#84 6 Reasons why carbohydrates should not be your enemy (English)

The Atkins Diet seems to be gaining popularity recently and this has lead to a surge of hate against carbs. This is where dieters go wrong. Carbohydrates are very beneficial to the human body. Carbohydrates can be divided into three groups: sugar, starches and fiber. Natural sugars can be found in fruits and vegetables and are the simplest kinds of carbohydrates. Starches are these simple carbohydrates too, only bonded together and can be found in rice, beans, peas and other grains. Fiber is also made of bonded simple sugars, but is found in vegetables, whole grains, bran, beans and more. Here are six reasons why these foods are important for our bodies:

1. Carbohydrates can make you happy!
Eating carbohydrates can promote the production of the feel good chemical serotonin according to a study done by the Archives of Internal Medicine. Carbs can help increase the tryptophan ratio over other amino acids. Tryptophan is important for serotonin synthesis. Studies have found that people following a low carbohydrate diet experience more depression, anxiety and anger than those who follow a healthy, high carb lifestyle.

2. Carbohydrates give you energy
 Carbs are the body’s main source of energy. They fuel your lifestyle, especially physical activity. The main source of energy required for daily activity comes from glucose, which you can get from starches and sugars. Our body uses this for immediate energy and also stored energy in our muscles and liver. If these sugars are not used up they are converted into fat. This is why carbohydrates have such a bad reputation. It is important to keep moving in order to use up as much of that fuel as possible.

3. Carbohydrates help you maintain weight
If you are picking the right kinds of carbohydrates and eating them in moderation it can actually help you maintain your weight. Carbohydrates fill you up and keep you satiated, making them powerful appetite suppressants. It is always better to choose complex carbohydrates over simple. Complex carbs contain higher levels of fiber, which take longer to break down, therefore the blood sugar doesn’t spike quickly. Simple carbs give you fast energy, which can not always be a good thing. They result in a spike in blood sugar, then a crash. When this happens, the body has higher insulin levels, causing more fat storage.

4. Carbohydrates help prevent diseases
Carbohydrate rich foods are packed with fiber, which can help your body fight certain diseases. It also helps indigestion and keeps cholesterol and heart diseases under control. By eating fiber rich foods such as whole grains you can help prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart- related problems. The more refined kinds of sugars are less nutritious and can adversely affect your health. This is because they are typically stripped of most of their nutritional value during the refining process.


5. Carbohydrates help keep your memory sharp
Researchers at the Boston- area college found that women who followed a low carbohydrate diet for a week did worse on memory tests than those who followed a low calorie diet. Just as carbohydrates are fuel for your body, they are fuel for your brain. Complex carbohydrates such as whole-wheat breads, brown rice, oatmeal, high- fiber cereals, lentils and beans help keep you mentally sharp and your memory in tact.

6. Carbohydrates are good for digestion
The dietary fiber found in many carbohydrate rich foods helps digestion because it moves food quickly through intestines, which helps to prevent digestive disorders such as constipation or diverticulitis. Dietary fibers also reduce the risk of developing hemorrhoids. It is the only carbohydrate that is not broken down by enzymes. Soluble fiber can dissolve in water, while insoluble fiber remains unchanged during digestion. This again helps to prevent constipation and keeps the bowel healthy. It also reduces blood levels of low- density lipoproteins, controls blood glucose levels and may help you lose weight.

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