Ever found yourself questioning the true impact of carbohydrates on your health, or weight gain? Do you blame carbs and feel that you are addicted to them? In this episode I help to debunk some of the biggest myths around carbs, the questions that I get asked the most from clients, and how you can rest easy when you know what carbs are good to eat, and why.
I cover the debate around fruit, insulin resistance, carb addiction and the impact carbohydrates have on weight. We'll navigate through the maze of misinformation and emerge with a clear understanding of how to manage portions, select the right fruits for blood sugar sensitivity, and why insulin resistance needs to be part of this conversation.
As we peel back the layers on carbohydrate addiction, we move beyond simple explanations and into the intricate relationship between food cravings, emotional eating, and neurochemistry. Listen as we untangle how the brain's dopamine pathways might be conspiring to keep you reaching for that extra slice of pie. Armed with strategies and insights into transitioning to complex carbohydrates, this episode promises to equip you with the tools necessary to break free from the addictive cycle of high-glycemic eating. By the end, you'll be ready to make informed choices for a healthier lifestyle with newfound wisdom and a sense of control over your dietary decisions.
Let's Talk! Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.
Did You Love This Episode? "I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ever found yourself questioning the true impact of carbohydrates on your health, or weight gain? Do you blame carbs and feel that you are addicted to them? In this episode I help to debunk some of the biggest myths around carbs, the questions that I get asked the most from clients, and how you can rest easy when you know what carbs are good to eat, and why.
I cover the debate around fruit, insulin resistance, carb addiction and the impact carbohydrates have on weight. We'll navigate through the maze of misinformation and emerge with a clear understanding of how to manage portions, select the right fruits for blood sugar sensitivity, and why insulin resistance needs to be part of this conversation.
As we peel back the layers on carbohydrate addiction, we move beyond simple explanations and into the intricate relationship between food cravings, emotional eating, and neurochemistry. Listen as we untangle how the brain's dopamine pathways might be conspiring to keep you reaching for that extra slice of pie. Armed with strategies and insights into transitioning to complex carbohydrates, this episode promises to equip you with the tools necessary to break free from the addictive cycle of high-glycemic eating. By the end, you'll be ready to make informed choices for a healthier lifestyle with newfound wisdom and a sense of control over your dietary decisions.
Let's Talk! Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.
Did You Love This Episode? "I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 1:
Hello everybody and welcome back to the Real Food Stories podcast. I have been into a few weeks of my Nutrition 101 series because I am on my own personal mission to clear up as many misconceptions as I can about food and health, particularly weight gain, because I know that is why most people gravitate towards sometimes outlandish diets and get starstruck by wellness influencers that make a lot of false promises. Honestly, eating is not that difficult. It's what we do with all the information about food that makes it so confusing sometimes, and when you are confused, it is easy to try ways of eating and diets that make a lot of promises for quick weight loss and health. Women in midlife are at a particularly vulnerable time because we have so much going on hormonally that it can really affect our body composition and our health, only adding to the massive confusion and discouragement that we might be feeling. Today I wanted to continue my conversation about carbohydrates and if you did not listen to last week's episode, I strongly encourage you to do that. First, because on that episode I shared all about what exactly carbohydrates are the great and the not so good so you can gain clarity about this extremely important macronutrient. We cannot live without carbohydrates, so tune in to that last episode. We don't need to fear carbohydrates. We rather just need to make our best choices, and today I wanted to talk about some myths around carbohydrates and the truths about carbohydrates that consistently circulate around the internet and social media, so you can be well-prepared to eat your best. Social media so you can be well prepared to eat your best.
Speaker 1:
These are some of the biggest questions I get asked all the time, and hopefully they can help you too Now. I mentioned this briefly in last week's podcast, but I wanted to drive this one home again, because this is my number one most asked question Is fruit bad for me? Fruit is in the carbohydrate family. We know that it has fructose, which is a fruit sugar. So is fruit bad for me? And here is my answer to that Generally, overall, fruit is not bad for you. Actually, fruit is really, really healthy for you and it is part of your healthy diet. It offers a wealth of essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and that all-important fiber that, again, I talked about last week. However, how much and what types of fruit you should consume can vary based on your individual health goals, your conditions and your dietary needs. So let's take a little deeper look at the benefits of fruits and some considerations to keep in mind.
