Carbohydrates are chains of sugar molecules lined in a row. They are found in all plants and foods made from plants. Carbohydrates can be a single sugar, two sugars bound together, three or four sugars. Thousands of sugars bound together are called starch, and millions of sugars bound together so tightly that you cannot break them down are called fiber.
Only single sugars can pass from your intestines into your blood stream. After you eat, food that contains starch enters your intestines where enzymes knock off each end sugar consecutively. You knock off end sugars rapidly and continuously, and they are absorbed immediately. All simple sugars and starches that are broken down rapidly go into the bloodstream rapidly, to cause a high rise in blood sugar.
Resistant starches contain long chains of sugars that cannot release their end sugars, so they are not absorbed. They pass to the colon where bacteria convert them into fatty acids that help prevent colon cancer and heart attacks. That’s why you want to eat carbohydrates that release their sugars slowly and restrict carbohydrates that release sugars rapidly. The easier it is to break carbohydrates down into single sugars, the higher your blood sugar level rises and the more insulin you produce.
When a whole grain is ground into a powder, it loses its protective capsule that keeps it from being broken down so quickly. See my page on the Anatomy of a Whole Grain.
Most people who follow a complete nutritional balancing program will slowly, or perhaps rapidly, reduce their addiction or cravings for carbohydrates (fruits, nuts, seeds, some grains, some beans and breads.) The reason nutritional balancing is so effective, compare to many other programs, is that it attacks the problem from many angles in a completely integrated way. These include:
- Correcting the intestinal flora. This may require taking a probiotic such as Bio-K Original for a short time, but usually the diet and supplements we recommend are sufficient.
- Balancing the major mineral ratios using diet and targeted nutritional supplements.
- Improving the digestion and absorption of hundreds of nutrients by correcting the diet and the use of a powerful digestive aid, as well as improved eating habits.
- Removing toxic metals and toxic chemicals from the body.
- Relaxing the sympathetic nervous system.
- Learning to live a balanced and a healthy lifestyle.
- Restoring proper hydration and oxygenation of the body.
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Sources: Dr. Gabe Mirkin