A majority of the food that we consume daily is rich in carbohydrates. Foods obviously high in carbohydrates include sugar rich, sweet food such as soft drinks, candy, chocolate etc. Other carbohydrate rich foods include bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, porridge, muesli etc. These are foods that are the staple for most of the people around the world. But as many of you might have heard, excessive carbohydrate can have a negative impact on the body or, so they say. Let’s take a look into what makes eating excess carbohydrates such a bad option.

Destabilizes blood sugar homeostasis
The body has an inbuilt homeostasis mechanism which basically refers to the body’s capacity to maintain its sugar within tolerable levels. Eating an excess of especially refined carbohydrates can create a series of blood sugar highs and lows. This consequently requires the body to produce insulin in an erratic pattern. Over time, the highs and lows in blood sugar levels destabilize the body’s ability to produce insulin at the appropriate time leading to most commonly type 2 diabetes.

Weight gain
Overeating of carbohydrates (especially refined) creates fluctuations in insulin production as mentioned above. When the insulin level spikes, it causes the body to store fat. This is why people who binge on high carbohydrate food suffer from rapid weight gain. Once the fat has been stored, it can be extremely difficult to burn off.

Cognitive slowdown
This is commonly referred to as brain fog. The rapid reduction in blood sugar levels after the insulin spike has a direct impact on neurons as they are cells that cannot store glucose. The low glucose levels result in malfunctioning neurons which result in confusion, nervousness and lack of attention. This leads to the person being what we call spaced out.
It is important to be aware of the foods that are high in carbohydrates. The most common misconception is that food that is bland and does not taste sweet are low in carbohydrates which are untrue. Most of the processed food, even those which say sugar-free are rich in unsweetened forms of carbohydrates that produce the same complications. Therefore switching to a multi grain natural diet which includes a balanced amount of rice, wheat and millets is what contributes to a balance in carbohydrate intake. So, don’t take the easier option when it comes to food. Always take the effort to eat freshly prepared food. If you cannot cook it then, order it.