Carbohydrates as the Source of 'Sweet' Energy
We find carbohydrates in nature mainly in plants, while in animals they
are present only in their digestive tract, in their blood in the form of
glucose and in their milk in the form of lactose. This is no surprise, for
the plants are the main producer of carbohydrates which came into existence
by means of photosynthesis in plant leaves. "Carbohydrates develop in the
plant by virtue of Sun forces. Without the light and warmth radiations of
the sun, no sugar formation would be possible on the earth as it is now.
Ultimately, this is also true for fats and proteins. Interacting with
earthly forces and substances, the plant condenses its bodily substance out
of the cosmic ether of the Sun. This consists primarily of
building up
carbohydrates out of the carbon skeleton." [1] Here we are confronted with
one of the most mysterious activities in the natural world, where the
carbohydrates are produced out of carbon dioxide, water, and light. Here we
are dealing with the factual metamorphosis of inorganic substances into the
living ones, permeated with the etheric body. [2]
According to science, food provides energy for our cells, which enable
exercise of the functions of all our organs and consequently the existence
and the activities of the physical body. The main source of this energy is
from carbohydrates. Among them is the most important starch because it is
composed exclusively from glucose, and "glucose is the human body's key
source of energy" [3],
because it "is the primary source of energy for the body's cells." [4]
The metabolism of carbohydrates in our body can be
divided into three phases:
- breakdown activities in the digestive tract (called
'carbohydrate catabolism');
- maintenance of the proper amount of sugar in the blood;
- glucose catabolism or 'combustion' inside the cells. [5]
In
WHOLEFOOD vs REFINED FOOD
there is described the breakdown processes of carbohydrates in the digestive
tract. Food we consume contains
various types of carbohydrates
with various numbers of sugar molecules. Those with large numbers of sugar
molecules (
polysaccharides)
are gradually broken down in ever smaller units, until we get simple sugars
(
monosaccharides),
containing a single molecule of sugar.
"The important fact about carbohydrates is that when we eat them they
are slowly turned into starch by the saliva in our mouth and the secretions
in our stomach. Starch is something we need without fail, but we don't eat
starch; we eat foods that contain carbohydrates, and the carbohydrates are
turned into starch inside us. Then they are converted once again, in the
further process of digestion, into sugar. We get the sugar we need from the
carbohydrates." [6]
Starch is by far the most consumed type of carbohydrate in the human diet
because it is the main constituent of the grain kernel. In the process of
digestion starch is gradually broken down into separate glucose molecules.
This glucose then enters the blood circulation together with other simple
sugars. But we are usually not aware of how complex is the molecule of
starch. It belongs to those polysaccharides which contain many thousands of
glucose units. In starch they are bound together in two ways, either in a
highly branched, tree-like manner, or in a helical structure. That part of
starch which has the form of helix is called amylose, and the branched one
amylopectin.
Therefore we can imagine that our organism needs to do some work in the
digestive tract to break down gradually this complex structure into ever
smaller units. This activity starts already in the mouth and it finishes in
the duodenum where we get free molecules of glucose which, in the further
part of the small intestine, enter into the blood circulation. In all this
the most important fact is that we are not dealing here only with
physiological and chemical processes of breakdown, but – as is evident from
INDIVIDUALIZATION OF HUMAN SUBSTANCES – with alchemical processes in which
participate the higher members of our being – the etheric body, the astral
body, and the ego.
Maintenance of Proper Quantity of Sugar in the Whole Body
Glucose enters the bloodstream via the porous walls of the small
intestine. Glucose is the primary source of energy for the brain, heart, and
muscles. The excess of glucose is stored in the liver and in the muscles as
glycogen, and
is changed back to glucose when the amount of blood sugar decreases below
the level which body needs for its proper functioning.
The hypothalamus gathers
the information about the condition of the entire body and instructs the
pituitary
gland to secrete hormones which initiate the suitable responses of the
adrenal glands and pancreas. When too much sugar is in the blood, the
pancreas secretes insulin which lowers blood sugar by stimulating the
conversion of glucose into glycogen and the uptake of glucose by body cells.
When too little sugar is in the blood the pancreas secretes glucagon which
stimulates the conversion of glycogen back to glucose, while the adrenal
glands secrete adrenaline which
promotes specific enzymatic activity in the cells of the body, which blocks
glucose intake by the cells. Many vitamins – vitamin C, vitamin E, and B-complex vitamins – and trace
elements – magnesium, calcium, potassium, chromium, manganese, phosphorus –
are essential for the maintenance of proper glucose level in the blood.
