FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Clearing up carbo confusion continues

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Gourmet Express in Kahala e-mailed to say they're introducing a new low-carb stir-fry bar later this month: You choose from a group of lean proteins, fresh vegetables and seasonings and they wok them up, to order, at $6.95 a plate.

Reader Cheryl Cudiamat asks if there's any link between carbohydrate intake and memory and/or thinking; she vaguely recalls reading something about it. Glucose, most readily metabolized from carbohydrate, is the brain's fuel. Studies indicate that adequate fuel is vital to good memory function and clear thinking. The best form of fuel appears to be — guess what? — unrefined carbohydrate (whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables). For more information: www.fi.edu/brain/carbs.htm#brainpower.

Other readers had questions about nutritional labels:

Nutritional labels list total carbohydrates, then break them down into sugar and fiber. But often, the grams of sugar and fiber don't add up to the total. What's the rest of it?

Sugars are simple carbohydrates — 1- or 2-molecule sugars. Fiber, or roughage, is indigestible cellular matter. The remainder of the carbohydrate, explained Dr. Terry Shintani, is made up of complex carbohydrates, commonly known as starches — long chains of linked sugar molecules.

The common wisdom has been that complex carbohydrates are preferable to simple sugars. But Shintani says both kinds of carbohydrate can elevate blood sugar.

He suggests focusing on the sugar and fiber numbers. The sugars listed on the label are usually added, refined sugars — the kind to avoid whether you are on a high-protein, high-carbohydrate or calorie-restricted diet.

Fiber is important because it slows digestion, gives a more lasting feeling of fullness, may help lower cholesterol and helps clear out the colon and regulate elimination. The Queen's Medical Center registered dietitian Laura Wang advises her patients to select foods that offer 3 grams or more of fiber per serving.

What's this soluble fiber that's sometimes listed?

Soluble fiber is a type of fiber that appears to help lower cholesterol, the kind that's found in oat bran. By breaking out soluble fiber, the manufacturer is making a subtle claim for cholesterol-lowing properties, Shintani said.

While nutrition labeling can be helpful, both Shintani and Wang share the concern of many nutritionists that the information, with its percentages of Recommended Daily Allowances and blizzard of numbers, is too confusing.

Shintani offers two rules of thumb:

• The higher the fiber, the lower the sugar, the better.
• And if the grams of food come close to, or even exceed, the number of calories, it's a good thing. The goal is to pack the minimum number of calories into the largest possible serving of the food, so that you'll feel full and satisfied without eating more calories than you can burn. Look for foods that are less than 130 calories per 100 grams (3.5 ounces). This will naturally lead you toward less-refined foods.