Carbohydrates
Why Not Eat Complex Carbohydrates
After 3 o'clock in the Afternoon?

Gary Lindahl, P.T.

Carbohydrates are the fuel our body converts to glucose the most efficiently. Glucose is the optimal form of energy our bodies use, just like gas for our cars. It is produced through various pathways in the body and is derived from carbohydrates, fats, protein, and alcohol. The pathway of glucose production depends on the type of food as well as a person's activity.

Carbohydrates are divided into two types: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates consist mostly of refined sugars and includes glucose, fructose, and sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar), and are found in foods, such as candy, soft drinks, fruits, and alcohol. They require little or no digestion before being quickly swept into the body stream for instant energy.

Complex carbohydrates (starches) are composed of multiple chains of simple sugars and must be digested before glucose is available for absorption. Complex carbohydrates are found in such foods as breads, pasta, potatoes, and cereal. It's often said that anything we eat that is white contains complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates take up to four hours to digest. If not burned after four hours of digestion, they are transferred and stored as energy in the form of body fat. Unfortunately, fats are even worse as an immediate efficient source of energy, since they take 9-12 hours to digest. It is interesting to note that each stored fat gram provides more than twice the energy of a gram of carbohydrate when changed from fat to glucose. This slow conversion of digestion for complex carbohydrates of four hours and fat from 9-12 hours is the culprit which creates obesity, when they are not immediately burned as fuel. The problem is, when the conversion finally takes place, you are sound asleep!

So what do you do to reduce the chances for stored fat?

1. Maintain a balance diet, but eat your complex carbohydrates and fats earlier in the day - before 3 p.m. After mid afternoon, focus on proteins, vegetables, salads, and eating less at dinner.
2. Start a high intensity strengthening exercise program to increase your overall basic metabolism.
3. Take a walk after you have eaten to assist in digestion and possibly keep you away from deserts and the refrigerator! By the way, don't walk just to burn calories, as you would have to walk briskly for 44 miles to burn 1 pound of fat !!!

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