There are 2 types of carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are considered simple or complex based on their chemical structure. So what are complex carbohydrates, or some call them starch?
Complex carbohydrates
They are simply sugars linked together to form a chain. Due to its complex chain shape, your digestive enzymes have to work much harder to access the bonds and break the chain into individual sugars for absorption through the intestines.
Therefore, the digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer. Slow absorption of sugars provides you with a constant supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted to fat and stored.
In general, people consider complex carbohydrates to be good carbohydrates.
Here is a list of complex carbohydrate foods.
- Spinach
- Whole barley
- Grapefruit
- Turnip greens
- Buckwheat
- Apples
- Lettuce
- Buckwheat bread
- Plums
- Water cress
- Oat bran bread
- Dry dams
- Zucchini
- Oatmeal
- Pears
- Asparagus
- Oat bran cereal
- Plums
- Artichokes
- Museli
- Strawberries
- Okra
- Wild rice
- Oranges
- Cabbage
- Integral rice
- Yams
- Celery
- Multigrain bread
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Pinto beans
- Potatoes
- pickles
- Low fat yogurt
- Soy
- Radishes
- Skimmed milk
- Lentils
- Broccoli
- White beans
- Chickpeas
- Brussels
- Cabbages
- Cauliflower
- Beans
- Eggplant
- Soy milk
- Lentils
- Onions
- Wholemeal bread
- Split peas
Complex carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates digest quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. People often think of them as bad carbohydrates.
Why wrong?
These simple carbohydrates are actually smaller sugar molecules as opposed to the long chains of complex carbohydrates.
They are digested quickly because the individual sugars are ready to be absorbed immediately and digestive enzymes have easy access to the bonds in the paired molecules.
You could say that most of the work has been done for the digestive system! Food such as cakes, pastries, cookies, chocolate, etc. (you get the idea) they contain a lot of “empty” calories.
Since our cells generally do not require that much energy at the time of eating, sugar must be converted to glycogen (storage of sugar within cells) or converted to fat.
Your body’s cells can only store a limited amount of glycogen, so in many common cases, eating too many foods that contain simple carbohydrates can contribute to body fat stores.
Here is a list of simple carbohydrate foods.
- Sugar table
- Corn syrup
- Fruit juice
- Candy
- Pie
- Bread made with white flour
- Pasta made with white flour
- Soda
- Candy
- All baked goods made with white flour.
- Most packaged cereals
- Honey
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Jelly
- Chocolate
- Cracker
There are many more foods that contain both simple and complex carbohydrates. You can use the list above as a starting point for a healthier diet right away.
