Carbohydrates: Understanding Which Ones To Avoid
Carbs: Which To Avoid
Pantry Makeover
Fiber: The Secret To Better Glucose
+ PART 4: Why The Source of Your Food Matters
In this lecture, we will go over the different types of carbohydrates, why they are important, where you can find them, and how they specifically relate to type 2 diabetes. Before going into each type though we just want to mention a few of the basics. First, carbohydrates contain 4 calories per every 1 gram. That means for every one gram of carbs you eat (and most food sources will have multiple grams per serving) that will provide you with 4 calories, or energy. When thinking about what percentage of your diet should be made up of carbohydrates, the most important thing you want to distinguish is which kind of carb you are consuming (which we will get to later), but a general rule of thumb when following a whole food plant based diet, is that you want to consume roughly ***60-70%*** (correction) of your calories from carbohydrates.
All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in the body, but carbohydrates, though they do play a role, are not the only thing that will affect your blood glucose levels. Blood glucose is influenced by many variables, and is best understood when considering the amount and type of carbohydrate you eat, the amount and type of fat you eat, and most importantly, the overall nutrient density of your diet. There are many different types of carbohydrates including simple, refined, and complex carbohydrates. Fiber is also a type of carbohydrate that is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and seeds. The human body cannot break it down, but it is incredibly important and has tons of beneficial effects. In the next lecture, we will go into more detail about why fiber is so important, where you can find it in your food, and how much you should be consuming, but for now we will stick to the three types of carbohydrate that the body can break down.
Simple Carbohydrates
Simple carbs are not bad per se but you do have to look at the SOURCE of where they come from them. If a simple carbohydrate is coming from fruit or vegetables then it should ABSOLUTELY be included in your diet. An apple for example contains about 25g of carbohydrates, which are mostly in the form of glucose, fructose, and sucrose, which are all types of simple sugars. These simple sugars, however, are prepackaged with fiber, water, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. When glucose and other simple sugars come packaged in with fiber, they are absorbed into your bloodstream slower than if the fiber was not there, which is why fruit and other high carbohydrate vegetables are a tremendous way to get energy into your system while avoiding a dramatic spike in blood glucose levels.
When simple sugars are not packaged in with fiber, water, and all the great vitamins and minerals that come with fruits and vegetables, that's when you should avoid them. Any sugar that is coming in the form of pure simple sugar such as table sugar or syrup then it has been stripped of all nutrients. When looking at a nutrition label, always try to avoid any food that is high in added sugars. These are the simple sugars that will be quickly absorbed into your bloodstream and can contribute to insulin resistance. Sticking to a whole food, plant based diet will make it very easy for you to avoid consuming any added sugars and ensure that all the simple sugars you are consuming are ones that come from a beneficial source.
The contrast between the consumption of whole fruit and fruit juices is a great way to understand the difference between good sources of simple sugars and bad ones. When comparing the nutritional facts of a whole apple vs. the juice form, you can see that an apple comes with much more fiber and Vitamin C, and contains less sugar (and no added sugar) compared to its juice form.
Complex Carbohydrates
Now shifting to our second form of carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are larger in their molecular structure than simple sugars and are more commonly referred to as starches. Complex carbohydrates are ones that have been kept intact and have not been processed or altered whatsoever, which means that the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that they contain are all still intact.
These types of carbohydrates include whole-grains, starchy vegetables, non-starchy vegetables, and legumes. They are a great addition to your diet as they provide you with energy from the carbohydrates stored in the endosperm and fiber, vitamins, and minerals from the germ and bran. Adding complex carbohydrates to your diet is not as difficult as you think it might be and doing so is incredibly important. For lunch and dinner replacing any refined carb with a complex one is an easy swap: use a whole grain tortilla instead of a flour one for all your wraps, burritos, tacos; make bowls that contain quinoa or brown rice as opposed to white rice; and eat whole grain or legume pasta over white pasta. Consuming complex carbohydrates is also possible for breakfast. Consider making oatmeal or preparing overnight oats instead of choosing cold cereals that are high in refined carbohydrates and added sugar.
