Your right choice towards carbs

Carbs, or carbohydrates, are molecules that have carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

In nutrition, "carbs" refers to one of the three macronutrients. The other two are protein and fat.

Dietary carbohydrates can be split into three main categories:

• Sugars: Sweet, short-chain carbohydrates found in foods. Examples are glucose, fructose, galactose, and sucrose.
• Starches: Long chains of glucose molecules, which eventually get broken down into glucose in the digestive system.
• Fiber: Humans cannot digest fiber, although the bacteria in the digestive system can make use of some of them.

The main purpose of carbohydrates in the diet is to provide energy. Most carbs get broken down or transformed into glucose, which can be used as energy. Carbs can also be turned into fat (stored energy) for later use.

Fiber is an exception. It does not provide energy directly, but it does feed the friendly bacteria in the digestive system. These bacteria can use the fiber to produce fatty acids that some of our cells can use as energy.

Sugar alcohols are also classified as carbohydrates. They taste sweet, but usually, don't provide many calories.

"Whole" vs "Refined" Carbs

Not all carbs are created equal.

There are many different types of carbohydrate-containing foods, and they vary greatly in their health effects.  

Although carbs are often referred to as "simple" vs "complex," I personally find "whole" vs "refined" to make more sense.

Whole carbs are unprocessed and contain the fiber found naturally in the food, while refined carbs have been processed and had the natural fiber stripped out.

Examples of whole carbs include vegetables, whole fruit, legumes, potatoes, and whole grains. These foods are generally healthy.

On the other hand, refined carbs include sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, pastries, white bread, white pasta, white rice, and others.

Numerous studies show that refined carbohydrate consumption is associated with health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes. Trusted SourceTrusted SourTrusted Source

They tend to cause major spikes in blood sugar levels, which leads to a subsequent crash that can trigger hunger and cravings for more high-carb foods.

This is the "blood sugar roller coaster" that many people are familiar with.

Refined carbohydrate foods are usually also lacking in essential nutrients. In other words, they are "empty calories".

The added sugar is another story altogether, they are the absolute worst carbohydrates and linked to all sorts of chronic diseases.

However, it makes no sense to demonize all carbohydrate-containing foods because of the health effects of their processed counterparts.

Whole food sources of carbohydrates are loaded with nutrients and fibers and don't cause the same spikes and dips in blood sugar levels.

Hundreds of studies on high-fiber carbohydrates, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grain show that eating them is linked to improved metabolic health and a lower risk of disease.

Good Carbs:

• Vegetables: All of them. It is best to eat a variety of vegetables every day.
• Whole fruits: Apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.
• Legumes: Lentils, kidney beans, peas, etc.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, etc.
• Seeds: Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds.
• Whole grains: Choose grains that are truly whole, as in pure oats,  brown rice, etc.
• Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.

Bad Carbs:

• Sugary drinks: Coca-cola, Pepsi, Vitaminwater, etc. Sugary drinks are some of the unhealthiest things you can put into your body.
• Fruit juices: Unfortunately, fruit juices may have similar metabolic effects as sugar-sweetened beverages.
• White bread: These are refined carbohydrates that are low in essential nutrients and bad for metabolic health. This applies to most commercially available bread.
• Pastries, cookies, and cakes: These tend to be very high in sugar and refined wheat.
• Ice cream: Most types of ice cream are very high in sugar, although there are exceptions.
• Candies and chocolates: If you’re going to eat chocolate, choose quality dark chocolate.
• French fries and potato chips: Whole potatoes are healthy, but french fries and potato chips are not.