Good Carbs VS Bad Carbs!

WHAT ARE CARBS?

Carbs, or carbohydrates, are molecules that have carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. In nutrition, "carbs" refers to one of the three macro-nutrients. The other two are protein and fat.

Dietary carbohydrates can be split into three main categories:

1. Sugars: Sweet, short-chain carbohydrates found in foods. Examples are glucose, fructose, galactose, and sucrose.

2. Starches: Long chains of glucose molecules, which eventually get broken down into glucose in the digestive system.

3. Fiber: Humans cannot digest fiber, although the bacteria in the digestive system can make use of some of them.

The main purpose of carbohydrates in the diet is to provide energy. Most carbs get broken down or transformed into glucose, which can be used as energy. Carbs can also be turned into fat (stored energy) for later use. Fiber is an exception. It does not provide energy directly, but it does feed the friendly bacteria in the digestive system. These bacteria can use the fiber to produce fatty acids that some of our cells can use as energy.

TYPES OF CARBS -

Whole carbs are unprocessed and contain the fiber found naturally in the food, while refined carbs have been processed and had the natural fiber stripped out. Examples of whole carbs include vegetables, whole fruit, legumes, potatoes, and whole grains. These foods are generally healthy.

On the other hand, refined carbs include sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, pastries, white bread, white pasta, white rice, and others. Numerous studies show that refined carbohydrate consumption is associated with health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes They tend to cause major spikes in blood sugar levels, which leads to a subsequent crash that can trigger hunger and cravings for more high-carb foods.

WHICH CARBS SHOULD BE EATEN?

As a general rule, carbohydrates that are in their natural, fiber-rich form are healthy, while those that have been stripped of their fiber are not. If it's a whole, single-ingredient food, then it's probably a healthy food for most people, no matter what the carbohydrate content is.

Good Carbs:

1. Vegetables: All of them. It is best to eat a variety of vegetables every day.
2. Whole fruits: Apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.Legumes: Lentils, kidney beans, peas, etc.
3. Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, etc.
4. Seeds: Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds.
5. Whole grains: Choose truly whole grains, as in pure oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc.
6. Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. People who are trying to restrict carbohydrates need to be careful with the whole grains, legumes, tubers, and high-sugar fruit.

Bad Carbs:

• Sugary drinks: Coca-cola, Pepsi, Vitamin water, etc. Sugary drinks are some of the unhealthiest things you can put into your body.
• Fruit juices: Unfortunately, fruit juices may have similar metabolic effects as sugar-sweetened beverages.
• White bread: These are refined carbohydrates that are low in essential nutrients and bad for metabolic health. This applies to most commercially available bread.
• Pastries, cookies, and cakes: These tend to be very high in sugar and refined wheat.
• Ice cream: Most types of ice cream are very high in sugar, although there are exceptions.
• Candies and chocolates: If you’re going to eat chocolate, choose quality dark chocolate.
• French fries and potato chips: Whole potatoes are healthy, but french fries and potato chips are not.

These foods may be fine in moderation for some people, but many will do best by avoiding them as much as possible.