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“Driven by Carbs” Behavior

Carbohydrates are processed by the body, turned into glucose, carried in the bloodstream and then stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles, for use as energy later. If we consume too much sugar, the glucose level in our blood becomes too high and our pancreas has to produce insulin to deal with the excess glucose and store it as fat. This can become a bit of a vicious circle which is known as “Driven by Carbs Behavior”.  These cravings increase with menopause and aging.

The cycle starts with eating a sugary snack. You experience a sugar hit and raised blood sugar level and insulin is then produced to get rid of the excess glucose. The result is low blood glucose, which may leave you craving something sweet again. You eat another sugary snack or beverage and the cycle starts again. Unfortunately, the more you do this, the more insulin is produced causing a greater amount of sugar to be stored as fat and causing the liver to become fatty and inefficient.

According to Patrick Holford, founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London, if this behaviour is continued, you will suffer from permanently high insulin levels which cause more sugars to be stored as fat and also prevent the body from breaking down the stored fat. You then become insulin resistant and the body has to produce more and more insulin each time sugar is consumed, to lower blood glucose level. According to Stanford University, this insulin resistance can lead to high blood glucose levels, type 2 diabetes and Syndrome X, which can cause heart disease.

In the past, it was thought carbohydrates could be split into simple (bad carbs) and complex carbohydrates (good carbs) and that if we consumed less simple carbs like refined sugars, and ate more complex carbs, like wholegrains, we could balance blood sugar levels and lose weight successfully. However, it was found that different complex carbs had very different effects on blood glucose levels and the Glycemic Index was born, followed by the more accurate Glycemic Load.

Eating a low GL diet with natural supplements can help you to avoid this driven-by-carbs behavior. The glycemic index (GI) of a food is a measure of whether the carbohydrates in it are fast release or slow release. The GL of a food takes into account a typical portion size of a food as well as its GI and so gives a better idea of what effect the food will have on blood sugar.

It is important to avoid driven-by-carbs behavior, and one way to do this is to learn more about the GL of foods and choose low GL options.