What Are Carbohydrates?
A carbohydrate is defined as:
Any of a group of organic compounds that includes sugars, starches, celluloses, and gums and serves as a major energy source in the diet of animals.
You hear the phrase low carb diets, bad carbs, good carbs, and what have you. But what precisely are carbohydrates? Let’s talk about them in a simple to understand format.
Foods that have carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and cellulose. Once you consume sugary food and candy, these carbohydrates decompose so they can be converted into blood sugar.
Carbohydrates come in two forms
There are simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates, or simple sugars, consist of a piece of chocolate candy, for example. Simple carbs contains sugars that end with -ose, for example, fructose. Once eaten, and since they are broken down much quicker in your body, you experience a sugar rush. Soon after, that high wears off and you seem to want more food.
On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are made up of foods that are fiber rich and contain starch. For the most part these carbohydrates are digested slower than the simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates consist of beans, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and potatoes, among others.
Complex carbohydrates are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and usually low in calories. You rarely experience hunger later, because complex carbs are gradually absorbed into your system – the opposite of simple carbs.
What happens when you choose a simple carbohydrate or a complex carbohydrate?
One of two things will happen:
This might give you an idea why low carb diets are so popular these days.
In a nutshell: carbs and sugars are the same. Remember to distinguish which foods are processed more slowly than those which are not. If you’re looking into a low carbohydrate diet, explore the right foods and exercise that will ensure the effectiveness of this type of diet.