Lyle Hurd: We hear a good deal of conversation about carbohydrates, that they are
bad for you, you know, all sorts of things. Can you give us an idea of what
carbohydrates are, what they do, what you need to do to be aware of that
and what you can do to take advantage of what’s available to help manage
it.
Ms. Sherry Torkos: Yeah, I’d be happy to; you know, try and clear up this confusion, because
I think there’s a lot of misinformation with respect to carbohydrates. This
is probably one of the most heavily scrutinized food groups that we have.
Now, carbohydrates are present in food such as fruits and vegetables.
They’re present in our grains and starches, and even our beans and
legumes. They provide us with a readily source of energy and they also
provide us with vitamins and minerals and dietary fiber. Now, we do need
to have carbohydrates as part of a healthy diet. The problem is that
sometimes we’re eating too many of the wrong type of carbohydrates—the
bad carbohydrates—and those are foods that are high in sugar. So, for
example, candy, chocolate bars, sweets—they contain a lot of sugar,
which is a form of carbohydrate. But too much sugar has been linked to
obesity, it can affect your immune system, it can cause a lot of problems—
such as tooth decay, and even it’s been linked to problems such as
diabetes. So, I think the problem today is we’re eating too many of the
wrong types of carbohydrates and also the wrong amount.
When you look at the portions in restaurants today of French fries, of
potato chips, bagels and muffins—some of these foods have really grown
in size and portion size over the past few decades. So, the concern is,
we’re eating too many of the wrong type of carbs—these are the high
sugar, high starch carbohydrates—and our portion sizes have gotten a little
out of control. Now, I don’t think that we should be cutting carbs out of
our diet. They are an important part of a healthy diet. In fact, if you don’t
get enough carbohydrates, that can lead to depression, anxiety; it can
cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies; and it can really impair your
energy levels. So, you want to make sure you’re eating good, quality
carbohydrates—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes—
these are our good carbohydrates. The ones to minimize are your sugars
and your refined starches; such as white bread, white rice, white pasta and
products that are made with white flour. The reason they are bad is that
they get broken down very quickly into sugar. That causes very rapid
increases in blood sugar and insulin levels. It can promote fat storage. But
also, over the long term, eating a lot of these high glycemic, or quick
release carbs, has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes. So,
with carbohydrates, keep in mind that we do need them as part of a
healthy diet. You just want to cut down on some of the bad and harmful
carbs.
Lyle Hurd: You recommend a good source of learning about those carbohydrates and
understanding which are which.
Ms. Sherry Torkos: Yeah, in fact, folks go to my website—which is www.sherrytokos.com —I
do have a lot information on healthy eating and the role of carbohydrates
in diet. And I also have a number of books that I’ve written that do address
this matter, such as Winning at Weight Loss and The Glycemic Index
Made Simple. And also in my books, I talk about strategies for managing
your carbohydrate intake—dietary measures and also supplements. We do
know that taking certain supplements, such as Phase 2—which is a white
kidney bean extract—can help reduce some of the starchy carbohydrates
that you would get when you eat foods such as breads, pastas and
potatoes.
Lyle Hurd: www.sherrytorkos.com —we can learn about your books, educate
ourselves about carbohydrates—
Ms. Sherry Torkos: That’s right.
Lyle Hurd: Great. T-O-R-K-O-S.
Ms. Sherry Torkos: That’s right. Thank you.
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