Carbohydrates are an essential part of your balanced diet, but that doesn’t mean that you are free to load up on carbohydrate rich food items like cookies and cakes to receive your daily required amount. This page will help you know about the carbohydrates facts.
We all eat carbohydrate daily to stay fit and healthy. It is important to understand and know the difference between good and bad carbohydrates because the choice you make in carbohydrates has a crucial impact on your mental and physical health. Your brain function and physical performance are heavily influenced by carbohydrate consumption. The type of carbohydrate intake has a direct impact on your overall health throughout your life.
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Carbohydrates are known as “carbs” comes under the list of essential nutrients that your body required for functioning. Our body needs carbohydrates to make glucose, which is our brain and body’s primary fuel. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy and are necessary for maintaining optimal growth. A carbohydrate is a chain of the glucose molecule. These chains are broken down into glucose in the body, which is absorbed into the blood and used by all the body’s cells to generate energy. Body’s brain cells and red blood cells only use carbs for energy.
Difference between good carbs and bad carbs
Not all carbs are created equal and understanding how to select healthy ones is quite simple. There are mainly two types of carbs, namely simple (good) and complex (bad) carbs. Knowing the difference can help you keep our diet with the right carbohydrates and help you keep the wrong ones away. Good carbohydrates that are rapidly digested come from the earth and not from a box. Eating a peeled orange versus processed juice, baked potatoes over a packet of chips or French fries, corns from the husk of corn instead of corn flakes would be a great example of choosing a good carb instead of a bad one. A carbohydrate rich food, which is not processed or refined is packed with full of essential nutrients that are beneficial for the body and are a better option for your waistline. Choosing wheat flour or whole grain flour, white flour, brown rice over white ones are other simple carbs selections.
Stay away from bad carbs
Avoid bad or simple carbohydrates as these assist in unhealthy lifestyle if eaten on a regular basis. Our supermarket is overloaded with the overly processed foods containing bad carbohydrates. You can recognize these products by the marketing tags that say fat-free, low calorie, sugar-free, low fat, etc. It is high time now, we all need to educate enough to recognize bad carbs and eliminate them as much as possible from our diet; try to eat a balanced diet. Simple carbohydrates will come in whole food form instead of a packet and include fruits, vegetables, whole grains.
Good carbs- The real food enriched with nutrients
- The nutrient value of simple carbohydrates is high; these have an enormous variety that provides essential health benefits.
- They do not contain refined sugars or refined grains.
- A good carbohydrates food item is low in sodium.
- These nutritious foods contain low to moderate calories. You can eat in good amount to satisfy your hunger without going overboard on calories.
- Good carbs are fiber rich foods that naturally help in regulating blood sugar and insulin levels, supports weight loss, reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream, and improve the digestive system health.
- Low in saturated fat, good carbohydrates have no cholesterol and trans-fat.
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Bad carbs- Food low on energy
Complex carbs or bad carbs are high in a calorie of a small portion. They have no nutrient value and contains zero to minimal fiber. Bad carbs are loaded with cholesterol, fat, and trans-fat. They contain highly refined sugars that are often associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Corn syrups, added sugars, high fructose, white sugar are a part of the bad carbohydrates diet. All these overweight causing foods will only lead to health problems. So go for a complex carbohydrates free diet to achieve lean body and overall good health.
