What is so bad about “bad carbs”?
As we explained in our “The Four Worst Carbs” article, we believe these to be: refined flour, refined sugar, white rice and fruit juice. But what exactly makes these foods so bad?
1. Bad Carbs Are Not Bulky
Because of this, they don’t take up a lot of room or space in your stomach and you need to eat massive amounts of them to feel full.
2. Refined Carbs Are Rapidly Absorbed
This causes a sharp glucose surge into the bloodstream, which forces your pancreas to pump out the fat-storing hormone insulin. Whenever your blood sugar level spikes, your pancreas must produce insulin to bring the blood sugar back down to a healthy level.
The problem is insulin is your body’s primary fat-storing hormone; it forces your liver to convert the excess sugar in your blood into fat. The more frequently you assault your body by eating quickly absorbed, blood sugar–spiking, refined carbs the more demand you place on your pancreas, the more fat you gain, and the greater chance you place yourself for developing type 2 diabetes.
3. A Diet Rich in Refined Carbs is Linked to Various Diseases
A diet rich in refined carbs is also linked to heart disease and even increased cancer risk. But that’s not all…
If you are not particularly active and the refined carbs you eat are not burned off for energy, your body can actually convert them into pro-inflammatory saturated fat, specifically a very dangerous type of saturated fat associated with an increased risk of heart disease called palmitic acid.
The saturated fat your body manufacturers from eating excess amounts of refined carbs will increase systemic and whole body inflammation. Being inflamed will not only negatively affect your appearance but will also exacerbate symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as MS, asthma, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, arthritis, endometriosis, etc.
4. A Diet Rich in Refined Carbs Can Lead to High Cholesterol
If all of this is not bad enough, did you know the insulin your body manufactures to deal with the empty calorie carbohydrates also activates the main enzyme responsible for making cholesterol in your liver? What this means is that even if you eat a 100 percent cholesterol-free, animal-free and vegan diet your cholesterol can still be very high if you eat too many processed empty-calorie refined carbohydrates.
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The bottom line is, just avoid the four worst carbs and stick to “whole” carbs (like fruits, vegetables, unrefined whole grains, beans, potatoes, corn, etc.) and you’ll be good.
Catherine says
Does fruit juice include oranges you squeeze yourself to make juice?
Ivy Larson says
Hi Catherine, yes, even if you make it yourself if you are squeezing the juice then you are not getting the WHOLE orange. Here is an article I did on the best way to make your own fresh orange juice: https://cleancuisine.com/juice-bars-juice-fasting-and-juice-detox-not-as-healthy-as-you-think/