Carbohydrates should provide the majority of the calories you eat each day — between 45 and 65 percent. Carbohydrates are an important fuel; as the body digests them, it converts them into glucose, or blood sugar, for energy. With so many calories coming from this carbs, it’s important to know about the choices available to you and pick the carbohydrates that promote cardiovascular health.
Heart Health and Complex Carbohydrates
It used to be that carbohydrates were grouped solely by their chemical makeup — either simple carbohydrates (chains of sugars that the body digests quickly) or complex carbohydrates, made of three or more chains of sugars, which take longer to process and help you feel fuller longer.
Now we look at carbohydrates with a more careful eye, and often in terms of good and bad carbs. “Good” carbs are foods in their natural form that provide the nutrients and fiber that are missing from refined products. Top complex carbohydrate choices include whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit — all of which are good for your heart.
“Bad” carbs typically are carbohydrates that provide sugar (usually added sugar as opposed to the natural occurring sugars in foods like fresh fruit and milk) with few or no nutrients. These processed, refined foods can run the gamut from soda to doughnuts to white bread. Bad carbs usually present two problems: They don’t promote good health and they keep you from eating foods that do.
Heart Health and the Glycemic Index
Sometimes, instead of being designated as simple or complex carbohydrates, carbs are described and rated in terms of their glycemic index (GI), which refers to how rapidly, and how much, a food can cause a rise in blood glucose and insulin.
High GI foods are rapidly digested and include white bread, pasta, rice, cakes, juices, and soda; even though they aren’t refined and processed, starchy foods like potatoes fall into this group, too. Long-term, daily rapid increases in blood glucose and insulin from high glycemic index foods can lead to increases in blood LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, as well as in stored fat.
Lower GI foods are digested more slowly, so they don’t increase blood glucose and insulin as much. They include many of the good carbs like vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains, which have the added benefit of being high in many nutrients. In general, the less a carbohydrate food is processed, the lower its GI index.
Serving Up Carb Choices for Heart Health
There is such a wide variety of good carbohydrate choices that getting them into your diet is easy.
Fruits and vegetables. These are great low-calorie sources of carbohydrates, packing in vitamins and minerals and, when eaten in their most natural form, fiber — that’s why you’ll get more value from eating fruits whole rather than fruit juices. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study found that a diet high in fruit and vegetables reduced blood pressure. People who eat more than seven servings a day have a far lower risk of developing coronary heart disease (angina or a heart attack) or stroke. The DASH plan suggests consuming between four and five half-cup servings each of vegetables and fruit each day.
The most protective foods are:
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can also lower LDL cholesterol. Keep the starchy vegetables like potatoes to a minimum; when you do have them, eat the skin for its fiber and choose sweet potatoes for their vitamin A.
Whole grains. Grains such as wheat, barley, and rye are either used intact in foods or mechanically broken apart during the milling process. When whole grain is milled, most of the germ and bran is removed. This refining process leaves the white, starch-rich remains of the grains with much less nutritional value. Researchers have found a 20 to 40 percent risk reduction for coronary heart disease with a diet high in whole, non-refined grains. Bran content seems to be a particularly essential component in lowering cardiovascular disease risk.
Of the six 1-ounce daily servings recommended from the grain food group, at least three should be whole grains, and the closer to six whole grain servings the better. Choices include whole wheat pasta and bread, brown rice, and whole grains like quinoa, barley, and bulgur that make great side dishes. Or start your day with oats or an all-bran cereal.
Legumes, dried peas, and beans. Vegetables classified as legumes, such as beans and peas, should also be eaten nearly every day, as ingredients in soups and stews or tossed into a heart-healthy salad. A major study showed they can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease when eaten regularly.
Carbohydrates are an essential part of a heart-healthy diet. Making good choices will not only have a positive impact on your cardiovascular health, but on your entire body as well.
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