What Are Good Carbs And Bad Carbs
Types of carbs
So, what are the different types of carbohydrates? The answer to this question depends on who you ask. Some common classifications would be healthy and unhealthy, good and bad, slow and fast.
I am going to classify them as simple, complex and fibrous. Before we get into those classifications, we need to look at molecules. I know, fun stuff, but it will help you understand better.
A monosaccharide is a single molecule, such as fructose, which is found in fruit. A disaccharide consists of 2 monosaccharide molecules, such as sucrose or table sugar. And a polysaccharide consists of many monosaccharide molecules, such as in whole grain pasta.
Now that we have that out of the way, lets look at simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are made up of mono and disaccharides, 1 or 2 molecules. Some foods include, fruits, milk, and foods with high amounts of added sugars.
Typically simple carbohydrates are easily absorbed into the bloodstream because of their simple molecular structure. However, when you obtain simple carbohydrates from whole foods, they are usually combined with vitamins, minerals and fiber, which slows down the digestive process.
Now, lets look at complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are composed of polysaccharides, so, because of their more complex molecular structure, they can take longer for the body to break down and digest, like whole grains and vegetables.
However, some complex carbohydrate foods have been processed, which strips them of some of their natural, high fiber content as well as vitamins and minerals, so they are digested faster and more easily.
So, with both simple and complex carbohydrates I have mentioned fast and slow digestion. Why is that important? 3 reasons, #1 is it is going to make you feel fuller longer, rapid digestion means hunger returns quicker which leads to more consumption. #2, typically slower digested foods cause lower blood level spikes, and #3, slower, longer digestion means the body is using more energy over a longer period of time to break down the food, which is an increase or boost in metabolism.
Next up is fiber. Fiber is parts of plants that cant be digested. I have a separate video that looks deeper into fiber that I will link in the little I in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
Bottom line.
So, the question is what type of carbohydrates should you eat. That is actually very easy to answer. All 3 types. Don’t focus on the types, instead, focus on Carbohydrates that have been minimally processed, like whole grain pasta, and whole wheat bread, also Fruits and vegetables that contain fiber, vitamins and minerals. And of course anything from dairy queen.
Ah, just joking with ya folks. Seriously though, minimize the consumption of the processed foods, if you can eliminated them great, if not, its about moderation. Its ok to eat the foods you love, you just have to do it in moderation.
what are the different types of fats? There are 2 general types, saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats have 3 different sub-types, trans fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats
Fatty acids are made up of long chains of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms. Some carbon atoms are linked by single bonds, and others by double bonds. .
In saturated fat, all of the carbon atoms are saturated with hydrogen atoms and do not contain double bonds between the carbon atoms, this gives the molecule a linear formation.
Research suggests that saturated fat affects cholesterol levels by increasing overall LDL, increasing HDL, and increasing LDL particle size. The American heart association recommends limiting saturated fat intake to 5 to 6% of total daily caloric consumption. So, according to that recommendation, if you are consuming 2000 calories per day, no more than 120 should come from saturated fats.
Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats have at least one double bonded set of carbon atoms in their structure. This double bond can take on one of 2 formations. It can be a cis configuration or a trans configuration. In the cis formation, the hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bonded carbon atoms, and in the trans formation, the hydrogen atoms are on opposite sides. Let’s take a look at the trans configuration, or trans fatty acid.
Trans fats are solid at room temperature and usually have a high melting point. There are natural and artificial trans fats. Natural trans fats, also known as ruminant trans fats, typically make up 2 to 5% of the fat in dairy products and 3 to 9% of the fat in beef and lamb. Several review studies have concluded that a moderate intake of ruminant trans fats does not appear to be harmful.
Artificial trans fats are another story. Artificial trans fats are formed when manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats through a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is a process by which vegetable oils are converted to solid fats simply by adding hydrogen atoms. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods.
Many institutes recommend completely eliminating artificial trans fats from the diet. Keep in mind that products can be listed as “0 grams of trans fats” if they contain 0 grams to less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. You can also spot trans fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils.”
Monounsaturated fat. It has a cis molecular formation, where the hydrogen atoms are on the same side, this gives it a bend, or a kinked like formation. Monounsaturated fats have only one carbon double bond in their molecule. They are usually liquid at room temperature and have lower melting points than saturated and trans fats.
They are thought of as generally being good for health, especially when chosen over saturated or trans fats. But, it’s always about moderation; any fat can be unhealthy when consumed in unreasonably high quantities.
The last type of fat on our list is polyunsaturated fat. It also has a cis molecular formation. Again, the hydrogen atoms are on the same side, also giving it a kinked formation. Polyunsaturated fats have more than one unsaturated carbon double bond in their molecule. They are typically liquid at room temperature, but start to turn solid when chilled. Polyunsaturated fats are generally classified by their Omega numbering. The omega carbon is the carbon atom at the end of the hydrocarbon chain. There are 4 types of omega fatty acids, 3, 6, 7, and 9. These are determined by where the location of the 1st double bonded carbon atom is located.
The Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are considered essential, because the body cannot make these.
Research suggests that omega 6’s can have inflammatory effects, and omega 3’s can have anti-inflammatory effects. So, the ratio of these fats has been shown to be important.
So, which types of fats should you eat? It is probably best to minimize saturated fats as best as you can, eliminate artificial trans fats completely. Eat a variety of foods from good sources that provide mono and polyunsaturated fats, while keeping an eye on your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, and always listen to your body and monitor how you are feeling, that’s usually the best guide.
what is whey protein? Concentrate, Isolate, and Hydrolyzed.
