Trying To Identify A List Of All Carbohydrates
Most people have heard the term carbohydrates, but have no clue what is meant by good and bad carbs. Can there really be good ones and what do the bad ones really do to you? Since making a list of all carbohydrates would take pages and pages, to answer these and other questions, one needs to understand the basic structure of this food source and how to tell them apart.
Often it’s easier to divide this food source into good and bad and then list the categories under which all carbs fall. There are basically two kinds; simple and complex. Simple are bad for the body and complex are good adding a rich element to any diet. These latter carbs should not be avoided, but should be embraced.
Foods such as whole grains and edible plant parts such as stalks and leaves are part of the complex group and should be preferred. They have longer chains of sugar molecules as well as fiber which take a long time for the body to digest. This provides energy to the body longer and do not convert to the fat associated with simple carbs.
Simple carbohydrates, on the other hand, are made up of high sugar foods that are processed very quickly. When fiber is low and sugar is high, the food is processed before it can be burned off turning most of it into fat. These would include foods such as cakes and cookies.
Many think that any fruit and vegetable is good for you; however, many are actually simple carbs as they are high in sugar. They differ from traditional simple foods in that they do contain fiber which is processed more slowly by the body which makes them react more like complex carbs.
Of course, many people know that foods such as soda, pastries, candy, and desserts should be avoided, but so should many other forms of simple carbs. These include foods such as white rice, bread, and pasta as well as potatoes. Although eating these occasionally would not kill a diet, if given an option one should choose the more traditional complex carbs.
So, how do you tell the difference? One way is to read the labels. The law now requires that carb counts be included on labels. Additionally, labels now include a “glycemic index” which explains how quickly foods are digested by the body. Both of these need to be considered when evaluating which foods to select especially if one is watching their weight. When researching a list of all carbohydrates from which to select, it’s important to select those that are complex in nature in order to ensure a high energy level is maintain which sugar converted to fat is limited.