Carbohydrates provide our main energy supply for the body to keep you and your organs functioning. The common name for carbohydrate in the Ghanaian setting is starch. This is wrong. Not all carbohydrates are starches.
Some sources of carbohydrates include
- Starches: millet, sorghum, oats, wheat, banku, rice, yam, cassava, fufu, konkonte, plantain, Kenkey, potatoes, cocoyam, spaghetti, pasta, corn and corn products. Some of the starches are whole grains. Whole grains have not been polished and thus contain fibre. Examples of the whole grain starches are the wheat, oats, corn, brown rice.
- Vegetables: onion, tomatoes, kontomire, aleefu, bokorbokor, booma, Ayoyo, cassava leaves, carrot, cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, spinach, okra, kwawunsusua etc.
- Fruits: mango, pawpaw, watermelon, orange, apple, banana, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple etc
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T EAT ENOUGH CARBOHYDRATES
Eating too little carbohydrate may lead to low blood sugar levels – called ‘hypoglycemia’, leaving you feeling weak and light headed. It can also affect concentration as your brain needs a good supply of fuel to think and learn. Hypoglycemia is a particular risk for people with diabetes and very active sports people.
If we eat too little carbohydrate our body will begin to use up some stored fat but quickly moves on to burning protein tissue such as in the heart and muscles.
HOW MUCH CARBOHYDRATE SHOULD I EAT?
About half of our energy intake should come from food. Try it this way; at each meal, ensure that you have enough starches and vegetables. Take the fruits in between meals but in moderation.
CAN CARBOHYDRATES MAKE ME GAIN WEIGHT?
Carbohydrates are energy giving foods. Anytime there is an excess of energy in the body, it is converted to fat. When you eat large quantities of carbohydrates, especially the starches, excess energy left can be stored as fat.
IS A DIET LOW IN CARBOHYDRATE HELPFUL?
‘Low-carbohydrate’ diets are sometimes used for weight loss. In the short term they can lead to side effects such as constipation, headache, bad breath and nausea. In the longer term, cutting out any food group can be bad for health because you risk missing out on vital nutrients. Following a very low-carbohydrate diet does not seem to help people lose weight and keep it off.
SUMMARY
Carbohydrates are an important part of our diet and should make up about half of our diet (in terms of energy). Whenever you have the option, go for the whole grain carbohydrates and make fruits and veggies your friends. And lastly, forget those myths about how bad carbohydrates are. As a car with gasoline or diesel is useless, so is a body without carbohydrate. But in all this we say; MODERATION IS KEY.
Source:
Carroll K. Owu
Registered dietician(RD)
References:
BDA.(2019). Carbohydrates. Retrieved from www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2019). Carbohydrates: quality matters. Retrieved June 12, 2019, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates
