carbohydrates

CARBOHYDRATES

//Medical Nutrition:// • Stimulate the VMN (Ventral medial nucleus) – satisfaction center • Our blood sugar levels rise as we age and so does cortisol. • Starch- veggies, whole grains, and refined cereals • Cellulose and fiber- whole grains, fruit and veggies • Sugars- fruit, veggies, milk, sweeteners (maple syrup, honey, sugar cane) • -Since 1900 there has been a progressive decline in the consumption of complex carbs and the calories from them. • (Now-40%, was 70%) –decreased fiber intake • -Avg. American consumes 126lb of caloric sweetener/year. • -1/2 lb/day, with 28% in soft drinks, 41 tsp/day.

• -19% of calories come from simple sugars • -Slavery has been a hallmark of the sugar cane industry. It is still occurring in Africa, India, and SE Islands. • -Less “developed” countries have 80% of diet carbs (complex/high fiber) • -Degenerative diseases mostly non-existent there, except AIDS. (RA/Diverticulisis/Diabetes)

COMPLEX vs SIMPLE sugars
• Complex carbs are polysaccharides. These are naturally occurring starches or long chains of mono or disaccharides with attached fiber. • -These take time to digest with numerous body effects • -1. Complex carbs stabilize blood sugar, with slow gastric emptying. • -2. Body feels “full”. • -3. Decreases LDL/VLDL cholesterol (Pectins not lignans like red yeast rice fiber, or carrots) lactose
 * Complex Sugars**

• Simple carbs are monosaccharides.- hexose is a six carbon ring (C-H2O)x6 • There are 3 primary simple sugars: glucose, galactose, fructose. • -1. Glucose (dextrose) is found in the blood. It comes from fruit, veggies, syrups, honey…) -is the main source of energy for CNS (140gm) and RBCs (40gm). Added glucose comes from complex carbs, amino acids (AA), and glycerol moiety on triglycerides.
 * Simple Sugars**

• Many other tissues also rely on glucose for food. • The healthiest people have fasting 12 hr blood glucose levels of 82-87mg/dl. • We consume about 18gm glucose/day. • More than 100mg/dl fasting syndrome x occurs. • -2. Galactose is a monosaccharide in lactose from milk. • -3. Fructose is a sugar that is very sweet (Value of 173 –sucrose is 100)

Fructose in food:
• While agave syrup does have a low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze -- that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Most agave syrup has a higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener -- ranging from 70 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent. • This makes agave actually WORSE than HFCS. • It is important to understand that fructose does not increase insulin levels, which is not necessarily good as what it does do is radically increase insulin resistance, which is FAR more dangerous. • You see, it’s okay for your insulin levels to rise, that is normal. You just don’t want these insulin levels to remain elevated, which is what insulin resistance causes. • That is why fasting insulin is such a powerful test, as it is a very powerful reflection of your insulin resistance. • When you consume fructose over 25 grams per day it will very likely increase its metabolic byproduct, uric acid, in your blood. So you can go to your physician and have a simple uric acid level done. • This is not a fasting test and is very inexpensive to do, it’s typically free with many automated chemistry profiles. • If your level is above 5.0 you will want to consider reducing your fructose level until the level drops below 5.0. This will provide you with a valid, objective parameter to let you know if the information I am sharing is correct for you and your family.

• Unlike fructose which is nearly exclusively broken down in your liver and is directly converted to dangerous fats. • This is one of the reasons why fructose is the leading cause of obesity. • However, only 20 percent of glucose is metabolized in your liver. • This is related to the fact that nearly every cell in your body can directly use glucose as a fuel source, so it’s normally "burned up" immediately after consumption.

