Tips on Good v/s Bad Carbohydrates

A healthy diet cannot be termed as a balanced one without including carbohydrates in it. Of course, carbohydrates form to be a vital part of a healthy diet, however, there’s quite a lot of discussion about the good and bad carbohydrates. So how do you differentiate between the two? Given ahead are some differentiation tips between the two.

Good & Bad Carbohydrates

Frequently referred to as ‘carbs’; carbohydrates are the primary energy source for the body, and they’re a vital part of any healthy diet. As part of good nutrition for children, it’s not recommended to avoid carbs, however, it’s vital to understand that not all carbs are similar. Carbohydrates can be either simple or complex based on their chemical makeup and what your body does with them. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and legumes, comprise of longer chains of sugar molecules, these generally take more time for the body to break down and use. In turn, this offers you with a more even amount of energy.

What are Simple Carbohydrates?

Simple carbohydrates comprise of easy to digest, basic sugars with little real value for your body. If they are higher in sugar and lower in fiber, then they aren’t good for you. Vegetables and fruits are in fact simple carbohydrates, still composed of basic sugars, though they are radically different from other foods in the category, such as cakes and cookies. The fibre in vegetables and fruits changes the way the body processes their sugars and slows down their digestion, making them a bit more such as complex carbohydrates. Given are some of the simple carbohydrates that you need to limit in your diet: candy, soda, sugar, artificial syrups, white rice, white bread and white pasta, pastries and deserts. You can consume simple carbohydrates on occasion, however, ensure that you don’t want them to be your primary sources of carbs.

What are Complex Carbohydrates?

Complex carbohydrates are considered to be good due to the longer series of sugars that make them and take the body more time to break down. They usually have a lower glycaemic load, which means that you’ll get lower amounts of sugars released at a more consistent rate. Choosing complex carbohydrates over simple ones is a matter of making some simple substitutions when it comes to meals. It’s recommended by a sports nutritionist to have brown rice instead of white rice or have whole wheat pasta instead of plain white pasta. Always look at the label to know if a packaged food is made of simple or complex carbohydrates. Go through the box so you know what exactly you’re getting. If the first ingredient is whole wheat flour or whole oat flour then it’s likely going to be a complex carbohydrate.

Glycemic Factor

One way of classifying the carbs is describing them as being either simple or complex, however, nutritionists and dietitians, nowadays, use another concept to guide people in making decisions about the carbs they select to eat. Through the glycemic index of a food you know as to how quickly and how high your blood sugar will rise after eating the carbohydrate contained in it, as compared to eating pure sugar. Lower glycemic index foods are healthier for your body and you’d tend to feel full longer after eating them. Not all, but most complex carbs fall into the low glycemic index category.

The glycemic load takes into consideration not only its glycemic index, but also the amount of carbohydrate in the food. A food can have carbs containing high glycemic index, however, if there’s only a tiny amount of that carb in the food, it won’t really have much of an impact.

Just be sensible about the carbs to opt to consume. Avoid low nutrient dessert and consider the levels of sugar and fiber in carbs, and look to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables to get the energy your body needs daily.

Author bio

Arati Shah is an astute sports nutritionist having expertise in offering all types nutrition to different individuals and corporate. Having earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition along with a Post-Graduation in Sports Sciences and Nutrition from S.N.D.T Juhu, she is one of the top nutrition experts in Mumbai who can also guide the concerned parents about the right nutrition for children with same efficacy. She heads the Nutrition team in Mumbai and takes personal interest in each and every client of Café Nutrition.

Arati Shah is an astute nutritionist having expertise in all types nutrition, she is one of the top 10 dietitians in Mumbai who can also guide one through corporate wellness programs with same efficacy