What to know about types of starch and low-carb diets

Low-carb diets seem to be all the rage these days. But before you think about reducing the starches in your diet, it's important to arm yourself with the proper knowledge about the role of carbohydrates in your diet. Read on to learn more.

Remember, starches are made of sugar molecules chained together. Some chains have straight edges, while others are branched. The straight-edged type, called amylose, is harder for your body to break down and turn into blood sugar. The branched type, called amylopectin, is much easier to break down because there are so many places for the enzymes that break down starch to get at it. Think of a tree with lots of branches — there are a lot more spots for birds to land on it compared to a simple post.

White potatoes are very high in amylopectin, the branched kind of sugar chain, which is why they raise your blood sugar in a jiffy. Peas and lentils are high in amylose, the straight kind, so they're converted to blood sugar at a snail's pace. The more amylose a food contains, the slower it will be digested and converted into blood sugar.

Take rice, for instance. Some types contain more amylose than others. In general, the softer and stickier the rice is after cooking, the lower its amylose content; this is why "sticky rice" is dastardly to your blood sugar.

The firmer the rice, the higher the amylose and the harder it is for your body to turn into blood sugar quickly — making brown rice a better choice. Some genetic variants of rice — such as some sold in Australia, for example — are particularly high in amylose (as much as 25 percent), but unfortunately, most of the rice we eat is low in amylose and thus has a high glycemic load.

Many low-carb diets have turned out to be less effective, and less healthy, than originally claimed. Often the weight returned, and as it did, problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure came back, too. Also, in the end, many people decided they didn't want to go through life without ever eating pasta again. Let's look at what would happen if you followed one of the more extreme low-carb diets.

The good news? Many of the weight-loss advantages of low-carb diets may have nothing at all to do with restricting carbohydrates. The main benefit may be due to the extra protein — and you can add protein to your diet even if you don't drastically cut carbs. Protein-rich foods can really help with weight control. One reason may be that protein stimulates the body to burn slightly more calories than carbohydrates or fats do.

The main reason, though, is that protein foods curb hunger better. When people eat protein-rich foods, they feel fuller longer, and when they diet, they consume fewer calories and lose more weight when they eat a lot of protein. The main benefit of low-carb diets may be due to the extra protein in them.