What Is The Difference Between Good Carbs And Bad Carbs

What is the difference between a side of fries or a side of fresh vegetables? What is the difference between a sandwich made with white bread or a sandwich made with whole grain bread?  The carbohydrates in the second of both options is the good carbohydrate.

There is a lot of controversy out there as to whether carbs are good for you or bad.  There are many fad diets out there that claim that carbs are the devil and will make you fat.  Some carbs have been deemed a healthy nutrient associated with a lower risk of chronic disease. So which one is it?  Are carbs good or bad?  The short answer is that they are both.

We can get the benefits of good carbs by eating carbohydrates full of fiber.  Examples of these would be:  whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits.

We can minimize the risks of the bad carbs by eating carbs that strip away fiber, like:  White flour, white rice....

The only way to include fiber in the diet is to eat plant based foods.  Plant foods such as fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates full of fiber.  Studies show an increased risk for heart disease with low fiber diets.  High fiber diets may help to prevent colon cancer and help to promote weight loss.

Fiber is that part of the plant that humans cannot digest.  Even though fiber isn't absorbed it does great things for our bodies.  Fiber slows down the absorption of other nutrients eaten in the same meal, including the carbs we eat.  This slow rate of absorption keeps blood sugar levels stable, and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.  Certain types of fiber found in oats, beans and some fruits can also help lower blood cholesterol.  Fiber also helps people feel full, an added plus for people who are looking to lose weight.

American eat eat lots of "white grain".  We eat sugary "wheat cereal" or "white bagel" in the morning, have hamburger on a "white bun" for lunch, and then have "white rice" with dinner.  The more "white" the grain, the less fiber it has.

To get more fiber into your daily fare, add fruits and vegetables.  Add beans and bean products to your diet.  Switch you diet to whole grains.  Go from "white" bread and pasta, to whole wheat.  Eat some whole grains that you may never have tried before, like barley, oats, milllet, and rye.

Refined white sugar and refined white grains are good examples of bad carbohydrates.  These foods can give you a quick boost, but as quickly as you gain energy you plummet, and lose energy.  The best carbs for most people are the minimally or unprocessed whole foods that contain natural sugars, and digest slowly.

Low fat diets are in.  It is important to watch how much fat you eat in your diet, as eating fat is the contributing factor in many diseases.

Unfortunately many fat free products on the market today add more sugar to their products to make them taste better.

Now that you know the difference between good carbs and bad carbs you can make better decisions regarding your choice of food, and enjoy better health and more energy.