Ever since Robert Atkins first revealed his miracle “Atkins Diet”; A regiment that requires very accurate control of carbohydrate consumption in the early 90s, some nutritionists have been obsessed with eliminating carbohydrates altogether. Even today, after learning many more decades’ worth about nutrition, carbohydrate consumption is still a topic of debate. The problem is, despite the facts presented on the subject, nearly no one can seem to make up their mind on whether carbs are good or bad!

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At least once in your life, you have come to hear, at home on Tv, or in an article or in the gym that eating carbs before exercising is a good tip, others say they’re the first step on the endless road to diabetes. Honestly, this constant back and forth is confusing for most of the audience. Because of this ambiguity, we’ve compiled some general information on what constitutes “good” and “bad” when it come to carbohydrate consumption.

Confusing Diets

It’s not easy to choose the best diet that will give you the best results in a reasonable time. Since health and lifestyle tips are very sloppy these days, which makes the difference between keto and low-carb and no-carb diets even harder to find, so we are here to help.

Keto Vs Low-Carb?

There is no strict definition of low-carb, high-fat diet. Basically, low-carb is keto, but with slightly higher carb intake – around 75-150g of carbs a day. Frankly, it depends on your goals, lifestyle, preferences and unique biology. Keto is great for Weight loss, Stable energy and blood sugar, Decreasing inflammation and having a good Endurance.

Low carbs are good for Non-endurance Athletes and for Being more relaxed with your diet.

No Single Solution

Now, many of these diets work just fine for some people, but as we’ve learned, everybody is different. People react differently to different types of food, carbs or otherwise. Therefore, if we can’t center-in on a carb-centric diet, we need to explore the carbs themselves. First and foremost, we need to answer the question: What exactly is a carbohydrate?

What Are Carbs?

Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products. Though often maligned in trendy diets, carbohydrates — one of the basic food groups — are important to a healthy diet.

“Carbohydrates are macronutrients, meaning they are one of the three main ways the body obtains energy, or calories,” said Paige Smathers, a Utah-based registered dietitian. The American Diabetes Association notes that carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. They are called carbohydrates because, at the chemical level, they contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Three Categories

There are several different types of carbohydrates and it is the distinction between them discussed here. In understanding the three categories, we can determine which carbs are good for us and which are bad. The first types of carbohydrates are short-chain sugars like glucose, sucrose, galactose, and fructose.

Chains of Glucose

Sometimes called animal starch, glycogen is the primary storage form of glucose in animals. Starch and glycogen. Plants have two main types of starch—amylose, which has long unbranched chains of glucose, and amylopectin, which has branched chains. Animals store glucose in highly branched chains called glycogen.

Friendly Fiber

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. Though most carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead it passes through the body undigested. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check.

Understanding Carbs

Now that we know the difference between the three types of carbohydrates, how do we tell which are good carbs and which are bad? First, we must remember that, contrary to the tenets of many strict carb-free diets, not all carbs are “bad.” As we’ve seen even from the above descriptions, some carbs are actually quite good for you.

The Good…

The best carbohydrates, and the healthiest, are those that are whole and completely unprocessed. Some examples of these very good carbs include sweet potatoes, bananas, potatoes, brown rice, yucca, legumes, buckwheat, and dates. Because they are unprocessed, the nutrients in each of these foods have remained intact and therefore, nutritious.

Differing Effects

Healthy carbohydrates, that is, those which are high in sugar and starch, affect the body differently than those that are heavily refined. Take, for example, purple sweet potatoes. These tubers are high in various unrefined, complex sugars and starches. They are also high in vitamins, minerals, and anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that help fight free radicals and may offer anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, or anti-cancer benefits.

The Bad

Now we come to the bad carbohydrates. These refined carbs are mostly bereft of fiber content, which means they are anything but complex. Processing and refinement have stripped these once-healthy carbs of many key vitamins, minerals, and healthy fatty acids.

Refining Carbohydrates

Processed carbs can adversely affect blood sugar throughout the day, which in turn impacts our mental and physical performance and overall longevity. Some examples of refined carbs include fruit drinks, white flour, white rice, white pasta, and pastries. These bad carbs also impact insulin in the body much differently than unrefined carbs.

Blood Sugar And Memory

New research suggests that people with high blood sugar levels, even those who do not have diabetes, may have an increased risk for developing cognitive impairment. This is according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

Heart Health

A fairly recent study about the effects of refined carbs on coronary heart disease revealed that bad carbs don’t just increase the risk of diabetes and cause obesity, they can also lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This may seem like an elementary conclusion to some, but it’s also more proof that some carbs are indeed bad and some good.

Too Much

So now we come to it. We know about good carbs and bad carbs, but what we don’t know is how much is too much when it comes to carbohydrates? Again, we must answer this question by restating that everyone’s body is different and reacts differently to carbs. Age, sex, body type, physical activity and metabolism must all be taken into account.

Slim Pickings

Doctors agree that for anyone looking to lose weight should consume a range of 100–150 grams of good carbs per day to keep up energy levels. This means that when it comes to going on a diet, good carbs should be roughly 15 to 30 percent of one’s total calories coming from healthy carbs.

Exceptions

Further information about your daily caloric intake indicates that 45 to 65 percent of total daily calories should come from carbohydrates. This is for a normal, healthy, non-diabetic person, but there are exceptions. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts, who are training intensely day-to-day, tend to require more carbs to help assist in recovery.

Precautions

It’s also important to be aware that less carbs don’t always mean better health and performance. Going too low-carb or even no carb can actually negatively impact your mood, reduce cognitive performance, affect sleep quality, and cause hormone imbalances. It can even impact thyroid function and lead to unnecessary weight gain, fatigue, and brain fog.

Good Tasting, Good For You

After all this, it’s safe to say that carbohydrates, in and of themselves, can be quite nourishing and beneficial for your health. And while it’s ok to indulge in the occasional Snickers bar or fruit juice, you’ll probably want to stick to good carbs like buckwheat, dates, sweet potatoes, bananas, and quinoa.

Best Advice

Sounds irrelevant, but it’s just THE SAME!!!We all respond differently to carbohydrate consumption. Some people do indeed do well following trendy diets like Atkins or Keto, but most people, in general, will do best by sticking to a diet of complex, nutrient-rich carbs. This will help balance your diet, give you more energy, and ultimately help you live a longer, healthier life.