Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Having trouble with the whole simple carbs issue

It drives me nuts when foods like white rice and potatoes and white breads are wrongly termed "simple carbs". There's only one simple carb in the world, and it's plain sugar. No matter how refined grains and cereals are, they're still complex carbs. And potatoes are a vegetable, for God's sake. They're not even a refined carb - they're a whole food.

Refined grains is a better term here. And the only thing this even applies to is the white bread, pasta, and white rice. Other high soluble fiber foods like oatmeal, polenta, potatoes, etc. are not refined at all. Refined grains are still complex carbs, not simple carbs, but they've had their bran and germ removed. There's nutrition in bran and germ as well as insoluble fiber, but for wheat products, once they're refined they're then enriched, to add the vitamins/minerals back in. So all you're missing is the insoluble fiber.

One thing many folks don't seem clear on is that there is nothing in refined carbs that isn't also in whole grains. Nothing is added to white breads that you aren't already eating with whole wheat bread. So it's not like there is something unhealthy being added to white bread - you're just missing the insoluble fiber. And if you have IBS, you may not be able to eat this type of insoluble fiber, in which case you're healthier without it. Agonizing cramps, diarrhea, and constipation are not signs of health.If you worsen these problems with whole grains that your gut (which is not normal, that's why you have IBS) cannot handle, you are not helping yourself. You're making yourself sick, and there's no way that's healthy. This always makes me think of people who have food allergies. If someone is allergic to strawberries, eating them is not in the best interest of their health. Yes, strawberries are packed with vitamin C and anti-oxidants that prevent cancer. But if eating them makes your throat swell shut so you die, then strawberries are not healthy for you, and you should avoid them.

The countries with the highest carb intake are Asian. They get anywhere from 60-75% of their calories from carbs - mostly in the form of the refined grain white rice. Their obesity rates are 2-3%. Their diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis rates are a fraction of the rates in the US. So how many carbs do we eat in the USA? On average, about 45% of our calories come from carbs. And our obesity rates are now 35% and climbing. We have one of the highest obesity rates in the world, but our carb consumption is dramatically lower than those countries with the lowest obesity rates in the world.

Complex carbs are not the enemy, and refined grains are complex carbs. You're not somehow eating bad things in refined grains that are absent from whole grains. You're just missing some insoluble fiber. And you're trying as hard as possible to incorporate as much insoluble fiber as you can, carefully. If you can find this balance and keep your gut stable, you should be eating a really healthy diet that is much more likely to lower your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. It's not a coincidence that so many folks on the boards have found themselves losing weight without trying after adjusting to the IBS diet. And with that weight reduction, their disease rate is dropping as well.

At some point you just have to tune out people telling you to eat foods that you know you cannot eat without getting sick. Whether they're trying to push whole wheat breads or Atkins, if it's not suitable for your body you have every right to just ignore them and do what it takes to keep yourself healthy and happy.

- Heather

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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