Carbohydrates Are The Reason Humans Are So Intelligent, Researchers Suggest

What's Responsible For Making Humans So Intelligent? Carbs.
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Love carbs? Well now you've got a new and totally brilliant excuse to eat more of them. (Well, the wholegrain stuff, that is.)

Scientists have discovered that carbohydrates could be the reason why, over time, the human brain has become so large and intelligent.

In a new study published in The Quarterly Review of Biology, scientists argue that carbohydrate consumption - particularly starch - has been instrumental in the evolution and expansion of the human brain over the past million years.

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According to Harvard's School Of Public Health, the healthiest sources of carbohydrates are unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans.

Other (not-so-healthy) carbohydrates include bread, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies and spaghetti.

When carbs are consumed, the digestive system changes them into glucose. This sugar is then made into energy.

Back in the day, prior to humans being able to cook their food, carbohydrates were available in the form of seeds, fruit and nuts.

Scientists discovered that the invention of cooking allowed humans to digest starches, which would've been very difficult to digest raw.

In addition to this, they found that the salivary amylase gene, which allows us to produce saliva aiding the digestion of starches, developed during the same time time that human brains grew.

Dr Karen Hardy, who led the team of researchers, believes that the co-evolution of cooking, as well as the increase in salivary amylase genes, resulted in the acceleration of our brains' growth.

Hooray for big brains. And hooray for carbs.

Good Carbs
Beans(01 of08)
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Kidney, pinto, black, garbanzo -- just about any type of bean provides a hearty dose of fiber and little sugar. An ounce of black beans, for example, contains 7 total grams of carbs, 2 of which are fiber.

Of course, beans have the additional benefit of providing protein, and one study found that bean eaters weighed less (but ate more!) than people who avoided beans, WebMD reported.
(credit:cookbookman17/Flickr)
Squash(02 of08)
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Squash, like butternut here, is another low-sugar, high-fiber source of carbs. A cup of cooked butternut cubes contains nearly 22 grams of carbohydrates, more than 6 of which are fiber.

The bright hue of butternut and other squashes signifies the presence of carotenoids, a type of disease-fighting antioxidant.
(credit:levork/Flickr)
Oatmeal(03 of08)
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The particular type of fiber in oats has been linked to improved heart health and weight management, as well as lower cholesterol. Just don't overdo it on the sugar-sweetened toppings! (credit:sweetbeetandgreenbean/Flickr)
Popcorn(04 of08)
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In some of the greatest news: Popcorn is a whole grain. Stick to the air-popped variety so you don't overdo it on fat and sodium -- one cup has 6 grams of carbs, 1 of which is fiber, and has only 31 calories. (credit:Alan Cleaver/Flickr)
Quinoa with Chickpeas, Curry, and Lime(05 of08)
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Not only does one cup contain 5 grams of fiber, but quinoa is also a complete protein. That means it contains all nine of the essential amino acids, which cannot be made by the body and therefore must come from food. (credit:emmadiscovery/Flickr)
Sweet Potatoes(06 of08)
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Any potato (with the skin on!) is a great source of fiber-rich carbs, but sweet potatoes are loaded with those same colorful carotenoids as squash. Sweet taters boast some vitamin C, protein and potassium, to boot. (credit:cseeman/Flickr)
Bananas(07 of08)
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"Nature's power bar" rivals sports drinks when it comes to providing athletes with energy (i.e. carbs) thanks to those natural sugars. But a medium banana also contains 3 grams of fiber and a hearty dose of vitamin B6, crucial for more than 100 different functions in the body. (credit:keepon/Flickr)
Berries(08 of08)
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Just about any variety will deliver some fiber and a whole host of vitamins and antioxidants. Blueberries are one of our favorite picks, since an entire cup will only set you back 84 calories. Plus, eating just one serving of the tiny superfruit a week has been linked with warding off cognitive decline as we age. (credit:@rsseattle/Flickr)