Different types of Carbohydrates

You read a lot about low carb diets, such as Atkins. All my life, through all the diets I’ve done and all the reading I’ve done, opinions about eating carbohydrates have varied widely. Yes you should, no, you shouldn’t at all, just eat low carb vegetables, whatever.

I want to clarify something about carbs that is very important. There are two kinds of carbs, simple or refined carbohydrates, and complex or unrefined carbohydrates. You can’t really talk about whether carbs are good or bad for you till you’ve defined what it is you are talking about.

Complex carbohydrates are foods left in their natural state or very close to it. Brown rice, potatoes, beans, barley, oatmeal are all examples of these kinds of carbs. These high fiber carbs are absorbed slowly in your body. They provide a stable source of energy and minimize blood sugar spikes. This means that your body doesn’t have to produce so much insulin to balance out your blood sugar.

Refined carbohydrates are processed foods. Things like white flour, white sugar, corn syrup, white rice are all simple carbohydrates. The process of milling or refining these foods, removes fiber, nutrients and oils. White flour even has to have B vitamins added back in, to provide basic levels of necessary vitamins.

Because there is so little food value in these foods, they are absorbed quickly, cause your blood sugar to spike, thus causing your body to produce insulin to offset this. If you eat these kinds of foods constantly (white bread, sweet roll, cookie, white rice) your body is constantly producing insulin, and it can lead to insulin resistance. In other words, it takes more insulin to level out your blood sugar. This may lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Because these simple carbohydrates are so quickly absorbed, you get hungry again faster. This can lead to overeating and cravings. Your blood sugar goes up again and the whole cycle starts over again.

So, now when you talk about low carb diets, or high carb diets, the important distinction is what kind of carbs. Eating lots of white bread, sugared breakfast cereals, donuts, those are the wrong carbs to eat. Eating whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, vegetables of all kinds, those are the right kind of carbs to eat. They will give you a feeling of fullness, provide vitamins and minerals and fiber, and keep your blood sugar on a more even keel.