March 12th, 2011
With all the hype surrounding low carb diets, it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Some people will assume that all carbs are bad because of the bad rap they’ve gotten over the years, but that couldn’t be farther form truth. There are some carbs out there that are actually beneficial to your health and I’m going to point them out in this article.
When people are referring to bad carbs, they’re usually talking about refined carbohydrates. Refined carbs come from foods that have been refined trough machinery so they could have a finer texture and better taste. These foods have been stripped of all their nutrients and are not as good for you as unrefined carbs.
A prime example of a bad carb is white flour. Any food that contains white flour falls into the bad carb category. White sugar and white rice are also prime examples of bad carbs. Anything that contains high fructose syrup is also considered as bad carbs. Anything that contains any form of starch is also very bad for you if you’re on a low carb diet. Corn starch and modified food starch should be avoided at any costs.
Now, let’s talk about good carbs. It’s very important to know that your body needs certain amount of carbohydrates to function properly. If you don’t eat enough carbs, you might experience fatigue, poor mental performance and muscle aches.
Everything that is made of whole wheat is considered good carbs. These are called complex carbs and they take a lot more time to be processed by your body. Refined carbs are absorbed very fast and cause sudden spikes in your blood sugar level. This is very bad for you if you’re on a diet because irregular blood sugar levels will make losing weight harder for you.
Anything that is made of whole grains is a source of complex carbs. Go for whole wheat cereals instead of flakes or puffs. Cereals that are made of puffs or flakes are usually heavily transformed and rarely contain whole grains. Brown rice, oatmeal, legumes and raw fruits are all great sources of good carbs, so make sure that you get as much of these foods possible into your diet.
So there you have it! Now that you know the difference between good carbs and bad carbs, you’ll be able to make sounder decisions when dieting. Just remember to stay away from foods that are made of refined flour and sugar and stick with whole grains and raw fruits as your main source of carbohydrates and you should be alright.