Our story starts with cows, well, milk from cows that is. Farmers milk their cows, then send that milk to a cheese manufacture. There, it is separated into liquids and solids.
The solids are made into cheese, and the liquid is actually whey. However our story doesn’t stop there. The liquid whey is then sent to a protein manufacturer. Next, the liquid gets filtered.
It then is dried and forms whey protein concentrate. At this point it is a concentrate, so it is anywhere from 30 to 89% protein, and contains lactose, fat and minerals, many which do have health benefits.
Once it is a concentrate, it can be processed further. As it is processed further the protein gets separated from the fats and lactose. At this point many of the health promoting compounds in the concentrate can be lost.
However, what remains is about 90% protein, and this is Protein Isolate. One of the benefits of protein isolate is that it is absorbed more rapidly than the concentrate. Two of ways the protein is processed to get it to isolate form is through microfiltration and ion exchange.
Ion exchange uses chemicals in the purification process, which can denature the protein and cause more loss of micronutrients. Microfiltration however, yields a better protein and less loss of the micronutrients, and no exposure to harsh chemicals.
And, believe it or not, our story is not finished…the whey isolate can be further broken down through hydrolysis. Here, the protein is broken down even further yielding peptides that are absorbed into the bloodstream more rapidly.
So, which type of whey is best? Well, that depends on you.
First is what fits your budget. Whey concentrate is the least expensive, because As the protein gets more brokendown, the price goes up.
Second is what you want from it. If you want a higher amount of protein per serving, and something that is absorbed more rapidly, then isolate or hydrolyzed is the route to go.
What’s my opinion? I would get a protein powder that comes from grass fed cows, that aren’t treated with hormones or antibiotics, that has been processed through the microfiltration method.
It should also have no artificial sweetners and no added sugars, and no gmo ingredients. I know that’s asking a lot of a protein powder, and its probably going to be expensive, but there are powders out there that meet those specs.
In my opinion, its worth the extra money if this is something you are going to be supplementing into your diet on a regular basis.
We are going to start by looking at the molecular structure of a typical amino acid, don’t worry, I am going to make it easy to understand. The basic structure of amino acids is that they consist of a carboxyl group, a lone hydrogen atom, an amino group, and a side chain, which is often referred to as an R-group. The formation of the side chain is what makes amino acids different from one another.
As you can see in this diagram, these 4 are all connected to a carbon atom, which is referred to as the alpha carbon. Not every amino acid follows this exact structure, but, most do.
On the screen I have 3 different amino acids, lysine, tryptophan, and leucine. You can see that each has a carboxyl group, an alpha carbon, a amino group, and an R-group that is different from each other.
There are 23 total amino acids that are proteinogenic. Proteinogenic amino acids are precursors to proteins, which means they are compounds that participate in a chemical reaction to produce another compound.
Of these 23 amino acids, 20 of them are called standard amino acids, and the other 3 are non-standard amino acids. These are listed on the screen. In this video we are going to focus on the standard amino acids, as they are what make up proteins.
These amino acids can be classified many different ways, we are going to classify them in a basic nutritional way. Essential and nonessential. Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body, so, they must come from foods we eat.
Nonessential amino acids are amino acids that our bodies can produce even if we don’t get them from the food we eat. There is a subgroup of nonessential amino acids that are considered to be conditional amino acids. The list of conditional amino acids is not definitive.
For instance, in times of illness or stress, there are certain amino acids the body cant produce sufficiently, and children’s bodys haven’t developed the ability to produce certain amino acids yet.
There are 9 essential and 11 nonessential amino acids, ive listed them on the screen.
So, how do amino acids form proteins?
Proteins are built from the 20 standard amino acids.
Well, the first thing that happens is that 2 amino acids come together to form a peptide bond. A peptide bond is when the carboxyl group of one amino acid bonds with the amino group of another amino acid, as you can see here.
If you notice 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom have been removed from the peptide bonding process. So, the peptide bonding results in the release of a water molecule…h20.
But, we are not finished. More amino acids can link in, and form what is called a polypeptide chain. Some proteins are single polypeptide chains, and other proteins have polypeptide chains linked together. Not all protein contains all 20 of the standard amino acids.
Not all protein contains all 20 of the standard amino acids. Proteins are often labeled as complete or incomplete protein. A Complete protein is a protein source that contains a sufficient quantity of all 9 of the essential amino acids that we discussed earlier. An incomplete protein does not contain a sufficient quantity of all 9 of the essential amino acids.
Complete protein foods include…animal foods such as red meat, poultry, pork and fish. Eggs and dairy products such as cows milk, yogurt, and cheese. Plant foods such as soy products, black beans, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, pistachios, just to name a few. You can also combine incomplete protein foods to create a complete protein meal.
Amino acids also make up most enzymes. These Enzymes are proteins, so they are made by linking amino acids together in a specific and unique order. This chain of amino acids then forms a unique shape that allows the enzyme created to serve a single specific purpose. Enzymes function as catalysts, which means that they speed up the rate at which metabolic processed and reactions occur.
Amino acids can also be metabolized for energy. Some hormones like epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, are amino acid derived. Some neurotransmitters like serotonin are derived from amino acids. The amino acid arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide, which helps regulate blood pressure, improves sleep quality and increases endurance and strength.
