Low Carb Crib - Complex Carbohydrates

Complex Carbohydrates

What Makes Complex Carbohydrates So Complex?

Complex carbohydrates are sugars that have bonded together to form a chain. Your digestive enzymes have to work harder to get to the tools that will break this chain down to individual sugars to be absorbed by the body and used for energy. In other words, digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer, so you feel full longer after you eat complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates. complex carbohydrates give you a steady supply of energy until they are fully digested. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly, which is why you can experience a "sugar high" then come down quickly. Does this mean you should avoid simple sugars completely? No. There are good, healthy foods that are considered simple carbohydrates.

Good Food Choices

Do some research and you're likely to find out quickly that simple carbohydrates are in refined foods like sugar, cookies, cakes and other baked goods. But there are also simple carbohydrates in milk, which is actually very good for you. Here are some more good choices you can make when it comes to simple carbohydrate foods:

Apples
Pears
Grapefruit
Blackberries
Cherries
Kiwis
Lemons
Melons
Oranges
Peaches
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Milk

Now here are some good choices you can make when it comes to complex carbohydrates:

Brown rice
Whole wheat pasta
Oats
Beans
Lettuce
Spinach
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Cabbage
Sprouts

Any foods that are high in fiber, whole grains, vitamins and other such nutrients are good choices, but you want to avoid anything with high amounts of fat and sugars. And speaking of sugars....

Sugar...In Other Words

When you're reading food labels, beware that sugars can also be listed as sucrose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, galactose and others. So just because you don't see the word "sugar" in the ingredients list, that doesn't mean it's not there.

For those considering a strict restriction of their carbohydrate to lose weight, just bear in mind that cutting back on carbs too much doesn't do a body good. You just have to choose the right carbs.