• 25 grams per day • Fruit Serving Size Grams of Fructose Limes 1 medium 0 Lemons 1 medium 0.6 Cranberries 1 cup 0.7 Passion fruit 1 medium 0.9 Prune 1 medium 1.2 Apricot 1 medium 1.3 Guava 2 medium 2.2 Date (Deglet Noor style) 1 medium 2.6 Cantaloupe 1/8 of med. melon 2.8 Raspberries 1 cup 3.0 Clementine 1 medium 3.4 Kiwifruit 1 medium 3.4 Blackberries 1 cup 3.5 Star fruit 1 medium 3.6 Cherries, sweet 10 3.8 Strawberries 1 cup 3.8 Cherries, sour 1 cup 4.0 Pineapple 1 slice (3.5" x .75") 4.0 Grapefruit, pink or red 1/2 medium 4.3 Boysenberries 1 cup 4.6 Tangerine/mandarin orange 1 medium 4.8 Nectarine 1 medium 5.4 Peach 1 medium 5.9 Orange (navel) 1 medium 6.1 Papaya 1/2 medium 6.3 Honeydew 1/8 of med. melon 6.7 Banana 1 medium 7.1 Blueberries 1 cup 7.4 Date (Medjool) 1 medium 7.7 Apple (composite) 1 medium 9.5 Persimmon 1 medium 10.6 Watermelon 1/16 med. melon 11.3 Pear 1 medium 11.8 Raisins 1/4 cup 12.3 Grapes, seedless (green or red) 1 cup 12.4 Mango 1/2 medium 16.2 Apricots dried 1 cup 16.4 Figs dried 1 cup 23.0

• Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners. • Avoid agave and high fructose corn syrup • Limit sugar of all types as much as possible. You can buy pure glucose (dextrose) as a sweetener for about $1 per pound, which has none of the adverse effects of fructose if used moderately. It is only 70 percent as sweet as sucrose, so you’ll end up using a bit more of it for the same amount of sweetness, making it slightly more expensive than sucrose -- but still well worth it for your health.

• Use raw, organic honey in moderation or avoid it completely as it is 70 percent fructose which is higher than HFCS. However the fructose is not in its free from so that moderates the damage. But each teaspoon of honey has nearly four grams of fructose so you will want to carefully add the total grams of fructose (including fruits) and keep them under 15 grams per day. • Use regular stevia in moderation, but avoid stevia based sweeteners like Truvia and PureVia because they have undergone more processing. • Lo Han is another excellent natural herbal sweetener. • Exercise can be a very powerful tool to help control fructose in a number of ways. If you are going to consume fructose it is BEST to do so immediately before, during or after INTENSE exercise as your body will tend to use it directly as fuel and not convert it to fat • Additionally exercise will increase your insulin receptor sensitivity and help modulate the negative effects of fructose. Lastly exercise will also help to blunt your appetite and control your sweet tooth. • If you have insulin issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you’re overweight, I suggest you avoid all sweeteners, including stevia, since any sweetener can decrease your insulin sensitivity. • Morell SF and Nagel R. "Agave nectar: Worse than we thought," April 30, 2009. Weston A. Price Foundation [ii] "US Patent 5846333—Method of producing fructose syrup from agave plants," Patent Storm [iii]Carr C. "Agave’s sweet spot," January 31, 2009. Time Magazine

Maillard reaction
• carbohydrates and protein – especially lysine, is cooked- “browned” together. • The caramelized sugars create an immune reaction. • This can damage mitochondrial and other DNA contributing to cellular damage and aging.)

**Disaccharides**
• Sucrose- Glucose/ fructose • Maltose – 2 glucoses • Lactose- glucose and galactose

**Polyhydroxyl Alcohols**
– absorb slowly and are alcohol forms of sucrose, mannose and xylose. • Sorbitol • Mannitol • Xylitol

**Alternative sweeteners**
–saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, (splenda) and acesulfame K are FDA approved. • Stevia is also available although it was banned between 1991 and 1995. • Honey- varying sweetness, 57-122%. -Invertase enzyme separates honey into sucrose and fructose. -Can contain Clostridium botulinum and shouldn’t be given to people with low HCl like infants. -Contains trace minerals and vitamins.

**Polysaccharides**
• Amylopectin –branch chain of glucose • Amylose – Long straight chains of glucose Starches • –Found in plants only W/ amylopectin and amylose – Insoluble to cold water and swells forming a gel when cooked – Cooking or juicing breaks cell walls releasing starch so it can be digested – Dextrins are formed from hydrolyzed starch and are sweeter than starch.

• **Glycemic index** – rate of blood sugar rise after ingestion of food mixture compared to pure glucose. • -Glucose is given the reference number 100. (See pg 270/283) • **Carb energy yield** – 4Kcal/gm • **Gluconeogenesis** – Synthesis of glucose from nonglucose sources, protein and glycerol after a large meal. • **Glycogenolysis** – Breakdown of glycogen to glucose in liver or muscle primarily. (Cortisol stim.) • **Dietary essential** - We require 50-100gmof CHO (carbs) /day or we burn fat and go into ketosis.