Good carbs and bad carbs

culled from:tescohealthandwellbeing.com

Good carbs and bad carbs - the truth

Carbohydrates have a bit of a bad rep, but they aren't all bad and they aren't all saints either. We often blame carbs in general on our jelly belly and thunder thighs, but they're not all the same, so let’s not label them all baddies.

Carbs explained

There are 2 types of carbs, complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates aka good carbs and bad carbs.
Complex or good carbohydrates, like unprocessed fruit and veg, brown pasta and brown rice are rich in fibre. So your body has to work harder to digest them, in turn, it takes time to breakdown into glucose so it releases energy slowly which helps it to function properly. Just like the right fuel for your car.
What’s the big deal about fibre? Not only does it keep your gut healthy by keeping you regular, it also manages the good bacteria in your gut and tells your brain you are full.
Did you know...The right carbohydrates can boost your health and reduce your weight?
Simple or bad carbohydrates like pastries, white rice and bread, can contain some natural sugars but generally are full of added or refined sugars which are broken down quickly. Bang! Your body has just had a sugar high and it wants more. Usually you’ll feel the urge to reach for something sugary after you eat them. Then comes that post-carb slump; The sleepiness that happens after your body starts to come down off the sugar high.
Processing like juicing and milling destroys the good stuff like fibre and vitamins and turns good carbs into bad carbs.
Put petrol in a diesel engine and you’ll so find out what it can do to a car.

The difference between good carbs and bad carbs

Good Carbs	Bad Carbs
Digested slowly	Digested quickly
Continued energy	Energy slump
High fibre	Low fibre
Weight loss	Weight gain
Feel fuller for longer	Can lead to binging
Can control cravings	Can cause cravings
Better concentration	Poor concentration
Lowers cholesterol	Converts into fat cells
Improves gut health	Sluggish bowels
Stablises blood sugar	Increases risk of type 2 diabetes

By making clever swaps from bad carbs to good carbs you can start to reap all the positives they bring... more energy, less cravings, weight loss the list goes on. If your favourite recipe calls for white rice, just swap it for the brown. It's as easy as that. When you are eating out, take the list with you and don't be afraid to ask the waiter for the low carb option. Some of them might be new to you, but you won't know if you like them until you try them.

Healthy carb swaps

Bad carbs	Swap to	Good carbs
White rice		Brown rice/brown basmati/quinoa
White pasta		Brown or wholemeal pasta
Sugary cereal		Porridge or no added sugar & salt muesli
Side of garlic bread		Side of green veg
Pastries or cakes		Fresh fruit tray
White bread/wraps/ Bagels		Wholemeal or wholegrain or rye bread
White flour		Spelt flour or wholemeal flour
Fruit juice		Fruit in water or fruit
Biscuits/ Rice cakes /crackers		Rye crackers and rough milled oat cakes
Sugar		Agave or Stevia**

** The taste of sugar alone can make your body crave more so start to limit it and cut it out completely if you can.

Buyer beware

Just because it says it's brown doesn't mean it's wholegrain. If the first ingredient is wheat flour, it's white flour so look for whole-wheat flour or whole wheat. If it's 100% whole wheat or whole grain, even better. But watch out for the wording "made with whole grain" that doesn't mean it's 100% whole grain.