Introduction

Are carbohydrates good or bad for you? There are low carbohydrate diets where they claim that you can lose weight faster if you avoid them. Carbohydrates have been in our diets for thousands of years.

Learning

Good vs Bad Carbohydrates

As part of a balanced diet carbohydrates, proteins, fats and supplemental vitamins are all vital components of the diet. For example, carbohydrates can be soluble and insoluble. Fiber can be soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber causes water to enter the digestive tract to help with the movement of solids. Insoluble fiber is an example of an insoluble carbohydrate that provides the bulk that the large intestine uses for bowel movements. It also helps remove excess cholesterol from the digestive track. Fiber binds to the cholesterol which prevents it from entering the blood stream from the small intestine and is eliminated in feces. In addition, a meal that is high in vegetables and grains provides a feeling of fullness and helps control food intake.

Carbohydrates, often referred to as “carbs,” are your body’s primary energy source, and they are a crucial part of any healthy diet. Carbs should never be avoided, but it is important to understand that not all carbs are alike.

Carbohydrates can be either simple (nicknamed “bad”) or complex (nicknamed “good”) based on their overall chemical structure.

Simple carbohydrates are composed of simple-to-digest, basic sugars (such as mono- or di-saccharides).  As a general rule of thumb, the higher in sugar and lower in fiber a food is, the worse that food is for you.

Food products that contain a large amount of simple carbohydrates that you should limit in your diet include:

• Soda
• Candy
• Artificial syrups
• Sugar
• White rice, white bread, and white pasta
• Potatoes
• Pastries and desserts

While simple carbohydrates are safe to enjoy on occasion, you want to avoid having them as a primary source of carbs. Also, within the simple carb category, there are “smarter” choices, such as a baked potato, white rice, and regular pasta, than others (e.g. chips, cakes, pies, and cookies).

The debate on the number of teaspoons of simple sugars consumed in a day is continuing but evidence has resulted in organizations suggesting a limited intake. The American Heart Association (AHA) now recommends fewer than 9 teaspoons per day for men and fewer than 6 teaspoons for women.

In addition, they recommend the following:

• First, know the number of total calories you should eat each day.
• Consume an overall healthy diet and get the most nutrients for the calories, using foods high in added sugars as discretionary calories (those left over after getting all recommended nutrients subtracted from the calories used).
• Lower sugar intake, especially when the sugars in foods are not tied to positive nutrients such as in sugary drinks, candies, cakes, and cookies.
• Focus on calories in certain food categories such as beverages and confections and encourage consumption of positive nutrients and foods such as cereals and low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

Complex carbohydrates consist of longer-chains of polysaccharides, such as fiber, and are found in foods such as whole grains and legumes.  From a metabolism perspective, complex carbohydrates usually take more time for the body to break down and use.  As a result, they generally have a lower glycaemic load, which means that during digestion, lower amounts of sugars are released at a more consistent rate (instead of in rapid spikes as in the case of simple sugars) to keep you going throughout the day.

Selecting complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates is a simple matter of making dietary substitutions.  For example, have brown instead of white rice or whole-wheat instead of plain white pasta. To help determine which foods are rich in ‘good’ or ‘bad’ carbs, you can refer to the nutritional label of packaged food.

Summary

• Carbohydrates can be labeled as simple or complex.
• Carbohydrates are an excellent energy source during exercise.
• Once broken down into simple sugars like glucose it is either used by the cells for energy or is converted to glycogen and stored in the liver and muscle for later use, or stored as fat if there is an excess.
• Complex carbohydrates are healthier to consume because they contain fiber and other nutrients that can reduce the risk for obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
• A great rule of thumb to determine a healthy mix of carbohydrates when reading food labels is looking for a minimum of 2 grams of fiber per 100 Calories of carbohydrates.

Sources:

“Carbohydrates.” By OpenStax Biology 2e. Retrieved from: https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/3-2-carbohydrates/ Licensed under: CC-By: Attribution

“The Functions of Carbohydrates in the Body.” By UHOER Human Nutrition. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.oer.hawaii.edu/humannutrition/ . Licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license