Bad Vs. Good Carbs

We know nutrition and diet is a complicated topic, otherwise there wouldn’t be professional dieticians.  The internet is somewhat helpful, although there’s good and bad info out there so it pays to be educated.  Today we’ll challenge a popular misconception: Not all carbs are bad!  In this article, I will explain the types of carbohydrates you should eat and which types you should avoid.

The first thing to remember is that carbs are found in all sorts of food-processed foods like cakes, soft drinks and microwavable dinners, as well as natural foods such as fruits,nuts and vegetables. Understanding the difference is the key to figuring out which kinds you should eat and which kinds you shouldn’t.

1. The Bad Carbohydrates: In case you don’t know, processed foods contain a lot of carbs-the bad kind. As soon as these carbs are processed, much of their nutrition and value is lost! What is left are empty calories which only make you fat and nothing else. The refinement and processing of these carbs takes them out of their natural state-the state in which they are still good for you.

Examples of such foods with over-processed carbs are chips, white bread, pasta, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, candies, etc. These foods should be phased out of your diet, as these processed foods contain primarily a lot of sugar and (as you might be aware) sugar is high in calories. So the problem here is, the more sugar you consume the fatter you become! Apart from weight gain, eating processed foods regularly can also result in diabetes, since your blood sugar levels increase so much that it becomes extremely difficult for insulin to control it!

2. The good: What are good carbohydrates?  Complex carbohydrates, which can be found in raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grain wheats, etc.  Because of the complexity of their chemical makeup, it takes more to digest them and they do not make you fat.  These foods make you feel full because of the fiber content.  So if there was ever a natural hunger cure, this is it!

Suffice it to say that not all carbs are bad. Understanding good vs. bad carbs can help you get a flat stomach fast!

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