Carbohydrates: What Are Good Carbs and Bad Carbs?

To function properly our body requires the help of various essential nutrients such as protein, fats, vitamins and minerals and so on. Carbs or carbohydrates are one such essential nutrient that helps in maintaining our body’s health. But is there a way to tell which carbs are good or bad for our bodies?

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Yes, we are needed to know in great detail about what is a simple and complex carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is an essential nutrient that is required by our body to maintain properly. It is also our body’s primary source of energy and this is why we need it in our diet every day.

There are three main components of carbs namely starch, sugar and fiber-based on the chemical structure of these components. Carbohydrate can be termed as simple or complex carbs:

Good Carbs and Bad Carbs

Simple carbs are those carbs which comprise of a digestible basic form of sugars and these are a very crucial source of energy. Sugars are available in this form in both natural and refined forms. Sugars are present in natural food items such as milk, fruits, and so on. Whereas refined or processed sugars are one which can be found in baked goods, candies, cookies, and similar food items.

However one must note that all simple carbs are not bad for our bodies. The characteristics of these actually depend on the food that we eat. So simple sugars which we get from the naturally occurring food substances such as, fruits, vegetables, milk is good for our body.

Moreover, these food items also contain some of the most important and vital micronutrients.

But, on the other hand, the baked goods like cookies, cakes, pastries, as well as, candies, are prepared by adding refined or processed sugar which is also a form of basic sugars. But these sugars are not good for our bodies. The natural foods also composed of fibers which slow down the digestive processes in our body.

Thus the basic sugars are absorbed really slowly without affecting the blood sugar level.

Thanks to the complex chemical structure! Complex carbohydrates are thus considered good, as our body needs more time to break their complex chain through the digestive process. Complex sugar also does not affect the blood sugar level as the sugars are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream very slowly and consistently.

Foods that contain complex carbs are also high in other nutrients and thus are very healthy for our bodies. These foods include brown rice, barley, corn, and oats.

Glycemic load factor as per the dieticians and nutritionists people need to scan the ingredient label before buying a food item. They also advise on checking the key value of the foods. It generally refers to the rate of the rising of your blood sugar level after ingesting a particular carb. The more the key value, the more your blood sugar level would rise. So you need to know little details of the glycemic index.

A low G is 10 or less, the medium is 11 to 19 and high as 20 or more.

Carbs are not wholly bad, but it is the food that you are getting from practicing. The intake of naturally occurring food is the way to have good carbs. This is the way of keeping yourself safe and healthy and away from the onset of any diseases.