Thought for Food: August 2018: carbohydrates

WHAT’S SO WRONG WITH CARBS?

The recent rash of books on diet and weight reduction likes to point to carbohydrates as the root cause of obesity and abnormal metabolism - metabolism being the process which transforms our food into fuel.

The truth, however, is the opposite: carbs play an important and positive role in our bodies. They are involved in energy production, water balance and a host of other functions. But you have to use them with intelligence, not with indulgence. So say the College of Family Physicians of Canada [1].

Many people are confused about carbohydrates. So we do need them to function, but it is vitally important that they should be the right kind of carbs. Just limiting or counting the numbers, is where many of us go wrong.

What are these ‘right kind of carbs’?

You won’t be surprised to hear that whole wheat bread, oats, rye and wholegrain pasta, are better choices than highly refined white, or French fries. The healthiest sources of carbohydrates are unprocessed or minimally processed grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. They deliver vitamins, minerals, fiber, and many important nutrients.

Unhealthy sources include white bread or pasta, pastries, sodas, and other highly processed or refined foods. These are too easily digested, which means that they may well cause weight gain, and promote diabetes and heart disease [2].

Carbohydrates are of special importance for people with type 2 diabetes. Carb counting is often treated as the holy grail of treatment. But plain ‘carb counting’ ignores one very important fact, namely this difference between simple and complex carbs.

Complex carbs, like whole grains, are low glycemic index foods. Which means they take more time to be broken down and digested. This prevents a sudden rise in the level of blood sugar and insulin levels. They also keep you filled for longer, and so reduce the craving for unhealthy snacks.

Consider the four major categories of foods that have carbs: fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy. Many of the individual foods in those categories are nutrition powerhouses. They contain fiber, and the more fiber a food contains, the less quickly your blood sugar will react. Veggies and fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Dairy products provide calcium and in many cases vitamin D. Carbs like these are a very efficient form of energy.

Simple carbs, like sugar and white bread, have hardly any nutritional value and, worse, cause an almost immediate increase in your blood glucose levels. [3]

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EAT:

veg: aubergines, french/runner/broad beans, calabrese, cauli, cucumbers, fennel, chard, spinach (beet), summer squash, sweetcorn, globe artichokes, beet, carrots, courgettes, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, peppers, radish, turnip, marrow, tomatoes, spring onions, salsify/scorzonera, samphire, rocket, watercress.

Cheap, free range good-for-you meat: rabbit and wood pigeon. Puffballs!

Fish is excellent at this time of year: mackerel, black bream, hake, crab, grey mullet, trout, scallops, sea bass, flounder.

SOW:

Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, chicory, kohl rabi, lettuce for harvesting November/December, quick variety peas, mooli (=white) and black radish, chard, spinach beet. Lamb's lettuce (corn salad), rocket and especially land cress will survive the winter.

Perpetual spinach, (spinach beet, or leaf beet) tastes as good as 'true' spinach, is more forgiving of soil and weather and doesn't go to seed so quickly. Sow now for winter/spring crop.

Early August only: chard, florence fennel, spring onions, turnip.

And don't forget that for successful winter growing, there are many seeds which can be sown this time of year, in late summer/early autumn: see http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/winter-growing-its-time-to-plan-and-sow/. I specially recommend the lovely white and black radishes, so welcome in winter and early spring.

RECIPES

FRENCH or RUNNER BEAN PATTIES

300g French or runner beans, 2 small eggs, 25g grated mature cheese, 4tblsp flour, olive oil, 1tsp tomato puree, seasoning.

Cook the beans, chop quite finely. Mix all ingredients bar the oil and make into patties. Fry in the oil, both sides.

SIDE DISH of SAUTEED LETTUCE and COTTAGE CHEESE

Cut your lettuce up in, very roughly, something like 2-3 cm squares. Sauté for a few minutes in half butter and half olive oil, stirring regularly. Mix in some (ideally full-fat*) cottage cheese, herbs and/or spices, maybe olives, and let this heat through. Serve as a side dish, or try on toast.

* The fat in here helps absorb the nutrients and does not make you gain weight [4]!

CRUSHED NEW POTATOES with CREME FRAICHE (preferred, but you can use sour cream) and CRACKED CORIANDER

1tblsp coriander seeds, 625g new potatoes, sea salt, 120ml creme fraiche, 2tblsp butter, pepper, snipped chives.

Toast the seeds over moderately low heat, shaking the pan frequently, for 3-4 mins or until you can just smell their fragrance. Crush with the flat bottom of a heavy glass. Cook the potatoes until tender. Drain, keep warm. Just before serving, transfer to a shallow dish. With fork or masher, crush gently to just split them open. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Spoon the crème fraîche over them. Cut the butter into small pieces. Sprinkle it on top, then the coriander and chives, and more salt and pepper.

CAULIFLOWER SAUCE

Gently sauté chopped garlic for 3-4 mins in fat or oil until fragrant, without letting it brown. Add 360ml water, cauliflower, and salt. Bring to the boil, lower heat, cover, and let it simmer for 8-10 mins, until the cauli is tender. Remove from heat. Let cool for a couple of minutes and pour into a food processor or blender. Add 2tblsp milk and, optional, nutritional yeast. Purée until creamy smooth. Season.

For more August recipes, see other years (click on 2018 on the right hand side, then on August). Or go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com, which still has eight recipes for this year.

Next month: gluten. If you want to see this now, go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/september-2018-gluten/.