1972-Bob Barker hosts the first episode of “The Price is Right” game show. Atari launches “Pong,” the first successful video game. The Dow Jones closes above 1000 for the first time! Dr. Robert Atkins publishes his first diet book, “The Diet Revolution.” Since then carbohydrates have been the most misunderstood food category in the American diet. Dr. Atkins alleged that by eliminating most carbohydrates from your diet, your body would rely mostly on fat stores for energy (ketosis). Excess energy would also not be stored as fat, because there would be no excess. Fat burning and no fat storage…sounds good.
Simple, direct, and in the short term, very effective for losing weight. But, for healthy and active adults carbohydrates are essential for maintaining lean body mass, and optimal brain function. Yes, I said brain function!
Carbohydrates can be divided into three categories:
1. Simple
2. Starchy
3. Complex

All three forms serve a purpose. Simple carbohydrates can be found as fructose in fruit, or dextrose (table sugar.) This form is useful for muscle glycogen replenishment. Glycogen is stored in muscle tissue and is required for muscular contractions. Carbohydrates are required to replenish glycogen stores in muscle tissue. The faster those stores are refilled after activity, the better. For this reason, following a weight training workout, it is recommended that along with an easily digested protein source, some simple carbohydrates should be consumed.
Examples of starchy carbohydrates are breads, pastas, and potatoes. These carbohydrates are much higher in fiber than simple carbohydrates, but will be converted to sugar (glucose) in the blood stream fairly easily. Sugar in the bloodstream triggers the pancreas to excrete the hormone insulin which begins the fat storage process. As long as energy is required and the sugars are used up any fat storage is negligible.
Complex carbs are generally considered to be the best form. Examples of these are oats, legumes, and long grain brown rice. These carbohydrates do not trigger a quick insulin response thus allowing time for your body to use these for energy instead of fat storage.
It is evident that a common sense approach when it comes to carbohydrates is necessary for good health. On one hand…low blood glucose levels can lead to a significant deterioration in attention abilities. In a recent study, University of Edinburgh researchers found after testing healthy individuals in whom hypoglycemia had been induced. Auditory and visual information was processed more slowly when the subjects' brains were temporarily deprived of its main source of energy. And, on the other hand, a quick burst of sugar into the blood stream begins a hormonal process which always leads to an increase in body fat.
With a little will power and knowledge, carbohydrates can be a very beneficial food source. As with anything, too much of a good thing can become a negative. The moral of the story is that oat meal is good…snickers bars are not, and just because some forms of carbohydrates are not so great, the entire food category doesn’t need to suffer!