Understanding the difference between good carbs and bad carbs is essential to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Some people will tell you that carbs are bad for weight loss – this is not true!
Good Carbs
Good carbs are also known as complex carbohydrates. Foods containing good carbs are low glycemic, which means they have negligible effects on your blood sugar and insulin levels (better for diabetics). They also contain lots of valuable vitamins and minerals.
You can get your fill of good carbohydrates in foods like fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains. Good carbs are not usually processed or altered by man-made devices.
Bad Carbs
Bad carbs are also known as simple carbohydrates and are high glycemic foods, which means that they raise your blood sugar and insulin levels rapidly. These foods typically cause weight gain and should be avoided by diabetics.
Bad carbs are found in processed foods such as candy, chips, ice cream, white bread, white rice and white pastas.
We All Need Good Carbs
Here’s why – Good carbs are considered slow burning carbs (the reason they don’t create a spike in your blood sugar levels). As a result, they provide you with a sustained source of ready energy.
What??
Okay – Carbohydrates are the bodies primary source of usable energy. That means they don’t have to be converted to a usable form of energy like proteins do – they are usable upon digestion.
So, when you consume good carbohydrates, which burn slowly, the result is a steady source of energy that stays with you through the day.
In comparison, bad carbs are also a usable source of energy, but they burn very quickly, which leads to an intense, but short lived boost in energy. Once these bad carbs are used up, you will be overcome with exhaustion. This process is commonly referred to as a “sugar rush” and the long term effects are simply not worth the quick burst of energy.
Incorporating the Good Stuff
A good rule of thumb to follow when adding good carbohydrates into your diet is to consume your weight in grams of carbohydrates. For example, a 140 pound woman would eat 140 grams of good carbohydrates a day.
If you use this approach to modify your diet instead of cutting out carbs altogether you’ll find that you have tons of energy, you’ll be able to focus better, you’ll lose weight more easily and you’ll stay more physically and mentally healthy.
All of the food groups have some place in our diets. If you want to maintain a healthy diet, you can’t just eliminate food groups – it’s unsafe, unproductive and unsustainable.
So, take all things in moderation, learn about nutrition and then make it work for you. Bon appetite’!
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