Complex carbohydrates will not only make it easier for you to increase your fiber intake and consume more vitamins and minerals, but it will also have a huge impact on your diabetes health. Consuming carbohydrates that are packed with fiber will not contribute to insulin resistance or uncontrolled blood glucose because they are absorbed into the bloodstream slowly and therefore will not raise your blood glucose levels. In addition, in a study conducted by Weickert and his colleagues in 2006, researchers found that when overweight and obese women increased their consumption of insoluble fiber, which is the main source of fiber found in whole grains, to the recommended daily value over only 3 days, they significantly improved their whole-body insulin sensitivity. Therefore, in the context of a low saturated fat, plant-based, whole-food diet, the more complex carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin sensitive you become.
Refined Carbohydrates
And now for the last type of carbohydrate that we will discuss in this lecture. Refined carbohydrates should ALWAYS be avoided. This category includes simple or complex carbohydrates that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Hence, they do not provide any nutritional value, they will spike blood glucose, and they won’t provide fiber to slow down blood glucose absorption.
Most of the carbohydrates that you find in any packaged snack food such as chips, crackers, or cookies are made up of refined carbohydrates. In addition, all grain-based foods that are white in color such as bread, pasta, and breakfast cereals are also made from refined carbohydrates. In fact, refined carbohydrates make up any grain product that does not specifically say “whole” on the package. Labels can be tricky to read and food items are often marketed to get people to think they are actually healthier than they are. Therefore, always look for labels that say “whole wheat” or “whole grain” as opposed to just “wheat” or even “multigrain” because that can just mean that multiple types of refined grains have been used to create the food and not necessarily that any of them are in their whole form.
Being able to identify the difference between whole carbohydrates and refined carbohydrates can be tricky. Above is an image of them broken down. Overall though, reading nutrition labels and avoiding things like “added sugar” or “white” grains can be a great way to make sure all the carbohydrates you are consuming are in a beneficial form. The easiest way to be sure of this though, is to stick to a low saturated fat, whole-food, plant-based diet. Do that and you will almost never go wrong!
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Fiber: The Secret To Improved Glucose Control & Gut Health
What is Fiber?
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our bodies cannot digest or absorb on our own. It goes through our intestinal tract until it reaches our large intestine. There, it gets eaten up by the bacteria in our gut, so fiber serves as food for our gut bacteria. Feeding our gut bacteria fiber helps them stay healthy. Healthy gut bacteria is very important for many things including weight management and insulin regulation.
There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and creates a gel, which slows down the digestion and rate in which nutrients are absorbed into our bloodstream. This delay leaves you feeling full for longer and also helps to keep blood glucose levels from spiking. Think as fiber as a buffer. It buffers and slows the absorption of all nutrients from entering our bloodstream. For example, when you eat a whole orange, you also eat the fiber. The fiber of an orange is the structure that keeps an orange together. The fructose (or fruit sugar) found in an orange comes packaged with fiber so it is digested and absorbed at a slower rate. Remember, fiber is there acting as a buffer, slowing down fructose's absorption. On the other hand, if you drink orange juice, you are only drinking the fructose (no fiber), and it enters your bloodstream quickly causing a spike, especially if you are insulin resistant.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and adds bulk to stool, stimulating intestinal activity. Insoluble fiber helps us have a healthy bowel movement and it prevents constipation. Fiber also binds to cholesterol as it moves through our intestinal tract and helps us eliminate it when we go to the bathroom. Therefore, fiber helps us maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Soluble fiber is in foods such as oatmeal, nuts, seeds, legumes, and some fruits and vegetables. While insoluble fiber is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains. As you can see, all of the sources of fiber in this list, both soluble and insoluble, are from plants. Animal products do not contain any fiber at all. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds are the only way for us to get fiber, and by eating a variety of these foods, you will easily get both forms of fiber into your diet.
Where Does Fiber Come From?
