Maybe you’ve heard of simple and/or complex carbohydrates before. Maybe you haven’t, and that’s okay! I’m sure most, if not all of us are at least somewhat familiar with carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are macronutrients that our body needs primarily for energy. There are different “categories” of carbs, simple vs. complex, based on their chemical structure. We’ll get to that more in a second or two. Carbs are found in various food groups, not just breads. There are carbs in anything that has sugar, so, fruit and high glycemic foods have carbs in them. There are trace amounts of carbs in vegetables as well. And of course, there are carbohydrates in different grains like rice and quinoa.
Carbs are not all created equal, however. Even though they are essential to our bodies, there are some forms of the macronutrient that can do more harm than good. I am referring to simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs are basically sugar in the most basic form. In regards to their chemical structure, they are very simple in nature meaning they have less molecules (compared to complex carbs) and are absorbed into the gut and bloodstream quickly. Since they are broken down so rapidly by the body, your blood sugar will rise and if eating simple carbs on a daily basis becomes a habit, we can be susceptible to chronic health conditions like diabetes or insulin resistance.
Ingredients on a food label can be disguised as simple carbs. For example, if you see any ingredients that mean sugar (like corn syrup or sucralose), then they are simple carbs. Baked goods, refined breads and refined grains are examples of simple carbs that you would commonly encounter on a regular basis. Here is a nice visual for common simple carbs.
Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, have more molecules than simple carbohydrates and take longer to get broken down by our gut and get into the blood stream. Because of this, they are the healthier carbohydrate to consume. A non-exhaustive list of nutritious complex carbohydrates include the following:
- Root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and/or squash
- Brown or wild rice
- Quinoa
- Low glycemic fruits such as apples or berries
- Pure honey
- Pure maple syrup
Keep yourselves educated on what healthy complex carbs are – because what we don’t know can hurt us!
Heidi says
Thanks for clearing this up. Can be confusing sometimes.