To eat or not to
eat carbohydrates… that is the question. There are good carbs
and there are bad carbs. How can we tell the difference and how
do we know what to eat? The old way of classifying carbohydrates:...
Complex Carbohydrates provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and
energy. Some foods that contain complex carbohydrates are whole
grain bread, legumes like peas and beans, pasta, rice, and starchy
vegetables.
Simple Carbohydrates are broken down quickly to provide energy.
Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in milk, fruits and vegetables.
Simple carbs are also found in processed foods like syrup, soda,
and refined sugar found in many processed baked goods.
In this way of classifying carbs, it is recommended that we
limit our intake of simple carbs and get most of our carbohydrates
from complex carbs.
The new way of classifying carbohydrates: The Glycemic Index
(GI) measures how quickly blood sugar rises after ingesting a
food with carbohydrates. Eating a diet full of foods that have
been rated with a high GI may contribute to an increased risk
of diabetes and heart disease. Highly processed or highly refined
carbohydrates have been found to have a high GI - foods like white
bread, white rice, white pasta, french fries and refined breakfast
cereals. Whole foods will have a lower GI - legumes, whole fruit,
and whole grains like wheat, oats, barley, and brown rice. However,
there are exceptions to this rule. Many other factors influence
the GI of a food. Fiber content, fat content, ripeness, and type
of starch also affect the GI. Thus some foods like potatoes and
bananas have a high GI. Diets that advise you to eat a low amount
of carbohydrates have gone part of the way to increase awareness
of the differences of carbs. The Glycemic Index has also helped
us to determine that all carbs are not created equal. Some kinds
of carbohydrates help promote health, but others actually increase
the risk for diseases like diabetes and coronary heart disease.
