Carbohydrates (carbs) suffer an identity crisis. Our body’s other main sources of the energy and nutrients, which include fat and protein, don’t have the same problem. Even though we need fat to live, it’s almost universally despised. And protein? It seems like it can do no wrong.
But carbs are different. You’ll hear about “good” carbs and “bad” carbs; low-carb diets and high-carb diets. It’s all very confusing and most of us would be hard-pressed to say exactly why some carbs are “good” and others are “bad”.
Two Types of Carbohydrates
The double-sided definitions are the result of there being two types of carbs: simple and complex. Typically, simple carbs are considered “bad” and complex carbs are considered “good”. Foods with simple carbs include potatoes, white bread and white rice. Foods with complex carbs include fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
But, much like calories, there are really no “bad” carbs. Your body digests simple carbs much faster than it does complex carbs. That makes simple carbs a great way to get a quick boost of energy.
But most people are not able to use all that extra energy and that’s where the bad reputation for simple carbs comes from. Just like any extra food energy we consume, the unused energy from simple carbs is stored in fat.
Complex carbs may contain the same amount of energy as simple carbs, but our bodies take longer to process them, which reduces the chances of surplus energy and the need to store it in fat. Complex carbs also carry more nutrients and fibre.
So simple carbs aren’t “bad”. It’s just that they don’t carry many nutrients and we tend to consume more of them than we need.
Carbohydrates affect different people in different ways. You can get a much better understanding of how carbohydrates affect you by talking to a nutritional professional. He or she will be able to give you answers that are specific to your diet and body type and show you how you can use carbs to manage your weight.