Carbs Make You Happy

I've always believed that carbohydrates were the wrongly villainized evil-doers of the nutrient world. People are so quick to blame them for their problems, and toss them out without a thought. Poor carbs... Personally, I can't imagine life without them. I've tried to give them up, but I only made it about 24 hours. It's an addiction. What can I say?

So, what is a carbohydrate? Basically, a carb is anything made up of, or containing sugar or starch molecules. When most people think of carbs, they think of bread and pasta, but the carb family consists of much more. The carb family ranges everywhere from candy and sodas to fruits and veggies. Even dairy products contain carbs.

Carbs are broken down into two types, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are those that contain only one or two types of sugar molecules (monosaccharides and disaccharides, saccharide being the scientific name for sugar), while complex carbohydrates are those that contain three or more types of sugar molecules (polysaccharides). In the 70's, the definition was different. Then, complex carbs were any carbs that took longer to digest and were high in fiber, vitamins or minerals, whereas simple carbohydrates were any that were lacking in nutritional value and were quickly digested in the body. This definition catagorized fruits, veggies, whole grains and milk products as complex, but by today's definition, fruits, veggies and milk products are considered simple carbohydrates. Any starchy carb, like bread or potatoes is considered a complex carbohydrate. To really get the benefits of carbs, you should have a diet that includes both simple and complex carbs.

Now you know what a carb is, so what do carbs do? The short answer - carbs give you energy. That's why marathon runners and other athletes "carb load" prior to an event. Here's the how and why, the long answer. Stick with me, it's kind of complicated. The unit measure of energy for food is the calorie. A gram of carbohydrates contains 3.75 calories. It doesn't matter what kind of carb it is, the measure is always the same, 3.75 calories. A gram of protein contains 4 calories and a gram of fat has 9 calories. Like carbs, the type doesn't matter. 1g protein = 4 calories, 1g fat = 9 calories. So why do we turn to carbs for energy when fat and protein have more energy to give? Because the body burns what's easiest first. A lot of the calories in protein can't be broken down, and fat has to be converted to a burnable form first. The easiest energy source for the body to consume is glucose, a sugar and thus a carb. In the absence of glucose, the body will convert fatty deposits into glycogen and burn that (this is the basis behind no-carb diets), but the process takes awhile, so there is no immediate energy to use. If you want energy right away, go with carbs.

Maybe the instant energy boost is why I believe that carbs make you happy. There's no other scientfic basis to my theory, but if you've ever tried to give them up, you probably know what I'm talking about. I tried carb cycling once (varying the time and amount that you eat carbs) for a week and I would never recommend it. It was probably the most miserable week of my life. By the end, I was a very angry little person. And I didn't lose any more weight that I would have on my normal diet with a little more exercise. I'd be willing to bet that if you did a diet poll of serial killers, that at least half are on a low-carb, no-carb diet. Not that I think it's an excuse, but I can see how that would drive someone to murder.