Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap in recent years, Benefits of Carbs in your diet mainly because people associate ‘carbs’ with many of the refined carbohydrates in our diet – foods like white bread and rice, and sweetened yogurt and juice. In reality, not all carbohydrates are bad – however, when carbohydrates are refined, many important, beneficial nutrients can be removed. Take whole wheat for example: when refined into white flour for bread or pasta, the starch in the center remains, but the process removes the outer bran (a source of fiber and vitamins), as well as bacteria. contains vitamins, minerals and trace amounts of good fat. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between “refined” and “unrefined” carbohydrates.
The “good carbohydrates”, which provide many of the nutrients the body needs to function properly, are in their unrefined and natural state, where nothing has been removed. Sources of these healthy carbohydrates include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, all of which are good sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. The trick for most people is to learn how to identify good carbs and cut back on processed foods.
Surprising Benefits of Adding Carbs to Your Diet
What Are Carbs?
Carbohydrates or hydrocarbons are molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. In nutrition, the word “carbohydrate” refers to one of the three macronutrients. The other two are protein and fat.
There are three main groups of carbohydrates:
Sugar: These are sweet, short-chain carbohydrates found in food. Examples include glucose, fructose, galactose and sucrose.
Starch: These are long chains of sugar molecules that eventually break down into glucose in the digestive system.
Fiber: Humans can’t digest fiber, but bacteria can use some of it’s some types. In addition, fiber intake is important for your health.
One of the main purposes of carbohydrates in our diet is to provide fuel for our bodies.
Many carbohydrates are broken down or converted into glucose which can be used as energy. Carbohydrates can also be converted into fat (energy) for later use.
Fiber is different. It doesn’t directly provide energy, but it feeds good bacteria in the digestive system. These bacteria can use fiber to produce fatty acids that some cells can use as energy Benefits of Carbs. Sugar alcohols are also carbohydrates. They are delicious, but they do not provide many calories. They don’t like to eat.
‘Refined’ vs. ‘Whole’ Carbs
While there is a lot of information out there about carbs, remember that not all carbs are created equal. There are many different types of carbohydrates and their effects on health can vary.
Carbohydrates are sometimes referred to as “light” versus “complex” or “whole” versus “refined.” Small amounts of carbohydrates are processed and contain the fiber found in food, while refined carbohydrates are more dense and have fiber removed or replaced.
Examples of Whole Carbohydrates:
- Whole Grains
- Legumes
- Vegetables
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Beans
- Barley
- Potatoes
On the other hand, Refined Carbs include:
- Pastries
- White bread
- Sugar-sweetened beverages
- Other items made with white flour
Read-Out Benefits of Carbs
Fruits:
By drinking or juicing, the skin is removed and most of the fiber and plant material are removed. Always go for whole fruits and cider or apple juice if you want to make more health Benefits of Carbs. In addition, fruit juice contains less than whole fruit but has more calories per serving.
Breads:
When looking for healthy food, try to avoid white bread and pay attention to the pasta options in front of you. Many companies label their bread as “multigrain,” but you need to check the label to determine whether the grain is whole grain or not refined. With whole grains, look for 100% whole grains on the front and 100% whole grains in the ingredients. The word “whole” is important – if it is only, for example, wheat, it will be better.
Flours, Pasta and Rice:
Like bread, when shopping for flour, pasta or rice, it’s best to look for products like whole wheat, wholemeal bread and brown rice. Otherwise, the refined product will remove the bran and bacteria, thereby removing nutrients such as iron, folate and vitamin B. Ironically, “Enriched Flours” adds back some of the vitamins and minerals that were removed during the process of refining, but does not replace all of the nutrients that were removed. Natural oils, phytonutrients, fiber and some vitamins and minerals may also be lacking.
Gain Benefits from Carbs
In particular, you will find foods in their natural state: grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. If you are preparing fruit, vegetables or potatoes to eat, keep the skin on if possible.
When you include whole wheat, pasta and brown rice in your diet, you have to adjust the flavors and textures slightly to get their nutritional benefits. But you must know these new foods, because these important foods are nutritious foods.
In addition to providing more nutrients, these foods are often more nutritious than their refined counterparts because of the added fiber. Although you may think you can eat white rice, for example, you will find brown rice – so you should eat less to get more health benefits.
Beans are part of the American diet, but we should all try to eat them more often. They are complete and a good source of protein, minerals and phytonutrients. It is easy to add to salads, soups and chili.
Here are some ideas to start the transition:
- Try to include fresh grains in your daily diet. Replace white rice with brown rice, quinoa or millet.
- When making a soup or stew that contains a lot of meat, try to reduce the animal protein and replace it with canned beans.
- To eliminate juices water, try drinking Sparkling Water with a few fruits or vegetables in it. You will learn to enjoy the taste of new fresh whole foods and drinks that are low in calories.
Note:
The content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor or other qualified health care professional Benefits of Carbs if you have any questions about your health.
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