As far as grains go, fiber intake is one of the reasons why people always say eat "whole grains" instead of refined grains. Some examples of whole grains include barley, brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat breads - even popcorn is a whole grain. With refined grains, such as white bread and white rice, the part of the plant that has the fiber is removed. As you can see below, the refined grain has been stripped of the bran and germ, leaving just the starchy center that lacks all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that the fully intact whole grain still has. In addition to just fiber content, whole grains will also be higher in protein and contain more vitamins and minerals compared to their more refined and processed counterparts.
Next up, vegetables are another great source of fiber. Increasing your daily consumption of any vegetable will add fiber to your diet. Also mixing up which vegetables you eat will also ensure that you’re getting a variety of vitamins and minerals. Fruits are another terrific source. Like with vegetables, eating a variety is always encouraged. Fiber lives in the skins of fruits such as apples and pears so when eating those, try to eat them whole if you are trying to increase your fiber intake. Another fiber containing plant source is legumes. Some high fiber options include pinto beans, black beans, split peas, red lentils, lima beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and soybeans. Finally, nuts and seeds are our last main source of fiber. They can contain between 2 and 4 grams of fiber within just one serving. Chia seeds and pistachios both have about 4g per serving and can be a great addition to breakfast or eaten as a fiber-packed snack.
How Much Fiber Do We Need?
It is recommended for men to consume at least 38g of fiber a day and for women to consume at least 25g of fiber a day. The average American, however, only gets 15g of fiber in their diet all day. So, the majority of Americans are not reaching their fiber needs, which is a major problem because fiber is so important to help you keep a healthy weight, manage your glucose levels, manage your cholesterol levels, and reduce your risk of many chronic diseases. One of the reasons people don’t eat enough fiber is because they don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Switching to a plant-based diet and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet ensures you will reach your fiber intake and reap all the benefits fiber has to offer.
In summary, fiber is an incredibly important type of carbohydrate. There are two kinds - soluble and insoluble - and eating a range of plant-based foods will ensure you reach your fiber needs and you get both types of fiber. Consuming high fiber foods can make you feel full longer, lower your glucose and cholesterol levels, and reduce your risk for many chronic illnesses. Remember, fiber only comes from plants, not animals, so that’s why it’s so important to get plant-based foods into your diet. When we eat low carb or keto diets, we restrict our fiber intake yet it is one of the most important nutrients we should be eating in our diet to ward off diseases.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our bodies cannot digest or absorb on our own. It goes through our intestinal tract until it reaches our large intestine. There, it gets eaten up by the bacteria in our gut, so fiber serves as food for our gut bacteria. Feeding our gut bacteria fiber helps them stay healthy. Healthy gut bacteria is very important for many things including weight management and insulin regulation.
There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and creates a gel, which slows down the digestion and rate in which nutrients are absorbed into our bloodstream. This delay leaves you feeling full for longer and also helps to keep blood glucose levels from spiking. Think as fiber as a buffer. It buffers and slows the absorption of all nutrients from entering our bloodstream. For example, when you eat a whole orange, you also eat the fiber. The fiber of an orange is the structure that keeps an orange together. The fructose (or fruit sugar) found in an orange comes packaged with fiber so it is digested and absorbed at a slower rate. Remember, fiber is there acting as a buffer, slowing down fructose's absorption. On the other hand, if you drink orange juice, you are only drinking the fructose (no fiber), and it enters your bloodstream quickly causing a spike, especially if you are insulin resistant.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and adds bulk to stool, stimulating intestinal activity. Insoluble fiber helps us have a healthy bowel movement and it prevents constipation. Fiber also binds to cholesterol as it moves through our intestinal tract and helps us eliminate it when we go to the bathroom. Therefore, fiber helps us maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Soluble fiber is in foods such as oatmeal, nuts, seeds, legumes, and some fruits and vegetables. While insoluble fiber is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains. As you can see, all of the sources of fiber in this list, both soluble and insoluble, are from plants. Animal products do not contain any fiber at all. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds are the only way for us to get fiber, and by eating a variety of these foods, you will easily get both forms of fiber into your diet.
