The Complexity of Carbs

It used to be that a carb was a carb was a carb. Fat was the culprit and no one worried about what kind of carbs they were eating. Then Doc Atkins came around and told us if we wanted to slim down we had to give them up. That’s when it really got complex.

You see, there’s a big difference between simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates like white breads, cookies, pastas and many cereals are primarily empty calories that our bodies absorb just like sugar. Since they do not have much to offer beyond energy, whatever calories are not used are converted to fat and stored in our body that way. While carbohydrates should make up about 50% of your daily diet, simple carbs should only be a small fraction of these.

Complex carbohydrates, which tend to come in brown, are found in whole grains and whole grain products. These are full of fiber, protein and other nutrients that your body needs. They are also absorbed slowly into the bloodstream which means they fill you up for longer, rather than encouraging you to reach for more. When whole grains are processed (in other words puffed, ground, flaked rolled, etc.) some of the “digesting” is already done for you. This means they are absorbed and turned into sugar more quickly. In other words, they begin to act like simple carbs and are not as healthy as grains that are cooked and served whole.

To break it down, it’s really very simple. If you can see whole, unadulterated grains in your food, you know you’ve found a complex carb. If you cannot, chances are you’re loading up on a lot more sugar than you think.

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