Speaker 1:
Let's talk about nutrition first, fruit. Almost all fruit is packed with essential and important vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, as well as minerals like potassium and magnesium. Most people are deficient in some of these minerals. These nutrients are vital for maintaining many of our bodily functions, including our immune system, our health, our vision, blood pressure regulation the list goes on. Fruit is full of fiber, dietary fiber, which helps promote regular bowel movements, it helps lower your cholesterol levels and it regulates your blood sugar levels. Fiber also can aid in weight management and weight loss by helping you feel fuller longer, reducing the overall number of calories consumed. Fruit is also very high in water content right, think watermelon making them a hydrating choice that can contribute to overall fluid intake, which is essential for maintaining hydration and supporting metabolic function. So if you are not drinking a lot of water just plain water fruit is a water source.
Speaker 1:
Now the things that we want to just consider and some of the misconceptions. Like I said before, fruit contains natural sugars, fructose, which can be a concern for people with certain medical conditions like diabetes. However, the effect of fruit on blood sugar levels is generally not the same as that of refined sugar and because fruit also contains fiber, it helps to slow down that rush of blood sugar and it contains water, which actually dilutes the sugar a lot, so we don't have to be concerned about the fructose in whole fruits. A lot of people wonder if the calories in fruit are too much, and fruit in general is just not very calorically dense. Eating fruit in large quantities can contribute to excessive calorie intake, of course, but when are you ever going to eat two dozen bananas or five pounds of blueberries? It's important to consider your portion sizes, of course and we're going to get into that in another podcast especially if you're monitoring your calorie intake for weight management. But I think fruit really overall is not the thing that you need to worry about.
Speaker 1:
The one thing and I mentioned this last week again is that we want to take into consideration is whole fruit versus fruit juice. Is that we want to take into consideration is whole fruit versus fruit juice? Whole fruits are far more beneficial than fruit juices, which are often super high in sugar and lack all the fiber of whole fruits. Juices can contribute to rapid spikes in blood sugar levels and provide fewer satiety signals than whole fruit, so it can be filling. Every once in a while it's okay to drink a nicely squeezed, fresh glass of orange juice, but I would not make this the rule. This is the exception rather than the rule. Sometimes fruit juices have more sugar than regular soda, so I would really rather you have the whole fruit, with all its fiber and water, than have the fruit juice.
Speaker 1:
Now, if you have diabetes, or if you are pre-diabetic, you might want to consider focusing on fruits that are lower on the glycemic index. The glycemic index is the measurement of how much your blood sugar is getting raised, so fruits like berries, cherries, apples, pears have a much slower impact on your blood sugar. Other fruits, like bananas, pineapple grapes, have a little bit more of a influence on your blood sugar levels, but otherwise, if you are a healthy person, you don't need to worry about that. Okay, so are we good on this? In conclusion, fruits are a healthful part of your diet for the majority of people. They provide essential nutrients and compounds and fiber. They help to fill you up, they taste good, they're full of nutrients, so please do not fear fruit.
Speaker 1:
The next thing I wanted to talk about in relationship to carbohydrates is insulin resistance. A lot of people ask me about insulin resistance, the just effect of insulin and how exactly that works. Now again, I talked about this a little bit last week in the other podcast on carbohydrates, but I want to just reiterate a couple of things here and exactly what insulin resistance is. Insulin resistance is a physiological condition where the body cells become less responsive to the hormone insulin, which plays a vital role in regulating blood glucose levels. Insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, helps cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream to use as energy or store it for future use. So you eat something, you eat some kind of a carbohydrate. It gets into your bloodstream. Insulin is released. It's like the key that goes into the lock. It unlocks it, it grabs the energy and it brings it to every cell in your body, literally every cell in your body.
Speaker 1:
We cannot live without carbohydrates. When we have too many carbohydrates, when we are just flooding our bloodstream with lots of sugars, simple sugars it becomes harder for insulin to keep up the pace. Then the process becomes almost inefficient to keep up the pace. Then the process becomes almost inefficient and, as a result, the pancreas is prompted to produce more insulin to achieve the desired effect of lowering your blood glucose and it gets worn out in a sense. The bottom line of insulin resistance isn't totally fully understood, but several factors are known to increase the risk, including excess body weight, especially around our abdomen, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet high in sugars and refined carbohydrates those simple refined carbohydrates that are found in a lot of desserts and snack foods and junk food and sometimes just genetic factors such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are also associated with higher levels of insulin resistance. Now, if we keep up this pace and insulin resistance progresses, the body's ability to compensate by producing additional insulin all the time can start to diminish. It starts to get worn out and it leads to an accumulation of glucose in our blood, and that is known then as prediabetes. And if that is left unchecked, this can eventually escalate to type 2 diabetes, where the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or just can't use insulin effectively. And additionally, insulin resistance is linked to a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, collectively known as metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a large waist circumference.
