving of fruit with my breakfast and/or a serving of fruit as a dessert when I want something sweet. This is a formula that seems to satisfy me and help me with my weight loss goals. Sometimes I will eat fewer carbs and sometimes I will eat more, I use my scale and my hunger cues to let me know how that’s working.
Do you have any carb eating tips? Let me know!