Where Does Fiber Come From?
As far as grains go, fiber intake is one of the reasons why people always say eat "whole grains" instead of refined grains. Some examples of whole grains include barley, brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat breads - even popcorn is a whole grain. With refined grains, such as white bread and white rice, the part of the plant that has the fiber is removed. As you can see below, the refined grain has been stripped of the bran and germ, leaving just the starchy center that lacks all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that the fully intact whole grain still has. In addition to just fiber content, whole grains will also be higher in protein and contain more vitamins and minerals compared to their more refined and processed counterparts.
Next up, vegetables are another great source of fiber. Increasing your daily consumption of any vegetable will add fiber to your diet. Also mixing up which vegetables you eat will also ensure that you’re getting a variety of vitamins and minerals. Fruits are another terrific source. Like with vegetables, eating a variety is always encouraged. Fiber lives in the skins of fruits such as apples and pears so when eating those, try to eat them whole if you are trying to increase your fiber intake. Another fiber containing plant source is legumes. Some high fiber options include pinto beans, black beans, split peas, red lentils, lima beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and soybeans. Finally, nuts and seeds are our last main source of fiber. They can contain between 2 and 4 grams of fiber within just one serving. Chia seeds and pistachios both have about 4g per serving and can be a great addition to breakfast or eaten as a fiber-packed snack.
How Much Fiber Do We Need?
It is recommended for men to consume at least 38g of fiber a day and for women to consume at least 25g of fiber a day. The average American, however, only gets 15g of fiber in their diet all day. So, the majority of Americans are not reaching their fiber needs, which is a major problem because fiber is so important to help you keep a healthy weight, manage your glucose levels, manage your cholesterol levels, and reduce your risk of many chronic diseases. One of the reasons people don’t eat enough fiber is because they don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Switching to a plant-based diet and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet ensures you will reach your fiber intake and reap all the benefits fiber has to offer.
In summary, fiber is an incredibly important type of carbohydrate. There are two kinds - soluble and insoluble - and eating a range of plant-based foods will ensure you reach your fiber needs and you get both types of fiber. Consuming high fiber foods can make you feel full longer, lower your glucose and cholesterol levels, and reduce your risk for many chronic illnesses. Remember, fiber only comes from plants, not animals, so that’s why it’s so important to get plant-based foods into your diet. When we eat low carb or keto diets, we restrict our fiber intake yet it is one of the most important nutrients we should be eating in our diet to ward off diseases.
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Carbs: Which To Avoid
Pantry Makeover
Fiber: The Secret To Better Glucose
+ PART 4: Why The Source of Your Food Matters
Old With The Old, In With The New: Pantry Makeover
This is a very important lecture because it will radically change the food products that are readily available to you at all times in your own home. We truly believe in the saying “out of mind, out of sight” which perfectly applies to your food choices every time you open your pantry, fridge, or freezer. Imagine having a kitchen fully stocked with foods that are not only diabetes-friendly but also nourishing and beneficial to your overall health. In this lecture, we want to teach you how to make this a reality and it starts with a complete pantry raid. However, we don’t want to leave you with an empty kitchen so we have also included a list of “pantry swaps” so you can replace certain food products with better, healthier versions. We can tell you from experience that it is hard to make beneficial changes to your diet if your pantry and fridge are loaded with unhealthy options.
Once you identify these products, we ask that you please put them in a box or bag and donate them to a food bank or neighbor. More often than not, the types of foods we have in our pantry, fridge, and freezer are doing more harm to our bodies than good. Unfortunately, what we stock our kitchens with may just be the answer to our diabetic health struggles. Fortunately, making small changes over time can make a huge difference in our health and blood glucose. It’s time to identify the top culprits that most Americans have in their pantry. The following are the top 4 unhealthy foods found in your kitchen right now: Saturated Fats, Added Sugars, Processed Grains, and Salt/Sodium. Getting rid of these foods will help you stick to this new lifestyle and make better choices when you do open the fridge. Below are pantry swaps you can make for these foods.
