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It’s just good nutrition
the carb connection
Kayt Marra, CD-N
Albany Medical Center Hospital
Section of Genetics
What art is telling us about growing
carb portions over time
• ITHACA, NY: Were the twelve apostles guilty of overeating at the
Last Supper? Two brothers—an eating behavior expert and a
religious studies scholar—are publishing findings that might make
you think twice at your Easter dinner.
• Brian and Craig Wansink teamed up to analyze the amount of food
depicted in 52 of the best-known paintings of the Last Supper
(Phaidon Press 2000). After indexing the sizes of the foods by the
sizes of the average disciple’s head, they found that portion size,
plate size, and bread size increased dramatically over the last one
thousand years. Overall, the main courses depicted in the paintings
grew by 69%, plate size by 66%, and bread size by 23%.
• The study’s findings are published in the April 2010 issue of the
• International Journal of Obesity.
• http://mindlesseating.org/lastsupper/
Why are the carb portions growing
most ?
Cheapest to produce
– Each culture has its own specific carb
– Potato, quinoa, rice, wheat, barley – and there are
more
It cost more to produce whole animal proteins such
as milk, poultry, fish, and meat.
FYI - Our food sources are now rivals for our
grains as the new consumers of carbohydrate
sources – i.e. “grain fed beef” “corn fed poultry”
In the carbohydrates defense
When chosen wisely can be a
– Good energy source
– A good source of vitamins and minerals
– Provide appropriate amount of needed volume i.e.
fiber for intestinal health and function
Some folks need to eat regular portions of carbs
for health maintenance
AND we love them
• Comfort food
The Great Debate
Sound familiar?
It isn’t all about the carbohydrate
all the time
• We eat
– Macronutrients: carbs, protein, and fat
– Micronutrients: vitamins, minerals, and cofactors
• Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, & K
• Water soluble vitamins the B’s, C…
• Minerals – calcium, potassium, iron, ….
Each macronutrient has its own
role
Protein – from the Greek proteos or primary
Functional categories
Enzymes
Peptide hormones
Proteins with structural roles
Transport proteins
Antibodies
And when you don’t eat enough carbs dietary
protein can be converted into energy.
On to fat
• Fats serve many functions in the body
Major component of tissues and
membrane phospholipids.
Prostaglandins – influences blood
pressure, diuresis, platelet aggregation,
and the immune and nervous systems
Leukotrienes influence smooth muscle
contraction. Just to name a few.
Now back to the Carb
• In addition to serving as the body’s
primary energy source carbohydrates are
also part of important enzymes that assist
in the regulation of metabolism.
However, no macronutrient goes it
alone, and generally needs the
assistance of vitamins and minerals to
get the job done.
Supplements as co-workers
• Think of prescribed vitamins, minerals and
“cocktails” as co-workers in energy
production.
• IF the mitochondria are National Grid then
the supplements are the line men/women,
operators, and technicians. The goal is to
restore energy.
Metabolism 101- the symphony
Let’s rethink carb consumption
this or
Or this
For all humans
• As we age our mitochondria age with us,
and some don’t last as long as we do.
• This suggests that a diet that is closer to
that of our ancestors is probably
• healthier for us
• easier for us to process
• easier on our mitochondria
Do we need all of the prepacked
carbs with or without mito?
• No
• Best plan of action for all humans
– Eliminate liquid carbs- juice, flavored coffees, sugary
milks,etc
– Eat a variety of brightly colored vegetables & fruits
– Focus on lean proteins and if you can consume local
range fed livestock and poultry
– Fish or fish oil
– Healthy fats olive oil, canola oil.
– Modest amounts of whole grains, avoiding the stuff in
the box and bag as much as possible.