[7] These substances are helping in the complex
activities of organs which are involved in the regulation of blood sugar. [8]
If we look at the picture from the spiritual scientific perspective, we can
recognise in it the cooperation of the EARTHLY NUTRITIONAL STREAM
(red horizontal line) and the COSMIC NUTRITIONAL STREAM
(blue vertical line). The earthly stream is providing sugar in the form of glucose. "If man
did not eat carbohydrates, if he did not eat bread or something similar
which gives him carbohydrates he would not be able to make sugar and if he
were not able to make sugar, he would forever be a weakling. You have
strength because you are full of sweetness through and through. The moment
you were no longer thoroughly impregnated with sweetness, you would have no
more strength, you would collapse." [9]
Consequently the sugar we receive from food and which permeates our whole
organism via blood circulation is of crucial importance for our existence,
but it is absolutely essential to keep blood sugar inside healthy limits.
There must be neither too little nor too much sugar in our blood if we want
to be well and strong. If there is too little sugar we feel weak; if it
falls under the minimum level we simply lose our consciousness and thus we
cannot be active in this world any more. If there is occasionally too much
sugar this doesn't have immediate negative consequences as long as our
organism with the help of two nutritional streams is capable of
re-establishing normal level of sugar in the blood. However, in the case
when our eating habits always cause excess sugar in our blood, then we are
on the path towards developing the diabetes – that is, one of those diseases
which to a great extent contributes to the modern health crisis.
Living Process of Soul-Spiritual Combustion inside the Body
Science has revealed to us that in the moment that glucose arrives in the
cells of the body it triggers a series of metabolic pathways, through which
glucose breaks down. This releases chemical energy which is stored through
conversion from ADP molecules, already present in the body, to ATP
molecules. When cells need new energy for their activities they trigger ATP
molecules by the medium of a special enzyme to release their stored chemical
energy, simultaneously reverting back to ADP molecules.
ATP molecules are also "known as the energy currency of the body, which
implies that the body has to 'earn' (synthesise) them before it can 'spend'
them." How does the body 'earn' these energy molecules? The energy for the synthesis
of ATP molecules does not come only from the glucose breakdown in the cell,
but "many of the body's huge number of reactions release energy. The body
captures the energy released by these reactions, using it to make ATP
molecules from ADP molecules". [10]
This is an obvious manifestation of one of the three basic laws of
nutrition presented in FOOD AS SOURCE OF ENERGY which states: We do not get
energy from outside, but we get energy from exercising our own activities!
The food only serves as a stimulus for us to be inwardly active and this is
what is providing energy for our existence and outer work. And in this case
the stimulus is provided by carbohydrates.
Thus we can see that both spiritual science and natural science recognise
the importance of carbohydrates for providing our bodies with energy. Modern
science has even arrived at the same conclusion as spiritual science has
done before, namely that we need to earn first the energy with the work of
breaking down carbohydrates and other ingredients of our food. But this very
important fact is buried in the immense heap of scientific details about the
working of the human organism – written in 'small letters' – while spiritual
science incessantly stresses that the human organism needs by the means of
own efforts to breakdown "carbohydrates into starch and starch into sugar." [11] Only
by the means of own activities inside the organism can we obtain energy
which enables us to be active in the world.
However, in general people still think "that the most important factor in
nutrition is what we put into our mouths and eat. Certainly, what we eat is important.
But most of what we consume on a daily basis is not there to be absorbed
into the body and deposited as substance. It is there in order to convey its
forces to the body, to rouse the body to activity. Most of what we consume
is actually excreted again, so that with regard to metabolism, the important
thing is not so much the correct weights and proportions, but whether or not
the vitality of the forces in the food can be taken up in the right way. We
need this vitality, for instance, whenever we walk or work, or simply move
our arms. What we take in through our stomach is important because it has
inner energy like a fuel, because it brings in the forces that enable the
Will [12] to be active in the body." [13]
In this
manner "the transmuted foodstuffs, the foodstuffs we have eaten, circulate
in our limbs. There in our limbs, they undergo a process.
It is really a
living process of combustion. For if we take only a single step, there
arises in us a living process of combustion, a burning-up of that which is,
or was, outside us. We ourselves, as man, are connected with this combustion
process" [14]
because it is the expression of our own Will.
