Falling asleep naturally Part 4: Complex vs Simple Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are basically molecules of sugar chained together in different configurations. Their primary function is to provide energy for the body, especially the brain and the nervous system. An enzyme called amylase helps break down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar), which is then used for energy by the body.

There are three forms of carbohydrates – simple, complex and dietary fiber. The difference between these three is the number of sugar molecules and how these sugars are combined.

Simple Carbohydrates

When you think of simple carbohydrates think simply SUGAR. Most of these simple carbohydrates are easy to identify since their names end in "ose". Examples of single unit sugars (called a saccharide), are the fruit sugar fructose and milk sugar galactose. Examples of a double sugar, one made with two units of sugar (called a disaccharide), are plain table sugar sucrose, the other milk sugar lactose and malt sugar maltose.

Simple carbohydrates are usually considered "bad" carbs, but that term is really reserved for the carbs that have been processed and broken down before being put back together again in an unnatural way such as to produce a sweet product like chocolate or a soda. These carbs are referred to as "empty calories" since they only provide quick energy in the form of a blood sugar spike (better known as a sugar rush).

Lest you think all simple sugars are bad, this category also includes natural simple carbohydrates like fruits, natural fruit juices, and milk. Along with the quick energy, natural simple carbohydrates also provide health-giving nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

Complex Carbohydrates

The long chains of sugar (polysaccharides) that make up complex carbohydrates form STARCH. These are high-fiber foods that help stabilize blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level, and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal.

Even this category has some problems. Processed complex carbohydrates tend to give you the same empty calories that processed simple carbs give. For example, wheat that is stripped of it's nourishing bran and processed into bleached white flour has little nourishment available for the body to absorb. That flour is then turned into cakes, cookies, bread, and other "foods" that are rapidly digested into glucose, spiking blood sugar and insulin just as the processed simple carbs do.

What determines whether starches are digested rapidly or slowly?

What is done to the starch before we eat it. Particularly when it comes to grains (and especially wheat), we have a tendency to grind it, puff it, flake it, roll it, and generally beat it into submission so we can form it into any number of processed foods. This has the effect of doing some of the work of our digestive systems before the food even goes into our mouths. It’s really no wonder that these foods are turned into sugar so efficiently within minutes of being in our bodies. The starches that are most rapidly digested are those made from flour (including whole grain flour) and most breakfast cereals.

On the other hand, if grains or legumes remain whole, such as beans, brown rice or whole barley, the starch is broken down into sugars much more slowly, and some never is turned into sugar at all, but reaches the large intestine intact – this is called resistant starch.

Starch Structure. Different kinds of starch have different arrangements of molecules, and some are easier for our digestive enzymes to get at than others. One kind of starch, called amylose, is broken down quite slowly. The higher the amount of amylose in a starch, the more slowly it is digested. Different types of rice have differing percentages of amylose. Long grain rices, which tend to stay more separate, are higher in amylose. Shorter grain rices, which tend to produce creamier and stickier rice are low in amylose and are more quickly digested. New potatoes (sometimes described as “waxy”) have a starch that is closer to amylose in structure than more mature potatoes, and are thus more slowly digested.

Most of the starch in beans has a structure which is only slowly broken down into sugars.

Surprises: One processed food that seems to be digested more slowly than would be guessed is pasta. Apparently the starch molecules are so tightly packed that only about half is rapidly digested when the pasta is cooked “al dente” (slightly firm). Cooking time and thickness of the pasta greatly affects how rapidly it's digested.

Additionally, when some cooked starches, such as potatoes and rice, are cooked and cooled, a small percentage of the starch takes longer to digest.

Dietary Fiber

Dietary Fiber (sometimes called roughage) is the indigestible portion of plant foods. Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Meat, milk and eggs do not contain fiber.

Fiber is divided into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Whereas insoluble fiber passes through the digestive tract relatively unchanged, soluble fiber dissolves to form a soft gel.

Fiber acts by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and by changing how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed. Soluble fiber absorbs water to become a gelatinous, viscous substance and is fermented by bacteria in the digestive tract. Insoluble fiber has bulking action, is not fermented, passes through the digestive tract quickly and makes defecation easier.

After soluble fiber dissolves in water, it traps nutrients inside its gummy gel and slows down considerably while moving through the digestive tract. Inside the gel, nutrients are shielded from digestive enzymes and less likely to reach the wall of the intestines. Dietary sugars and starch are among the nutrients trapped inside this gel. Consequently, sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly, moderating the blood glucose spike and insulin response.

Sooooo...
The moral of the story of carbohydrates is to get as much unprocessed, real foods into your daily diet as possible. That includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and pasta while limiting highly processed foods to occasional treats. Remember, we want to get as much tryptophan into the bloodstream as possible so it can be turned into serotonin and then into melatonin.

Next: Serotonin and Melatonin

The Insomnia Series
Falling asleep naturally Part 1
Falling asleep naturally Part 2: The Interaction of Biochemicals
Falling asleep naturally Part 3: Tryptophan and Insulin