Читать книгу Sugar Addicts’ Diet - Nicki Waterman - Страница 22

These are generally longer units – in fact, they are simple sugars strung together. Before they can be used by the body, they have to be broken down into smaller, simple units – a process that takes both time and energy.

In order to be used by the body, all carbohydrates are eventually broken down into glucose. We can see from this that glucose (a sugar) isn’t bad – in fact, it’s essential for life. The brain and nervous system need glucose to function. But we get the glucose we need from the breakdown of vegetables, fruits and grains without adding any extra. Also, if the production of glucose from the food is slow because the body has to break it down – as it does with ‘brown’, complex carbohydrates – this helps to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood. If, on the other hand, the breakdown is quick, this can lead to high amounts of glucose in the blood followed by a corresponding dip – poor blood-sugar control. And some carbohydrates cause this to happen more quickly than others. Simple carbohydrates get converted to glucose very quickly (if they aren’t already glucose itself) while complex carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream slowly, helping to avoid these blood-sugar imbalances. For further information about blood-sugar, see ‘The Sugar Roller Coaster’.

Stop! You’re probably thinking that all complex carbohydrates must be good for you because your body has to work to break them down. That’s not the case – some are far better than others. Complex carbohydrates come in two varieties – unrefined and refined.