Speaker 1:
The symptoms of insulin resistance are subtle and often go unnoticed until a more significant health issue usually arises. Now some common signs might include just fatigue you're hungry all the time, brain fog, difficulty concentrating. Now, that can be attributed to lots of different health issues too, right? I mean, we just go through menopause and we can feel fatigued and brain fogged and hungry and, you know, difficulty with, like, memory things, but it can have something to do with insulin resistance.
Speaker 1:
Managing insulin resistance involves a multifaceted approach focused on improving sensitivity to insulin. The first and foremost thing to do is to concentrate on our lifestyle. Lifestyle changes are the cornerstone of management and prevention, including maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in regular physical activity and adopting a balanced diet, rich in here it goes fiber, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fats, lean proteins, while limiting our intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates. So do we see a pattern here? It's not the carbohydrates that are to blame for everything. It's the sugars, the refined carbohydrates, those simple carbs. So I wanted to just address insulin resistance and clear the air, because it's not all carbs that contribute to insulin resistance. It is primarily those simple and refined carbs.
Speaker 1:
Now, for a lot of women going through menopause, insulin resistance can suddenly show up or can be something to be concerned about. You might have gotten some blood work where you are pre-diabetic, so you have gone past the insulin resistance stage. Why is this? Basically, menopause marks the end of a woman's reproductive years, accompanied by a decline in the production of hormones, particularly estrogen. Estrogen plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism and body weight, and its decline during menopause can directly impact insulin sensitivity. So lower levels of estrogen have been linked to an increase in insulin resistance, partly due to changes in our body composition, such as increased abdominal fat, which is known to contribute to decreased insulin sensitivity. That drop in be responsible for heart health. And I talked about metabolic syndrome before. So women face a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome because our blood pressure can go up, we might have high blood sugars, you might have some excess body fat around your waist and start having rising cholesterol levels. Each of these factors, like I said before, are associated with increased insulin resistance. Now I talked about those symptoms of brain fog and concentration and fatigue before just around insulin resistance, which I said can also just be menopause in general. So it's hard to distinguish what is insulin resistance and what is just menopause symptoms, but long-term, the insulin resistance associated with menopause can lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health issues.
Speaker 1:
Now how do we want to manage insulin resistance. Then in menopausal women. I said before, lifestyle medications first and foremost. I mean that's a given. We want a balanced diet that's rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, which I'll talk about next week. We want to be regularly physically active and that includes both aerobic exercises, cardio and strength training, which is crucial for muscle mass. I talked about that in my protein podcast two weeks ago. All these activities help decrease body fat, build muscle mass and increase the efficiency of insulin usage in our bodies.
Speaker 1:
One other thing to consider is the role of hormone replacement therapy. Now I have talked a lot about hormones in other podcasts. If you want to see them, I'll put some links in the show notes about that so you can refer back to that. Not everyone is a candidate for hormone replacement therapy, but the more research has been developing, the more that studies suggest that hormone replacement therapy can really really benefit the symptoms of menopause and reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance. Your heart issues, your bone issues, cholesterol levels Estrogen is responsible for so much. So hormone replacement therapy involves supplementing estrogen and progesterone to help mitigate the effects of decreasing hormone levels. Deciding to take hormone replacement therapy is definitely a personal choice and it's a conversation that you need to have with your doctor and hopefully your doctor is well-educated in using hormones so they can have a good conversation with you. But it's definitely something that you need to consult with your doctor about the potential risks and the benefits benefits.
Speaker 1:
Okay, another really important thing that I hear women question is wondering if they are addicted to carbs. I hear this all the time. I'm so addicted to carbs I can't eat them. I have to stay away from them. I'm addicted and I sometimes laugh because we now know that carbohydrates are not just sugar and cupcakes and cookies and bread, but carbohydrates are also carrots and celery and kale and apples. So I doubt that anyone is addicted to kale. But this is what I am talking about when I say that there's so much confusion around carbohydrates. We now know there's simple carbohydrates and those are the candies, cookies, junk food, white bread, white pasta. We know that there are complex carbohydrates and those are the whole grains brown rice, and those are the whole grains brown rice, quinoa, farro, and fruits and vegetables, kale, apples, and the list goes on. We already know this. So are carbs addictive? Because we need to eat food. So you know when you say something like I'm addicted to alcohol or I'm addicted to drugs. I mean, it's more complicated than this, but we can just stop taking those things right and we will still live. But we can't stop eating food. So can you be addicted to carbs?
