There’s no shortage of health claims about curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. But what does the research say?
Turmeric can help fight inflammation, potentially helping reduce your risk for various chronic diseases.
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Like many spices, turmeric (Curcumalonga) has a long history of use in traditional medicine. This flavor-filled spice is primarily cultivated from the rhizomes, or roots, of a flowering plant in India and other parts of Southeast Asia, and aside from giving curry its vibrant yellow color, turmeric is also known for having potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, according to a past review. (1)
The primary active component of turmeric — and the one that gives the spice its characteristic yellow color — is curcumin. (1) In fact, you can credit curcumin as the compound responsible for most of turmeric’s potential health benefits. “Curcumin is a natural antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as [possible] benefits related to slowing the aging process and preventing Alzheimer's disease and potentially depression,” says San Diego, California–based Elizabeth Ann Shaw, RDN, owner of Shaw’s Simple Swaps Consulting.
Unfortunately, turmeric (and curcumin on its own) doesn’t absorb well into the bloodstream, and having it in curry once a month is unlikely to give you the desired anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, says Dana Angelo White, RD, owner of Dana White Nutrition. To reach the amounts of turmeric and curcumin shown to offer benefits in research studies, you’ll have to turn to supplements.
Still, you may be able to reap benefits by adding black pepper anytime you use turmeric, and/or taking a turmeric supplement that incorporates black pepper. “There is a compound in black pepper called piperine that actually helps to make turmeric more bioavailable,” White explains. Bioavailability refers to the amount of a substance that’s absorbed or able to be used by the body. (2) For instance, a past study found that consuming 20 milligrams (mg) of piperine along with 2 grams (g) of curcumin increased bioavailability by 2,000 percent. (3)
Here, we outline the many potential benefits of turmeric and curcumin.
1. Curcumin Is an Anti-Inflammatory
One of turmeric’s main claims to fame is that it’s commonly used to fight inflammation, and the bulk of turmeric’s inflammation-fighting powers can be credited to curcumin. In fact, in the right dose, curcumin may be a more effective anti-inflammatory treatment than common inflammation-fighting medications such as Advil (ibuprofen) and aspirin, according to a past study. (4)
As chronic inflammation contributes to many chronic diseases, curcumin may help treat conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, and arthritis. (5,1) We’ll get into some of those specific benefits later.
2. Curcumin May Protect Against Heart Disease
A past study shows that curcumin may improve endothelial function, or the health of the thin membrane that covers the inside of the heart and blood vessels. This membrane plays a key role in regulating blood pressure. (6) Lower endothelial function is associated with aging and an increased risk of heart disease. Thus, curcumin may help protect against age-related loss of function and reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease.
In one study, researchers compared the effects of an eight-week aerobic exercise program and a curcumin supplement in improving endothelial function in postmenopausal women. Both the exercise and the curcumin group saw equal improvements in endothelial function, whereas the control group saw no changes. (7)
Another study found that curcumin was equally effective at improving endothelial function in people with type 2 diabetes (heart disease is a common comorbidity of type 2) as the drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), a medication commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. (8,9,10)
Still, more research is needed to determine if curcumin is a safe and effective long-term treatment strategy for people with heart disease.
3. Curcumin May Prevent (and Possibly Help Treat) Cancer
As inflammation is linked to tumor growth, anti-inflammatory compounds such as curcumin may play a role in treating and preventing a variety of cancer types, including colorectal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, and gastric cancers. (1) In fact, research in mice suggests that curcumin may help slow the spread of tumor cells and may even prevent tumors from forming in the first place. (11) It may do this in several ways, including disrupting the formation of cancerous cells at various stages in the cell cycle, interfering with cell signaling pathways, and even causing those cancerous cells to die. (11)
Whether curcumin can help treat cancer in humans has yet to be determined, but the research is ongoing.
4. Curcumin May Help Ease Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
Thanks to its potent anti-inflammatory properties, curcumin may be a safe and effective long-term treatment option for people with osteoarthritis (OA). In a past study, people with osteoarthritis who took 1,000 mg/day of Meriva experienced significant improvements in stiffness and physical function after eight months, whereas the control group saw no improvements. Meriva is a proprietary treatment made up of a natural curcuminoid mixture (75 percent curcumin; 15 percent demethoxycurcumin; and 10 percent bisdemethoxycurcumin), phosphatidylcholine (a chemical found in eggs, soybeans, and other foods), and microcrystalline cellulose (a refined wood pulp commonly used by the pharmaceutical and food industries). (12,13,14)
And a study in mice published in the June 2016 issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy found that 50 mg oral curcumin per kilogram (kg) body weight significantly slowed the progression of OA, whereas a topical curcumin treatment provided pain relief. (15) That said, whether these benefits would apply to humans has yet to be seen.
