Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates: The Most Misunderstood Food Group
We’re Not Just Talking About Bread and Pasta Here
Below is the chapter on Carbohydrates, taken from Dr. Sean Woods’ book, “The Healing Vibe.”
In my experience, carbohydrates are the most misunderstood food group. It can be confusing because one food usually contains two or three of the major food groups: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. In the case of fruit and vegetables, there is usually a high carbohydrate content with a little protein and fat sprinkled in there. Fruit and vegetable ratios are perfect when a person begins the task of cleaning up a body, repairing organs, and building health. When people think of carbs, they commonly conjure up thoughts of bread, pasta, and potatoes and rarely think oranges, grapes, and spinach. Carbohydrates include simple sugars like fruits and vegetables and more complex sugars called polysaccharides in form of grains, breads, and potatoes.
The human body is best designed for the burning of sugar for its fuel source. Even if fats and proteins are consumed for fuel, the body (especially the liver) turns these food groups into sugar for fuel. One of problems with complex sugars, including the polysaccharides, is that we consume too many of them before they are completely broken down and burned for fuel. Many of the multigrain options are loaded with potential fuel, but our digestive systems work hard to get to it, over time weaken, and eventually cause more harm than good. When grains are not prepared properly, either by soaking or sprouting, they can become a burden to the digestive system over time and stick to the body like glue. The glue is stored energy for the body and many people never get the chance to tap into these fuel sources. This occurs because they either continue to eat more before the body burns the stored energy or they never exercise their bodies enough to tap into these energy stores.
I am not against the consumption of complex foods if you are a person who is physically active, and your body is well enough to burn healthfully through these foods. The problems I see are the ones who do not have energy and use these foods thinking it will give them more energy. It is an impossible feat because their digestive systems have lost the ability to completely break these foods down for energy. The work for them is to start tapping into this congested fuel and train the body how to handle simple sugars again. This is the painful process of changing the diet, leaning to be hungry, starting to move the body, and climbing through the emotional barriers of great health.
Making the change to a high fruit and veggie diet can be a big blow to the body. These simple sugars go right to work and begin providing fuel, hydrating, and cleaning the body. Patients who are used to more complex carbohydrates can be left feeling hungry, dissatisfied, and may experience drops in sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates and starch are the sugars that need to be consumed with caution when starting the cleaning process. These include grains (corn, wheat, rice, quinoa), nuts, seeds, beans. These should be soaked to be prepared properly for human consumption. The tough and rigid proteins that bond these sugars together are the lectins we talked about earlier. The good bacteria in our guts have trouble with them and our guts attract yeast and other bad microbes to help with the breakdown. These bugs can go on to use the sticky hard contents to create very hard biofilms that become a barrier to healing. When complex foods are eaten in the improper form and in excessive amounts, they become a major contributor to the plaque and congestion ruining human bodies.
This is the beauty of fruit and vegetables in their ability to pull water into a cell, creating hydration where drinking straight water may not always be able to do so. I tell my patients, “water and oil do not mix!” You need the astringing effect of the fruits and vegetables to break up the congestion. This is especially true when working on fixing a glued-up mesentery. Correcting a mesentery includes loosening up stagnant lymph and meridians, repairing organs, and loosening up a tight body. Vibrant health is linked to the body’s ability to use good clean carbon for its fuel source. We have been told how good proteins and fats are for fuel, but there is no way around the fact that they are inferior to good clean carbon. When you train your body to use good clean carbon for its fuel source, you will have won the battle on health.