Speaker 1:
Carbohydrates the simple and the refined ones that I've been talking about can lead to addiction-like behaviors in some individuals due to their impact on the body's neurochemical processes. Understanding the biochemical and psychological mechanisms behind this phenomenon can provide insights into why some people feel a seemingly uncontrollable urge sometimes to consume high carb foods, sometimes on repeat. So let's talk about some of the neurochemical responses to carbohydrates. First one I want to talk about is the dopamine release. Dopamine is a neurochemical. It's like the feel-good chemical in our brains. So when you eat carbohydrates, especially those that are sugary or highly refined, like white bread, pastries, soda they are quickly broken down into glucose and absorbed into your bloodstream. This rapid absorption leads to that quick spike in blood sugar levels which stimulates the release of dopamine, which I said is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward in our brain. So this dopamine release is similar to the response triggered by addictive substances, sometimes like alcohol or cocaine, or I mean just any other drugs that people can get that rush from drugs that people can get that rush from, and when we eat these highly processed carbohydrates and junk food, it can provide that same sort of high that your brain learns to seek out to give you some kind of pleasure.
Speaker 1:
Now the human brain is wired to repeat activities that stimulate dopamine production, reinforcing behaviors that are necessary for survival, such as eating. However, when this reward pathway is overstimulated by repeated consumption of high-carb foods, it can lead to the development of habit-forming behaviors, much like those seen in drug addiction. So over time, this can result in cravings and a compulsion to eat carbs, even in the absence of hunger. So let's talk about the psychological and emotional factors, then.
Speaker 1:
Of these habits of eating high-processed carbs, first one I want to talk about is just this comfort eating. Many people turn to high carb comfort foods in response to stress, anxiety or depression. I certainly can relate to this one. I have my stories that are rooted back in childhood about eating cookies and candies and cupcakes to relieve a lot of stress that I had been going through. I have another one of those podcast episodes and that is all the way at the beginning of my time here. I will link that in the show notes. These foods can temporarily boost your mood and relieve negative feelings by increasing your serotonin levels. That's another neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of well-being and happiness. However, the subsequent drop in blood sugar after consuming high-carb foods can lead to mood swings, fatigue, renewed cravings, just creating a cycle of binging behavior.
Speaker 1:
Sometimes Now, eating behaviors are also influenced by conditioning and habit formation. So if the consumption of carbohydrates is regularly paired with certain activities or feelings such as eating sugar when you're stressed out, or celebrating with a sugary cake, or sitting down at nighttime in front of the TV to relax with a couple of cookies, these associations can strengthen over time and this conditioning makes it really challenging sometimes to break that cycle of craving carbs under specific circumstances or emotional states, and I can say confidently that most of us have been there, that we have gone through something stressful and wanted to sit down and just eat something with sugar in it. Or you wanna relax and have something with sugar, or you want a glass of wine, or you want something that is just associated with some kind of an emotion. So let's talk about the physical responses to eating some of these highly processed, refined carbohydrates and then their withdrawal, the one thing that is most important and I've mentioned is blood sugar fluctuations. Now, the spike and subsequent fall in blood sugar levels that occur after eating high glycemic or highly processed foods like sugar cakes, candies, cookies can mimic withdrawal symptoms similar to those experienced with addictive substances. Now, symptoms like irritability, fatigue and headaches may develop as glucose levels drop, driving you to want to consume more carbs to alleviate this discomfort. And, over time, regular consumption of high-carb foods like this can lead to tolerance, where more of the same food is needed to achieve the previous effects of satisfaction and pleasure. This pattern can escalate the quantity of carbs consumed and worsen the cycle of addiction-like behavior.
Speaker 1:
Now, if you feel like you are addicted to carbs or you really have a strong pull with these simple refined carbohydrates simple refined carbohydrates there's a couple strategies that you can think about to kind of get off of the highly addictive carb train. One of them is to just start incorporating more complex carbohydrates in your life. Now, I know those seem much less appealing when you are mostly eating highly processed, refined carbohydrates. Going from white rice to brown rice doesn't seem that much fun, but if you understand the benefits of switching to complex carbohydrates like whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables can help stabilize your blood sugar levels, can take away some of those withdrawal symptoms and reduce that rapid rush of dopamine that spikes and can contribute to that addictive-like behavior. You might feel motivated to just start incorporating some of these more complex carbs.