In the introductory text
THREE STATES OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS it is
explained that our soul life is divided even in the waking state into "the
waking soul that forms mental images; the dreaming soul that feels; and the
willing soul that sleeps. Hence man can never know, out of his ordinary
consciousness, what goes on in those regions where the Will is weaving and
living. If, however, we illuminate by the methods of spiritual-scientific
research the regions where the Will is pulsating, we discover the following:
The intention of carrying out a will-impulse is primarily a thought, a
mental image. At the moment when this intention streams down into the
organism, something is produced which might be called a process of inner
combustion. Invariably, this combustion is kindled in the organism along the
entire path followed by the will-impulse. The combustion of metabolic
products existing within the body brings forth the movement used by the arm
in order to carry out a will-impulse. Hence someone who wills an action
undergoes, in a physical sense, a burning-up and consuming of his metabolic
products. The metabolic products must be renewed for the reason that they
are being constantly burned up, consumed by the will-impulses." [15] This
renewal is happening with the help of food.
Thus we can see that "all bodily activity arises supersensibly from the
Will, is indeed an out-streaming of will-impulses into the organism of
movement.
Everything that is transformed into action by the human
Will sets up a certain organic process of combustion. When I think, I burn up
something in my organism, only this inner process of burning up must not be
compared with the purely chemical combustion of the science of physics. In
the human organization the processes of outer Nature are taken hold of by
forces of the soul and spirit, so that within the human body, and even
within the plant, the outer substances of nature are quite differently
active. Similarly the burning process within the human being is altogether
different from the process of combustion we see, for example, in the lighted
candle. Yet a certain kind of combustion is always induced in the body when
we Will, even though the impulse does not pass into action."
[16] And when
impulse does pass into action we can feel how our body temperature rises –
which reflects the higher degree of inner combustion.
Therefore we can conclude that "everything which takes place externally
in nature is different as soon as it enters the human being. No process
takes place within the human being in the same way as it does in outer
nature. That which we have externally in the burning flame is dead fire; but
that which corresponds to this within the human being is the vital flame,
the living ensouled flame" [17]
of our enthusiasm for what we do. This flame is alive because it is
permeated with forces of our etheric body; it is ensouled because it is
permeated with forces of our astral body; and it is permeated with the
spirit because it is an expression of the Will of our own 'I'.
For a complementary perspective see:
♦ NUTRITION VERSUS MOVEMENT
DIETARY CONCLUSIONS & PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS
This nutritional principle sheds light on the reason why
refined sugar
is one of the worst sources of energy for the human body. This is because
it belongs to the disaccharides. All the body needs to do is to separate
glucose and fructose and then these simple sugars can be absorbed into the
blood. One can feel energised after consumption of a cake containing white
flour and white sugar, but this is due to the stimulating effect of sugar. [18]
However, it is fact that the body, with the breakdown of such highly processed food,
doesn't earn a lot of 'ATP currency' to be capable of satisfying its own
energy needs in full. This is manifested in a drop of strength, in a
feeling of weakness, and consequently in an urge for another sugary snack.
All refined types of sugar – which you can recognise by their crystalline
structure and whitish or yellowish colours – are therefore bad sources of
energy. With regard to energy, it does not make any difference if refined
sugar is produced in the organic way or not. In fact, from this perspective
it is better to eat non-organic whole sugar, which usually contains at least
5 % of molasses, than any organic or biodynamic refined sugar. In the case
that we cannot get organic whole sugar, then we can use organic refined
sugar to which we add between 5 to 10% molasses. This is not an ideal
solution, but is still much better than the use of refined sugar.
In regard to natural sweeteners, we need to be aware that even they are
comprised of simple forms of sugars (disaccharides and monosaccharides), so
we need to be cautious even with these more healthy options. Their main
advantage is that they contain minerals and vitamins, which are otherwise
lost with refining. As was mentioned in this principle, their presence is
crucial for effective maintenance of proper blood sugar levels. [19]
♣ For the list of good sweeteners see
NATURAL SWEETENERS.
And which food is the best to provide the 'fuel' for the inner
'combustion'? "Foods that lean towards the green of the plant and contain
carbohydrates provide
the body with strength it needs for work, for movements. All the grains –
wheat, rye, and so on – are good foodstuffs. The grains contain
carbohydrates of such a nature that the human being forms starch and sugar in
the healthiest possible way. [20] Actually, the carbohydrates of the
grains can make him stronger than he can make himself by any other means." [21]
For that reason the real energy superfoods are whole, unrefined carbohydrate
foods: whole grains and wholemeal bread, pasta, biscuits, cakes, etc.
[22]
♣ See HOLISTIC FOOD 'PYRAMID'
for the list of foods regarded as whole.
WARNING: You always have to put the above
practical dietary instructions inside the framework of
GENERAL NUTRITIONAL
GUIDELINES with the aim to know their limits when looking for a solution
of a specific nutritional problem. You also need to be familiar with
THE ROLE OF NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES
with the aim to avoid any one-sided conclusions.
