Carbohydrate Foods: Prefer The Right Carbohydrates To No Carb Diet

Carbohydrate foods are one of the main components of our diet. If you are wondering, what is/are carbohydrate foods, this article shall give you the answer. Carbohydrate foods  include three categories. These include starches, sugars and fiber. The human body metabolizes carbohydrate foods to produce energy, which is utilized mainly by the nervous system and the brain. Carbohydrate foods are the main source of energy in the diet. For this reason, most people will be unable to maintain low-carbohydrate diets for the rest of their life and even if they do so, they are asking for serious health problems down the line.

Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrate Foods

Depending on the chemical structure and the time required by the human body to digest and absorb them, carbohydrate foods are classified into two main categories namely, simple and complex carbohydrate foods.

Complex carbohydrate foods include three and more sugars. They are found in what are called ‘starchy foods.’ These include whole grain breads and legumes.

Simple carbohydrate foods include single sugar and double sugar compounds. Single sugars are found in fruits in the form of fructose and in milk products, in the form of galactose.

At least 99% of the carbohydrate foods we consume are derived from fruits, vegetables and grains. When these carbohydrate foods are consumed in their natural state, unprocessed and unrefined, they are full of vitamins, minerals and available energy for the body. Vegetables, fruits, berries and whole grains are your best bet.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are highly processed and refined carbohydrate foods that have been deprived of their fibers, vitamins and minerals. Foods like white bread, processed snack items such as chips, crackers, crisps that are made with white flour and sweets including pastries, candy bars and soft drinks, are full of typical bad carbohydrate foods.

 

Recommendations

A large amount of the western world population consumes voluminous amounts of simple, refined carbohydrate foods and paltry amounts of complex carbohydrate foods, such as cakes, cookies, pizzas, pasties and pies. Add to that the fact that the average British consume the equivalent of around 40 teaspoons of sugar per day and it is clear that most British are filing themselves almost exclusively on refined, simple carbohydrate foods at the exclusion of healthful complex carbohydrate foods. This is why carbohydrate foods have such a bad press despite being an essential component of a healthy diet.

Choose the right carbohydrate foods rather than no carbohydrate foods at all. Whole grains are your best choice.

 

• Have whole grains for breakfast.  Hot cereal, such as cut oats, or a cold cereal containing a whole grain as their main ingredient and is low in sugar.
• Include whole grain breads in your lunch or snacks.  Look for bread that have whole rye, whole wheat, or some other whole grain as the main ingredient. The best are only whole grains, such as 100 percent whole wheat bread.
• Avoid  potatoes. Prefer bulgur, brown rice, whole wheat pasta , or other whole grain for dinner.
• Choose fruits instead of juice. An orange has twice the amount of fiber and half the amount of sugar compared to a glass of orange juice.
• Love beans. They are an optimum source of slowly digested carbohydrate foods and contain protein.