Saturated Fats
Chicken/Meat------- Beans/Tempeh/Tofu /Jackfruit/Mushrooms
Hamburger ------- Veggie Burger/Portobella Mushroom
Palm oil ------- Veggie Broth
Eggs ------- Tofu
Butter ------- Avocado/Nut butter or use mashed banana/applesauce for baking
Parmesan Cheese ------- Nutritional yeast
Cream ------- Non-dairy plain yogurt
Sugary Foods
Soda ------ Sparkling Water/Kombucha
Muffins/ Cookies -------- Homemade, oil-free muffins or cookies/dates
White Sugar ------- Dates
Ice Cream -------- Banana nice cream
Processed Grains
White Flour ------ Whole Grain Flour/buckwheat/spelt/almond/coconut/ chickpea flours
Crackers ------ Mary's Gone Crackers
Cereals ------ Oatmeal
White Rice ------ Whole Grains (Quinoa/Brown Rice/Amaranth/Millet/ Bulgur Wheat)
Pasta ------ Chickpea or Lentil pasta, Shiitake noodles
Salty Foods
Canned Beans ------ Low or no sodium beans
Broths ------ Low sodium broth
Canned Tomatoes ------ Low sodium canned tomatoes
Soy Sauce ------- Coconut aminos
Salt ------ Herbs/ Lemons/ Nutritional Yeast/ Vinegars
According to Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: “A starter kit might include dried thyme and tarragon, paprika, a variety of ground chilies (cayenne, red chili flakes, mild ground chilies), ground cinnamon, cumin, and fennel seeds." (Bittman, Avsar, DeSart, & Witschonke, 2017)
Once you identify these products, we ask that you please put them in a box or bag and donate them to a food bank or neighbor. More often than not, the types of foods we have in our pantry, fridge, and freezer are doing more harm to our bodies than good. Unfortunately, what we stock our kitchens with may just be the answer to our diabetic health struggles. Fortunately, making small changes over time can make a huge difference in our health and blood glucose. It’s time to identify the top culprits that most Americans have in their pantry. The following are the top 4 unhealthy foods found in your kitchen right now: Saturated Fats, Added Sugars, Processed Grains, and Salt/Sodium. Getting rid of these foods will help you stick to this new lifestyle and make better choices when you do open the fridge. Below are pantry swaps you can make for these foods.
Saturated Fats
Chicken/Meat------- Beans/Tempeh/Tofu /Jackfruit/Mushrooms
Hamburger ------- Veggie Burger/Portobella Mushroom
Palm oil ------- Veggie Broth
Eggs ------- Tofu
Butter ------- Avocado/Nut butter or use mashed banana/applesauce for baking
Parmesan Cheese ------- Nutritional yeast
Cream ------- Non-dairy plain yogurt
Sugary Foods
Soda ------ Sparkling Water/Kombucha
Muffins/ Cookies -------- Homemade, oil-free muffins or cookies/dates
White Sugar ------- Dates
Ice Cream -------- Banana nice cream
Processed Grains
White Flour ------ Whole Grain Flour/buckwheat/spelt/almond/coconut/ chickpea flours
Crackers ------ Mary's Gone Crackers
Cereals ------ Oatmeal
White Rice ------ Whole Grains (Quinoa/Brown Rice/Amaranth/Millet/ Bulgur Wheat)
Pasta ------ Chickpea or Lentil pasta, Shiitake noodles
Salty Foods
Canned Beans ------ Low or no sodium beans
Broths ------ Low sodium broth
Canned Tomatoes ------ Low sodium canned tomatoes
Soy Sauce ------- Coconut aminos
Salt ------ Herbs/ Lemons/ Nutritional Yeast/ Vinegars
According to Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: “A starter kit might include dried thyme and tarragon, paprika, a variety of ground chilies (cayenne, red chili flakes, mild ground chilies), ground cinnamon, cumin, and fennel seeds." (Bittman, Avsar, DeSart, & Witschonke, 2017)
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