Carbohydrates are not as bad as most people think. In fact they are a necessary part of our diet. Carbs are actually one of the major food groups of nutrients that provide calories – the others being protein and fat. Carbs are made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. They actually contain vital energy that consists of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that fuel our body.
There are two types of carbohydrates that are known as “simple” and “complex”. Simple carbs are faster to digest, but aren’t necesaarily as good for you, such as refined sugar (sucrose), or sugar found in fruit (fructose) or milk sugar (lactose). Complex carbs have more fiber and take longer to digest, such as bread, rice, potatoes and beans. Complex carbs are less processed and tend to have more of the essential nutrients we need such as vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. However, simple carbs such as milk contain calcium and vitamin D that are healthy – so no need to avoid simple carbs altogether. But the rule of thumb with all foods is to eat less processed foods and more whole foods, because they contain more of the essential nutrients that we need. For example, it’s better to eat fruit over fruit juice and potatoes over French fries. Although carbs have become a dirty word and protein diets are the “big thing”, and seen as the best way to lose weight, remember that carbs are actually in most things we eat. The only thing that carbs are not in are fats and meats, everything else has carbs. Carbohydrates are what plants eat, so everything that comes from plants has carbs in it. The only exception to this rule is milk and yogurt – which also contain carbs – probably because cows graze grass. So the bottom line is that most people who want to avoid carbs by earting fruit and vegetables are actually eating carbs anyway and you shouldn’t want to avoid eating carbs as they are essential part of our diet - and an important source of energy for working living and working out.