5. Curcumin May Help Treat or Prevent Diabetes
According to a past review of studies, curcumin may help treat and prevent diabetes, as well as associated disorders like diabetic nephropathy (also called diabetic kidney disease), which affects people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. (16,17) One drawback: Many of the studies have been done only in animals, not humans.
For example, one study found that feeding 80 mg of tetrahydrocurcumin (one of the main substances of curcumin) per kg body weight to rats with type 2 diabetes for 45 days led to a significant decrease in blood sugar, as well as an increase in plasma insulin. (18)
A study in obese mice with type 2 diabetes published in the July 2019 issue of Nutrition & Metabolism reveals that curcumin supplements helped lower blood insulin levels after 16 weeks. (19)
Meanwhile, curcumin may help prevent diabetes through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and improve many of the factors that contribute to diabetes, including insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and hyperlipidemia (a medical term to describe elevated levels of fat in the blood; one type of hyperlipidemia is characterized by high levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol). (20,16) Still, more human studies are needed to confirm.
6. Turmeric May Help Delay or Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease
Turmeric may even protect your brain against common degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. How? By increasing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein found in the brain and spinal cord that plays a key role in keeping nerve cells (neurons) healthy, as well as regulating communication between nerve cells, which is critical for learning and memory. (21) As common brain disorders like Alzheimer’s are associated with lower levels of BDNF, turmeric (curcumin in particular) may help delay or reverse brain degeneration. (22,23,24)
That said, much of the research has been done in mice. Researchers note more research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of turmeric in the prevention and treatment of common brain diseases.
7. Turmeric May Play a Role in Treating Depression
Like Alzheimer’s, depression is also associated with lower levels of BDNF. Thanks to turmeric’s ability to boost levels of BDNF, the spice shows promise as an effective antidepressant. In fact, one study found that injecting rats with 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg of curcumin for 10 days led to a dose-dependent increase in BDNF, with the higher dose of 200 mg/kg showing greater antidepressant effects. (25)
Meanwhile, in a study in humans that was published in the April 2014 issue of Phytotherapy Research, researchers randomly assigned 60 patients with major depressive disorder to one of three groups: one group received daily 20 mg of fluoxetine (Prozac is a common brand name), another received 1,000 mg of curcumin, and a third received a combination of the two. By the end of six weeks, the three groups saw comparable improvements, leading researchers to suggest that curcumin may be a safe and effective treatment for major depressive disorder. (26,27)
Still, scientists don’t fully understand the role of turmeric and curcumin in treating depression, and more research in humans is needed to confirm it is a safe and effective treatment. (28)
8. Curcumin May Play a Role in Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
Curcumin shows promise as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disorder that commonly affects the joints but may spread to other areas, such as the eyes, lungs, skin, heart, and blood vessels. (29) RA causes a painful swelling of the joints that can cause the bones to erode over time and ultimately lead to deformities and physical disabilities. (29)
In one study, people with RA were given 500 mg of curcumin, 50 mg of diclofenac sodium (a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug), or the two in combination. (30) After eight weeks, the curcumin-only group saw significant improvements in joint tenderness and swelling when compared with the other two groups. Researchers note the curcumin treatment was also safe, resulting in no harmful events. (31)
9. Turmeric May Improve Skin Health
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties, turmeric may be an effective treatment for a variety of skin conditions, including acne, eczema (atopic dermatitis), photoaging, and psoriasis. Yet robust research is lacking.
One review published in the January 2018 issue of Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences suggests oral curcumin in particular may be an effective and safe treatment option for psoriasis (a chronic inflammatory skin disease), but more studies are needed before making recommendations. (32)
According to the authors of another review, topical curcumin treatments may be useful in treating skin disorders, especially as past research suggests curcumin is relatively safe even at high doses. But curcumin’s bright yellow-orange color, poor solubility, and poor stability at a high pH make it an unappealing topical skin treatment. (33)
10. Turmeric Protects Your Body From Free Radicals
Antioxidants help protect your body against damage caused by free radicals, a class of highly reactive atoms that are generated in our bodies, as well as in environmental pollutants like cigarette smoke and industrial chemicals. (34) Too much exposure to free radicals can mess with the fats, proteins, and even DNA in your body, which may lead to a number of common diseases and health conditions, including cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. (34) Therefore, antioxidant-rich spices like turmeric may play a role in protecting you from free radical damage.
