What exactly is a complex carb???

[jimmy23]

Hi all, I just read the article by Connie Brown , where she qoutes a post I made earlier. The chart she included about symptoms of low and high BE levels fit me to a "T"

She even includes this qoute "A BE crash can be really mysterious after a big success. Our loved ones see us gloomy and inconsolable and this big thought bubble goes over their heads: "WHAT is her PROBLEM? that whole event couldn't have gone better?!!?"

Coincidentally, I went through this just last week. I graduated School with a technical degree in computer networking Wednesday night, and was a judge at the Freestyle Fighting Championships Friday, a labor of love that was made even better by seeing one of the best fights I have ever witnessed (after judging at 12 professional fighting events and a lifetime around combat arts) that night


Then Saturday, there I was, in a terrible mood and exhibiting the symptoms of low BE - even to the point of craving suger and fat.



Connie recommends eating more complex and less simple carbs , but I am ignorant here- what types of foods are complex carbs, what are simple carbs?


Thanks for noticing my symptoms and and taking the time to comment on them, Connie, I am really touched :D

[vich]

I'm no expert in the field, but when I think of complex carbs I think of non-protein natural foods like fruits and vegetables.

Simple carbs are in foods that contain pure sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup like soda, candy, etc.

I like to keep my guidelines simple. :lol:

Vic

[Connie Brown]

Jimmy good for you for making that connection!
Congrats on your accomplishments! Our tribe is so cool.

how observant of you. (and isn't it weird how consistent this is???).

I agree with Vic. If you have whole fruits, whole veggies, and whole grains, those are all complex carbs.

What you want to stay away from is foods that have been refined and processed. The problem with them is, they can be metabolized so fast that the sugar from them hits your system too fast. Like anything made with refined sugars or sugar workalikes, and white or refined flours. Even orange juice which may have fiber taken out and allows you to eat the equivalent of 5 oranges in 5 gulps LOL.

there is a more technical nutrition-geek definition of "complex carb" which is about whether the carb molecules are simple glucose or fructose molecules, as in fruit, or long chains of glucose+glucose+glucose+... molecules, like in starches like potatoes. The problem with that approach is that white flour has long molecules and so it is technically a complex carb - but also it is refined and processed so it can get metabolized so fast that it can.... drumroll... contribute to BE spikes if you take enough of it (and those of us with BE issues can often figure out a way to take in enough to get a "hit")

hope this helps.

[Vbrown]

Just to add,

The length of the polysaccaride chain has little to do with how long it takes to break down. The enzymes in the upper GI rip those appart in seconds. Potato starch, pasta or a cookie will take just about as long to get broken into their mono-sugars.

A better measure is absorbtion rate, which is moderated by fiber (polysaccarides we can't breakdown), fats, proteins and amount of glucose in the polysaccaride being broken down. This is the basics of the "glycemic index", which is really handy on a few levels. You can see what your insulin crash cycle threshold is, and tune your diet to your needs.

Vince

[jimmy23]

THat does help, and I greatly appreciate it :)

[radiantkd]

brown things instead of white things <smile>
Whole grains, fruit, veggies.

kathleen