Speaker 1:
Another strategy to kind of get over this carb addiction is to start practicing mindful eating. Being mindful of our eating habits, recognizing triggers for carb cravings and learning to distinguish between true hunger and emotional hunger or conditioned eating really can help manage and eventually reduce the dependency on high carb foods. Now, mindful eating is a whole practice and it is very, very effective, but it is a practice and it's one that we want to develop over time. Another way to just get over your carb addiction is to really make sure that you balance your diet and have regular meals through the day. Eating balanced meals that includes proteins, fats and fiber can slow carbohydrate absorption and minimize those blood sugar fluctuations and help maintain steady energy levels and mood. If you're feeling like your carb cravings feel out of control and are leading to significant distress for you, you might want to consider consulting someone like me a nutritionist, a dietician, even a therapist, who knows something about food addiction.
Speaker 1:
So the last thing I wanted to talk about is carbohydrates in relationship to weight gain. There are many, many diets out there that are carb-averse if you want to call it that, they shun all carbohydrates. I mean the most extreme being something like the carnivore diet, where there is no grains carbohydrates whatsoever. That's kind of insane to me. Or something that's a little more in the middle, like the paleo diet, which allows you to have some vegetables but it's mostly protein. Or the keto diet, which is mostly fat, and their philosophy is that carbohydrates are really bad for you and contribute to all sorts of health issues and weight gain. Now, we've talked about a couple of the health issues, right, and we know now that it's mostly these simple carbohydrates that contribute to that.
Speaker 1:
But what about weight gain? Do carbohydrates and weight gain go hand in hand? So let me give you a little nutrition 101 about what carbohydrates exactly are for calories and everything. Carbohydrates provide four calories per gram, which is the same as protein, but less than half the calories provided by fats, which contain nine calories per gram. However, we know this now, the type of carbohydrates consumed plays a crucial role in their impact on weight gain. Simple carbohydrates like sugars and refined grains can cause quick spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is the hormone that promotes the conversion of excess glucose into fat for storage, particularly if the energy consumed exceeds the energy expended.
Speaker 1:
I talked a little bit before about the glycemic index and I wanted to just highlight its role on appetite. So foods that are high in refined carbs typically have a high glycemic index, which means that they lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar. These spikes are followed by sharp drops, which can then trigger hunger and overeating. In contrast, complex carbohydrates you probably know what I'm going to say such as whole grains and vegetables, have lower GI values, lower glycemic index values, so they produce more gradual increases in blood sugar and are associated with longer lasting satiety.
Speaker 1:
Now what about protein and weight management and fat and weight management? I talked in my protein podcast that protein is highly effective at reducing appetite and helping us stay fuller longer, because protein has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates or fats, meaning that it requires more energy for digestion, absorption and disposal. This increased metabolic rate can contribute to weight loss or maintenance when proteins are consumed in appropriate amounts. Protein is also essential for muscle repair and growth. Also essential for muscle repair and growth, maintaining or increasing muscle mass is crucial, especially with women who are going through menopause and midlife, because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, even at rest. So diets adequate in protein support muscle maintenance, which can prevent the metabolic slowdown often associated with weight loss.
Speaker 1:
I'm going to talk quickly about fats, but I'm going to get into much more detail next week in my fat podcast. But fat is more energy dense, right, it's nine calories per gram versus four calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein. The high caloric density means that high-fat foods can lead to a significant weight gain if they're consumed in large quantities without adequate physical activity to offset the increased calorie intake. So I think the takeaway here is to make sure that we balance our macronutrients for weight management right. We want to choose our carbs wisely. We want to opt for whole grains, legumes, beans, fruits, vegetables instead of processed foods and sugars, because complex carbohydrates provide those essential nutrients and fiber which help manage our blood sugar levels and increase satiety. We definitely want to prioritize protein a moderate amount at each meal for satiety, for muscle maintenance and to increase our metabolism and we want to monitor our fat intake. Again, I'm going to talk about that next week, I think.
Speaker 1:
In conclusion, with weight gain and carbohydrates. It's not necessarily the carbohydrates that are to blame. It's the type of carbohydrates and we have to consider the amount of calories we are eating. That is a must. I know I'm going to talk about calories in a different podcast because it's really important and the misconceptions are huge, but we need to just be mindful of how many calories of all our foods we are eating. Okay, I think that about wraps it up for me and our talk on carbohydrates and some misconceptions around carbohydrates. If you have any questions about carbs, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Send me an email heather at heathercarycom. I will definitely get out to me. Send me an email heather at heathercarycom. I will definitely get back to you. I'm happy to answer any other questions, because you might have different questions that I didn't answer today, but hopefully I cleared up some of the bigger misconceptions. Thanks so much, have a great week and I'll see you next week to talk about fats.