Carbohydrates can be good or bad for your body.
You need to eat enough good carbohydrates – that is how your body gets enough energy for low-intensity activities during the day. Carbohydrates are found in breads and grains, but also in a number of other foods as well, such as fruits and vegetables. You should watch your intake of carbohydrates carefully to ensure your diet is distinguishing the good carbs from the bad carbs.
Carbohydrates are basically sugars. Complex carbohydrates are the good carbs for your body. These are chemical strings of sugar which are very difficult for your body processes to break down and they also trap other nutrients like vitamins and minerals in the sugar strings. As they slowly break down, the other nutrients are also released into your body, and can provide you with nutrients for a number of hours.
Bad carbohydrates, however, are simple sugars. Because their structure is not complex, it is easy for your body processes to break down and they hold little nutrients for your body other than the sugars from which they are made. Your digestive system breaks down these carbohydrates rather quickly and what is not needed immediately for energy use is converted to fat and stored in the body.
Staying away from simple carbohydrates is what most diets recommend, since they have little nutritional value when compared to complex carbohydrates.
Filed under: Healthy eating | Tagged: carbohydrates, carbs, complex sugars, nutrients, simple sugars, sugars