Curcumin in particular is able to scavenge different types of free radicals, control enzymes that neutralize free radicals, and prevent certain enzymes from creating specific free radical types, according to a review in the October 2017 issue of Foods. (35)
11. Turmeric May Work As an Anti-Aging Supplement
Currently, there’s no evidence that turmeric or curcumin directly influence longevity, but thanks to their ability to fight inflammation, protect your body against free radicals, and potentially delay brain degeneration and other age-related diseases, turmeric and curcumin may be effective anti-aging supplements, according to past research. (36)
Studies also suggest that turmeric and curcumin are mostly safe, although some negative side effects (diarrhea, headache, rash) have been reported at doses ranging from 500 to 12,000 mg. (35)
12. Curcumin May Prevent Eye Degeneration
Glaucoma, a group of eye conditions, is one of the leading causes of blindness in people over age 60. (37) And, unfortunately, once your vision is gone, it can’t be restored. (37)
But preliminary research published July 2018 in Scientific Reports shows topical curcumin treatments may help protect the eyes against degeneration. Researchers applied a proprietary curcumin eye drop solution to rats two times per day for three weeks. By the end of the study, the untreated rats experienced a 23 percent reduction in retinal cells compared with the treatment group, suggesting that loss was prevented by the curcumin treatment. (38) The study findings sound impressive, but more studies are needed to determine if curcumin is effective in preventing eye degeneration in humans.
While a glass of ice water can sound incredibly refreshing, it turns out that there are a number of reasons why drinking cold water can be harmful and warm water is far more beneficial.
What cold water does to your body
Cold water can interfere with a number of healthy bodily processes and actually be detrimental to your well-being in the following ways Cold water robs you of nutrients: The body’s natural temperature is 37 degrees Celcius. When you drink something that is very cold, your body has to spend an exorbitant amount of energy to regulate your core temperature. This takes away from energy that is needed to digest food and absorb nutrients.
It may cause a sore throat: Extremely cold water may cause respiratory mucosa to build up, resulting in increased chance of infection causing a sore throat.
It can increase your risk of headache: According to a 2001 study, women who had experienced a migraine in the last year were twice as likely to trigger a headache by drinking cold water.
Heads up, cold water may contain dirty ice: We recently reported that ice is often dirty, coated with bacteria and fungus. This often is true of your ice at home.
However, keep in mind that other viruses cause respiratory illness: parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, coronaviruses, rhinoviruses….not to mention bacteria such as Streptococcus.
Despite the fact that your world teams with infectious microorganisms, most of the time, you’re reasonable healthy, right? Thank your immune system, which defends you from disease-causing microbes. Now, step beyond gratitude to optimize the function of that system.
Get enough sleep and manage stress. Sleep deprivation and stress overload increase the hormone cortisol, prolonged elevation of which suppresses immune function.
Avoid tobacco smoke. It undermines basic immune defenses and raises the risk of bronchitis and pneumonia in everyone, and middle ear infections in kids.
Drink less alcohol. Excessive consumption impairs the immune system and increases vulnerability to lung infections.
Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, which will provide your body with the nutrients your immune system needs. A study in older adults showed that boosting fruit and vegetable intake improved antibody response to the Pneumovax vaccine, which protects against Streptococcus pneumonia.
Consider probiotics.Studies indicate supplements reduce the incidence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Fermented milk products have also been shown to reduce respiratory infections in adults and kids.
Catch some rays. Sunlight triggers the skin’s production of vitamin D. In the summer, a 10-15 minute exposure (minus sunscreen) is enough. However, above 42 degrees latitude (Boston) from November through February, sunlight is too feeble and few foods contain this vitamin. Low vitamin D levels correlate with a greater risk of respiratory infection. A 2010 study in kids showed that 1200 IU a day of supplemental vitamin D reduced the risk of influenza A. However, a 2012 study that involved supplementing adults with colon cancer with 1000 IU a day failed to demonstrate protection against upper respiratory infections.
