REFINED CARBOHYDRATES

    Refined carbohydrates are sugars and starches that have had most of their nutrients and fiber removed. A good example is white flour. When a kernel of wheat is refined to produce white flour, we remove two things: the bran, (where most of the fiber is), and the germ (the storehouse of nutrients including protein, vitamin E, vitamins, and minerals). What we are left with is endosperm, otherwise known as starch.  In removing bran and wheat germ from a kernel of wheat, we squander some valuable resources. Lost are 95 percent of the phytochemicals, 80-90 percent of the fiber, and about 75 percent of the vitamins and minerals. Of course, we don’t simply eat the bowl of white flour. First, we add sugar, salt, fat, colors, flavors and/or preservatives in order to turn the flour into common favorites such as bread, pasta, cereals, crackers, pretzels, cookies, and other baked goods.  Sometimes we add nutrients back to the flour before making these products in an effort to prevent nutritional deficiency diseases.  This is called enrichment.  The nutrients that are most often added back are the B-vitamins thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, and the mineral iron. Unfortunately, none of the fiber or phytochemicals are added back, nor are most of the vitamins and minerals, like zinc, magnesium, chromium, manganese, selenium, copper, and vitamin E.  While enrichment is desirable, it is a very distant second choice to leaving the grain intact.  Unfortunately, in North America more than 98 percent of all the flour we use is refined white flour. 

 

    It should come as no surprise that where ever populations rely on refined carbohydrates as dietary staples, they experience high rates of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

 

    Are carbohydrates to blame? Absolutely not. In fact, the populations with the lowest rates of chronic diseases in the world consume among the highest percentages of carbohydrates. The key to healthful high carbohydrate diets is the source of the carbohydrates – when they come packaged in whole foods, with fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals and the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals, they are consistently protective to human health.

Refined carbohydrates should not be confused with simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are sugars, while complex carbohydrates are starches. Refined sugars and refined starches both have negative impacts on health. By contrast, unrefined sugars and unrefined starches both promote and protect health.

 

    Refined sugars include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, syrup, jam, jelly, candy and beverages that are mainly sugar – soda pop, koolaid, fruit “drink” (fruit-flavored drinks with little or no real fruit). Unrefined sugars come primarily from fruits and vegetables.

 

    Refined starches include white flour, white rice, and all concentrated starches such as cornstarch, tapioca starch, potato starch and arrowroot starch. Unrefined starches come from all whole plant foods - grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

 

    Potential adverse health effects of refined carbohydrates include:

• Impaired blood sugar control.
• Increased triglycerides.
• Overeating and overweight (foods low in fiber are less filling and can more easily contribute to overeating).
• Increased risk for gastrointestinal disorders (constipation, colon cancer, etc.)

 

    It is OK to eat small amounts of refined carbohydrates, but these foods should never become dietary staples. As a general rule, reserve white flour and refined sugar products for occasional consumption.

 

    The average North American eats about 25% of their calories as sugar. Eat no more than 10 tsp of added sugar per day.

 

 

Table 3.4: Sugar Content of Common Foods

 

Food	Sugar (tsp.)
Mister Misty DQ Slush, 32 oz.	28
Fruitopia, Strawberry, 20 oz.	18
Orange soda, 12 oz.	13
Cinnamon bun, 7.5 oz.	12
MacDonald’s vanilla shake, 20 oz.	12
Pancake syrup, ¼ cup	10
Pepsi, 12 oz.	10
Low-fat fruit yogurt, 8 oz.	7
Fruit “drink”	7
Snickers Bar	6
Kool-aid, 8 oz.	6
Pie, 1 slice	6
Jell-O, ½ cup	5
Hard candy, 1 oz.	5
Milk Chocolate, 1 oz.	4
Baked beans, canned, 1 cup	4
Dark Chocolate, 1 oz.	3.5
Presweetened cereal, 1 oz.	3

 * From the USDA Nutrient Database.

 

Practical Pointer: Refined carbohydrates, including both starches and sugars, should be minimized in the diet. A reasonable upper limit for people with diabetes would be 2 servings per day.

 

 

Table 5.4: Sugar Content of Common Foods

 

Food	Sugar tsp (mL)
Mister Misty DQ Slush, 32 oz. (909 g)	28 tsp (140 mL)
Fruitopia, Strawberry, 20 oz. (568 g)	18 tsp (90 mL)
Orange soda, 12 oz. (340 g)	13 tsp (65 mL)
Cinnamon roll, 7.5 oz. (210 g)	12 tsp (60 mL)
MacDonald’s vanilla shake, 20 oz. (568 g)	12 tsp (60 mL)
Pancake syrup, 1/4 cup (60 mL)	10 tsp (50 mL)
Pepsi, 12 oz. (340 g)	10 tsp (50 mL)
Low-fat fruit yogurt, 8 oz. (227 g)	7 tsp (35 mL)
Fruit “drink”, 8 oz. (227 g)	7 tsp (35 mL)
Snickers bar, 1	6 tsp (30 mL)
Kool-Aid, 8 oz. (227 g)	6 tsp (30 mL)
Pie, 1 slice	6 tsp (30 mL)
Jell-O, 1/2 cup (125 mL)	5 tsp (25 mL)
Hard candy, 1 oz. (28 g)	5 tsp (25 mL)
Milk chocolate, 1 oz. (28 g)	4 tsp (20 mL)
Baked beans, canned, 1 cup (250 mL)	4 tsp (20 mL)
Dark chocolate, 1 oz. (28 g)	3.5 tsp (17.5 mL)
Presweetened cereal, 1 oz. (28 g)	3 tsp (15 mL)

* From the USDA Nutrient Database.

 

 

What Foods to Eat; What Foods to Avoid 

 

Eat Less Often	Choose Instead
White rice	Brown rice or barley
White bread	Whole grain bread or whole wheat bread
Low fiber cereals (less than 5 grams of fiber per serving)	High fiber cereals (more than 5 grams of fiber per serving), hot oatmeal, multigrain cereal or barley
Crackers made with white flour	Rye crisp bread or other whole grain crackers without hydrogenated fat
Baked goods made with white flour	Homemade baked goods with whole wheat flour and minimal sugar
Cookies made with white flour	Homemade healthful cookies made with whole wheat flour
Ice cream	Fruit “ice cream” (made with frozen fruits)
Soda pop	Water or coconut water Unsweetened soda is OK on occasion
“Fruit” beverages or koolaid	Water, fruit iced tea (without sugar) or fruit juices (occasionally)
Candy	Fresh fruit or nuts

 

 

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