Carbohdyrates should be part and parcel of your diet along with protein, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients as it is your source of energy. The nutrients found in carbohdyrates include digestible and indigestible fiber. The digestible fiber, composed mainly of starches or sugar, is broken down in the digestive system before being delivered throughout your body for energy. However, how quickly the glucose level climbs in your system may be a cause of worry.
If you find yourself eating foods that are high in carbohydrates more than the rest of the food group, you might want to step back for a minute and re-assess your diet. After all, there are downsides to having too much carbs in your system.
Weight gain. Although there is nothing wrong with eating more carbohydrates, you need to think twice if you want to lose weight. Keep in mind that carbohydrate is transformed into sugar and when there is excess sugar in the body, it is stored as fats which can appear in all the wrong places of your body. As a rule, women should keep their intake of sugar to fewer than 6 teaspoons per day while men should limit theirs to 9 teaspoons only.
Type 2 diabetes. If you have high glycemic index and you’re consuming way too much carbs, chances are you are increasing your risk of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually forms when your body doesn’t produce insulin or you become resistant to it. Consuming too much carbs can actually increase your blood sugar levels which in turn can put a lot of pressure on your liver to produce insulin which increases your risk of having diabetes.
Cardiovascular problems. Another downside to eating refined carbohydrates is that you might suffer from cardiovascular problems like stroke, cardiac arrest, and the like. High blood pressure is also possible when your blood sugar is too high so you might want to limit your intake of sugar or starchy foods.
Although adding carbohydrates to your diet is necessary, consuming too much can have an adverse effect to your health. It’s true that this nutrient can give us sufficient energy for the day but, depending on the type of carbohydrate that you are eating, you might actually trigger weight gain or cardiovascular problems. The best thing to do is to bring balance to your meal so that you will receive sufficient amount of nutrients from different sources.
A good place to start is to take stock of your diet and see what your sources of carbohydrates are and how much you tend to consume. From there, you can reduce the amount or swap with a healthier option especially if you are into refined carbs. If you are still having a hard time, you can consult with a nutritionist who will guide you to a better diet to prevent these health problems from arising. As much as possible, stay away from foods that have high glycemic index if you want to keep your blood sugar level balanced.
Source: linkedin.com
