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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

What makes carbs good or bad

Many people have this query. Are carbs good or bad?

The short answer is that they are both. We just need to ensure we consume the right type of carbs to boost our health.

REFINED vs. WHOLE CARBS

There are many different types of carbohydrate-containing foods, and they vary greatly in their health effects.

Although carbs are often referred to as ‘simple’ and ‘complex’, terming them as ‘refined’ and ‘whole’ makes more sense. Whole carbs (complex) are the good carbs, whereas refined carbs (simple) are the bad ones.

Good Carbs are basically planted foods that deliver fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals along with grams of carbohydrate, such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits.

You can’t judge a carb as “good” without considering its fiber content. They are unprocessed and real foods!

Bad Carbs are processed and have the natural fiber stripped out.

Examples of whole carbs include vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, and whole grains. These foods are generally healthy.

On the other hand, refined carbs include all the products containing refined white sugar, fruit juices, pastries, white bread, white pasta, white noodles, and others.

Refined carbohydrate foods usually lack essential nutrients. In other words, they are “empty” calories.

The added white sugar is another story altogether, it’s an absolute worst carb and linked to all sorts of chronic diseases.

Whole carb foods are loaded with nutrients and fiber and don’t cause the same spikes and dips in blood sugar levels as the refined carbs.

List of Good Carbs and Bad Carbs:

Good Carbs-

1-Vegetables: all of them. It is best to eat a variety of vegetables every day.

2-Whole fruits: apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.

3-Legumes and whole pulses

4-Nuts: almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, etc.

5-Seeds: chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, etc.

6-Whole Cereals: Whole wheat, oats, quinoa, brown rice, barley, ragi, jowar, bajra, etc.

7-Roots and Tubers: beetroot, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.

Bad Carbs:

1- Sugary drinks: They are some of the unhealthiest things you can put into your body. They make your body super acidic. E.g Colas and other aerated drinks, tetra pack fruit juices, etc.

2- White bread: This applies to most commercially available breads. Even the brown breads contain refined wheat flour (maida) and some are caramelized to get the brown color effect.

3- Pastries, cookies, and cakes: These tend to be very high in sugar and refined wheat flour.

4- Ice cream: Most types of ice cream are very high in sugar, although there are exceptions.

5- Candies and chocolates: If you’re going to eat chocolate, choose quality dark chocolate (80-90% dark).

6- French fries and potato chips: Whole potatoes are healthy, but french fries and potato chips are not.

These foods may be fine in moderation for some people, but many will do best by avoiding them as much as possible.