Carbohydrates, Carbs, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly!

Carbohydrates (good vs bad)

Carbohydrates also known as Carbs pretty much come in two varieties. 

COMPLEX (aka “good”) or SIMPLE (aka "bad") based on their chemical makeup and what your body does with them.  My body craves carbs!  Ugh!  And the more simple carbs I eat the more carbs I want!   

COMPLEX carbs, like whole grains and legumes, contain longer chains of sugar molecules; these usually take more time for the body to break down and use. This, in turn, provides you with a more even amount of energy.

SIMPLE carbs are composed of simple-to-digest, basic sugars with little real value for your body. The higher in sugar and lower in fiber, the worse the carbohydrate is for you.

Fruits and vegetables are simple carbohydrates ~ still composed of basic sugars, although they are drastically different from other foods in the category, like cookies and cakes. The fiber in fruits and vegetables changes the way that the body processes their sugars and slows down their digestion, making them a bit more like complex carbohydrates.

Describing carbs as being either simple or complex is one way to classify them, but nutritionists and dietitians now use another concept to guide people in making decisions about the carbs they choose to eat.


The glycemic index of a food basically tells you how quickly and how high your blood sugar will rise after eating the carbohydrate contained in that food, as compared to eating pure sugar. Lower glycemic index foods are healthier for your body, and you will tend to feel full longer after eating them. Most, but not all, complex carbs fall into the low glycemic index category.


The bottom line: Just be sensible about the carbs you choose. Skip low-nutrient dessert, consider the levels of sugar and fiber in carbs, and focus on healthy whole grains, fruits, and veggies to get the energy your body needs every day.

Note to self:   those carbs in that there bottle of coffee creamer are obviously SIMPLE and HIGH on the glycemic index!  Just reminding myself to back away from the java fix.

How many carbs should you eat a day?  The fact is that there is no one carb level that will be best for everyone.  So why not take some lifestyle change baby steps for yourself?  Switch from that white rice to brown rice.  Switch from that coffee creamer to half and half or skim milk.  Switch from that white bread to a whole grain bread.  And start backing off foods with High-fructose corn syrup ~ when you start reading the label you will find this added to almost everything!  That will be another blog!

Lifestyle change, baby steps, live-it not diet, YOU can make a difference in YOURSELF!