Go for the garlic.Garlic is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent and immune booster. Because heat deactivates a key active ingredient, add it to foods just before serving.
Eat medicinal mushrooms, such as shiitake and maitake (sometimes sold as “hen of the woods”). A recent study showed that a concentrated extract of shiitake enhanced immune function in women with breast cancer.
Make an echinacea tincture. This is good to have on hand when respiratory viruses overwhelm your defenses.
To a pint jar add 1 cup ground root of Echinacea purpurearoot, a species shown to enhance immune function and moderately reduce cold symptom severity and duration. Add 1½ cup vodka and stir. If there isn’t 1 to 2 inches of vodka layered above the ground root, add more vodka. Shake daily.
After 4 weeks, strain through cheesecloth into a clean jar.
At the first sniffle, take ½ teaspoon of tincture diluted in water every two hours while awake. After two days, reduce the dosage to ½ teaspoon 3 times a day for the duration of the cold.
Start talking about microwave safety amongst mixed company and you are sure to spark up a “heated” debate. Some might warn you that even getting within two feet of a running microwave will harm you, while others will tell you that the issues are not so much with the microwave itself but rather with the nature of the food being microwaved, as well as its packaging.
The latest statistics tell us that over 90 percent of Americans eat microwave meals. In fact, because they are so convenient and cost effective, few households and eating establishments are without one. Discovered by accident
No one actually set out to construct the microwave to cook food. Its food cooking ability was discovered quite by accident. During World War ll, microwaves were used in our spy efforts, and it was later discovered that these radar waves actually melted candy bars.Soon it was found that microwave heating was twice as fast as oven heating, and the first commercial microwave was marketed in 1954. The domestic oven, marketed as a “radar range,” became popular by 1967, and has now become a common fixture in homes across America. It is also used extensively in our restaurant and fast food industry. Just how do they work?
Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic energy, similar to light waves or radio waves. They are very short waves of electromagnetic energy that travel fast. In fact, they travel at the speed of light – 186,282 miles per second.
The same microwaves that are used to cook food are also used to send long distance telephone signals, computer information and television programs all over the earth, or up to a satellite in space.
Food molecules become hot when they are moved by the waves. When a wave enters food, it heats the food from the outside in. The very sad truth of the standard American diet
Our ancestors cooked their freshly-caught meat and fish over open fire, roasting it to perfection and enjoying it. They gathered herbs, berries, nuts and other wild edibles and ate them fresh, no processing, no additives and no packaging. Today, over 90 percent of what Americans spend on food is spent on processed items – this paints a very grim picture indeed.
The majority of commercially prepared frozen and boxed meals are processed, and often cooked in a microwave for convenience. No more sweating around a hot stove, simply pull a meal from the freezer and pop it in the microwave. In a few short minutes, dinner is ready.
However convenient it may be, hyper-processed food may sustain your life, but it is void of the real nutrition that the body needs to be strong and vital. Many frozen and processed meals contain high amounts of sodium, trans fats and sugar. From coughs and colds to degenerative diseases, without proper nutrition the body will not have the energy it needs to stay well.
There are two areas where most microwave debaters can find at least some common ground. These two areas are enough to warrant serious considerations of when and how you use a microwave: Packaged microwave food may be dangerous
Popcorn is an all-time favorite microwave treat. However, many microwave popcorn bags are heavily treated with a chemical coating (fluorotelomer), best known as Teflon. This coating contains mixtures of long-chain chemicals that can be metabolized to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a likely carcinogen.
These bags are dangerous because a large amount of the coating is used, and the popcorn is heated to extreme temperatures, which increases the risk of the fluorotelomers entering the food.
The January/February 1990 issue of the Nutrition Action Newsletter reported that a number of toxic chemicals from packaging of common foods cooked in the microwave, such as popcorn and pizza, leaked when the food was cooked.
Most plastics, including film food wrap and styrofoam containers, have been shown to migrate from the packaging into microwaved foods. This includes warping that displays a number 4 recycling symbol, and polystyrene displaying a number 6 recycling symbol. Scientists agree that contamination of food is possible, but disagree on the health implications of such contamination.
Researchers who study “invisible” changes occurring within the cells, including metabolic patterns, find reason for concern over the use of plastic in microwave ovens. The same concern does not exist with the use of glass, Pyrex or ceramics. In my family, we have always preferred to use our stovetop or countertop toaster oven for cooking and reheating. If you choose to use a microwave, the most important piece of health advice to remember is that you should NEVER EVER put food in plastic containers in the microwave oven. There are toxic chemicals embedded in plastic food containers (like phthalates, Bisphenol-A, and others) which will leach from the container right into the food you are about to eat. Not so yummy…” – Joshua Levitt, ND (Alternative Daily Expert) Microwaves cook food unevenly
According to Consumer Reports, microwaving frozen or refrigerated convenience food can make you sick. Over 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year in America – many due to the consumption of undercooked foods. When food is not cooked evenly to an internal temperature that kills harmful bacteria, the risk of illness increases greatly. What about loss of nutrients and other concerns?
One of the biggest arguments put forth against microwaves is that they negatively impact food nutrients. First and foremost, we must remember that the nature of most microwaveable food is nutrient-void to begin with.
However, if you are cooking real food, there are some documented concerns that we would be remiss not to mention.
A Scandinavian study done in 1999 indicates that asparagus spears cooked in the microwave had a reduction in vitamins.
Garlic cooked in the microwave for just 60 seconds inactivates alliinase, the principle active anticancer ingredient.
In November of 2003, a study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli that had been cooked in the microwave with water lost 97 percent of its antioxidants versus steamed broccoli, which lost only 11 percent.
A 1992 study found that microwaved breast milk lost antibodies and lysozyme activity, as well as fostered growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria.
A short-term study found changes in the blood chemistry of individuals who consumed microwaved milk and vegetables. Hemoglobin and white blood cell counts decreased while cholesterol increased.
Microwaving food seems to create new compounds not found in nature. These compounds are known as radiolytic byproducts. If ingested over a long period of time, it is thought that these compounds may cause problems and are potentially harmful to young children.
Cooking foods that contain protein in a microwave for more than 10 minutes may cause the chemistry of the meat protein to change. Deformed protein molecules may have a negative impact on health.
Several laboratories in America have found that continual exposure to low-level radiation may cause problems with the eyes, resulting in a increased risk of cataracts.
There may be dangers associated with microwaving food… there is a question as to whether microwaving alters protein chemistry in ways that might be harmful.” – Dr. Andrew Weil
What does the FDA say?
The FDA currently states: “Controlled, long-term studies involving large numbers of people have not been conducted to assess the impact of low level microwave energy on humans. Much research has been done with experimental animals, but it is difficult to translate the effects of microwaves on animals to possible effects on humans… The fact that many scientific questions about exposure to low levels of microwaves are not yet answered require the FDA to continue the enforcement of radiation protection requirements. Consumers should take certain common sense precautions.” Common sense precautions
If you must use a microwave, it is best:
to use it for reheating only
not to prepare frozen or packaged meals
not to stand directly in front of it while it is cooking
to use only microwave-safe glass, Pyrex or ceramic
not to operate the microwave when it is open
There is, at present, a growing Slow Food Movement. The Slow Food organization has tens of thousands of members across 50 countries, including the United States. Its core principles include raising awareness of local, sustainable foods, protecting biodiversity, protecting and promoting foods that are at risk of extinction, supporting local farmers and culinary artisans, and celebrating wholesome food and the experience of cooking and dining.
The Slow Food organization believes that food is a universal right, and that it should be accessible to all people. Food should be grown naturally, cooked with care, eaten mindfully, and thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed. Slow Food is about getting back in touch with the true purpose and pleasure of cooking and eating. It is about a richer, more vital relationship with our food, an attitude that existed before fast food and microwaves.
Since the long-term impacts of microwaves have not been fully uncovered, it is best to play it safe and go slow. -The Alternative Daily Sources: Kidmose U and Kaack K. Acta. Agriculturae Scandinavica B1999:49(2).110-117. Vallejo F, Tomas-Barberan F A, and Garcia-Viguera C. Phenolic compound contents in edible parts of broccoli inflorescences after domestic cooking. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Quan R (et al). Effects of microwave radiation on anti- infective factors in human milk. Pediatrics 89(4 part I). 667-669. On Call,’ Dr. Jonathan Wright, MD, Let’s Live magazine, Mar. 1994. Natural Health magazine, Dr. Andrew Weil, Nov./Dec. 1995 http://www.truthaboutabs.com/microwaves-are-evil.html http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/rf/microwaves.asp http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=227
How Do You Tell the Difference Between Good and Bad Carbohydrates?
Everyone needs to eat carbohydrates, but that doesn't mean you're free to load up on cakes and cookies to get your recommended daily servings. Learn about the carbs that belong on your plate and the carbs you want to skip.
Carbohydrates are an essential part of a healthy diet, yet it’s important to know that not all of them are created equal. So how do you tell the difference between “good carbs” and “bad carbs?" The answer is both simple — and complex.
Here’s everything you need to know about carbohydrates and making smart choices when it comes to incorporating them into your diet.
A Carbohydrate Can Be a Simple Carb or a Complex Carb
Carbohydrates, often referred to as just “carbs,” are your body's primary energy source, and are a crucial part of any well-balanced diet.
The three main types of carbohydrates are sugars, starches, and fiber. They're called “simple” or “complex” based on their chemical makeup and what your body does with them. But since many foods contain one or more types of carbohydrates, it can still be tricky to understand what’s healthy for you and what’s not.
Simple carbohydrates are composed of easy-to-digest, basic sugars, which can be an important source of energy. Some of these sugars are naturally occurring, such as those in fruits and in milk, while refined or processed sugars are often added to candies, baked goods, and soda.
On nutrition labels, added sugars can go by several different names, including brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, fructose, glucose, maltose, malt syrup, trehalose, sucrose, and honey, among others. The FDA has mandated that by July 2018 all nutrition labels must clearly identify the amount of added sugars per serving in the product, directly beneath the total sugar count.
Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables, contain longer chains of sugar molecules, which usually take more time for the body to break down and use. This in turn provides you with a more consistent amount of energy, says Sandra Meyerowitz, MPH, RD, nutritionist and owner of Nutrition Works in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Details on Simple Carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates aren’t necessarily all bad carbs — it depends on the food you’re getting them from. For instance, fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals necessary for good health, and they naturally contain simple carbohydrates composed of basic sugars.
But fruits and vegetables are drastically different from other foods in the “simple” carbohydrate category, like cookies and cakes with added refined sugars. The fiber in fruits and vegetables changes the way the body processes their sugars and slows down their digestion, making them a bit more like complex carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates to limit in your diet include those found in:
Meyerowitz says that you can enjoy simple carbohydrates on occasion, you just don't want them to be your primary sources of carbs.
The Details on Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are considered "good" because of the longer series of sugars that they are made of, which the body takes longer to break down. That means you will get lower amounts of sugars released at a more consistent rate — instead of peaks and valleys — to keep you going throughout the day.
Foods with complex carbohydrates also typically have more vitamins, fiber, and minerals than foods containing more simple carbohydrates, as long as you’re choosing whole grains over processed ones. For example, whole grains, such as whole-wheat flour, quinoa, brown rice, barley, corn, and oats, among others, provide more nutrients than processed grains, such as white rice and breads, pasta, and baked goods made with white flour.
Nutrient-dense complex carbs that are part of a healthy, balanced diet include:
Whole wheat breads, pastas, and flour
Brown and wild rices
Barley
Quinoa
Potatoes
Corn
Legumes, such as black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and others
It’s important to scan ingredient labels for foods like breads and pastas, looking for whole grains and fewer sources of added sugar. "Read the box so you know what exactly you're getting. If the first ingredient is whole-wheat flour or whole-oat flour, it's likely going to be a complex carbohydrate,” Meyerowitz says.
When trying to figure out if a source of carbohydrates is good or bad, remember this: The higher in sugar it is, and the lower in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the worse the food is for you.
Describing carbs as either simple or complex is one way to classify them, but nutritionists and dietitians now use another concept to guide people in making decisions about the carbs they choose to eat.
The glycemic index (GI) of a food basically tells you how quickly and how high your blood sugar will rise after eating the carbohydrate contained in that food, as compared with eating pure sugar. Foods with a high GI are easily digested and cause a quick rise in blood sugar. Foods with a lower GI get digested more slowly.
Knowing the GI for a specific food can help you understand how the carbs in that food will affect your blood sugar, but it’s important to point out that it doesn’t necessarily make a food unhealthy or healthy. Fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe both have a high GI even though both are healthy foods. You can look up a food's GI using the online international GI database.
To take this approach one step further, you want to look at the glycemic load of a food. The glycemic load factors into account both glycemic index and how much carbohydrate is in the food. To determine glycemic load, you multiply a food's glycemic index number by the amount of carbohydrate the food contains per serving, and divide by 100.
A low GL is 10 or less; medium is 11 to 19; and 20 or greater is considered high. For example, a plain bagel has a GI of 72 and GL of 25, while whole-wheat bread has a GI of 69 and GL of 9. GL can also be used to compare the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar in entire meals or snacks, whereas the GI for a food is only indicative of one food at a time.
Even if a food contains carbs that have a high glycemic index number, if the amount of The Glycemic Load Factor
carbohydrate is low then it won’t have as much of an impact. A good example is watermelon, which has a GI of 80 but a GL of only 5. It tastes sweet, but it’s mostly water.
The bottom line: Carbs are not bad for you. Carbohydrates — both simple and complex ones — are part of a healthy diet. Just be sensible about the carbs you choose. Skip low-nutrient desserts, consider the levels of sugar and fiber, and focus on healthy whole grains, fruits, and veggies to get the energy your body needs every day.
Black folks are often at a disadvantage when it comes to financial education — which is no surprise. For us, we have a few centuries of disadvantage when it comes to passing accumulating generational wealth and gaining the knowledge and tools that come with building a financial empire.
Thankfully, times have changed and we have more access than ever (thank you, Internet) to having those currency conversations that are necessary to teaching the next generation about wealth building and being financially savvy.
Because this is rarely taught in schools, the task of teaching financial literacy falls largely on parents. In fact, according to the Council for Economic Education, only a third of U.S. states require high school students to take a personal finance class in order to graduate. And one in five 15-year-olds in the U.S. lacked basic financial literacy in 2017, according to the Program for International Student Assessment, a global exam that measures knowledge in areas such as math, science and reading.
Despite the lack of resources in our schools, being a parent in 2019 has changed tremendously over the years, so this task is no longer a burden. Here are a few money lessons you can teach your children that your parents may not have taught you.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Kids nowadays need to know, that just because you see your friends post about it on Instagram, doesn’t mean that you need it. In the era of “stunting for the ‘gram” they have to learn how to not compare themselves to the perceived lives or financial status of those around them. Financial success is typically the end result of years of self-control, and a big part of that discipline involves living within or below your means. The people with real wealth are not posting it on the ‘gram. It’s easy to access some of the trappings of wealth in our society, but it’s difficult to actually afford them. Buying new cars, big houses and designer handbags might impress others, but these goods often mask high debt and a precarious relationship with credit. Don’t confuse easy access to credit with real wealth.
Just because you have access, doesn’t mean it’s worth more than what it truly is — credit. And what is credit? Money given that is needed to pay back. Although it doesn’t seem nearly as sexy, real wealth is usually the product of responsible spending, maximizing the value of every dollar, and trading glamour for modesty and security. All debt is not bad debt.
If you’re like me, all throughout my 20s I heard the nagging voice of my mother, who always told me to never get a credit card to protect my credit. Fast forward to being a late 20-something with no credit, and not realizing the importance of building this up at an early age to ensure a decent credit score. It’s important to realize that all debt is not bad debt. Sometimes you need to take on debt (such as a credit card), pay it off on time, and not exceed more than 30% of your monthly limit.
Save, save, save.
Saving is a long-term game. While it may seem like your bills are endless, and you’re strapped for cash, you can always make an effort to put aside just a little bit of cash, no matter how small. Kids need to know how the importance of maintaining a savings habit early pays off. If every dollar that comes into your life has to go out, there’s little hope for getting ahead. Work to keep your overhead lower than your income, pocket the difference and don’t treat every bump in income as a path towards a more expensive lifestyle. Set specific goals.
Financial goals can sometimes be too broad — buy a house, save for retirement and keep paying our bills. Or if you’re a kid — save for concert tickets, sneakers or a trip with friends. However, in order to succeed financially, goals need to be more specific. For example, it’s fine to shoot for buying a home. But what kind of house suits your needs and lifestyle? What type of down payment would leave you with a comfortable mortgage? The answers to these questions translate into better-defined goals that, in turn, can motivate us and help us to make better financial decisions. Or even better, setting deadline driven goals can help to help keep you on track, such as, reducing credit card debt down to 20% within 3 months.
To set your financial goals and make a plan, take the Currency Conversations Pledge today. Commit to yourself!
