Remember when light beer commercials used to
brag about the amount of calories their particular brand of swill contained?
These days it would seem that carbohydrates have taken over center stage.
Research now shows us that carbohydrates' effect on health is complex,
involving not just the overall amount, but also the particular types
in question. Some kinds of carbohydrates help promote health, but others
actually increase the risk for diseases like diabetes and coronary heart
disease.
Most foods contain carbohydrates, compounds
that include sugars, fibers, and starches. Carbohydrates come from a
wide variety of foods. Some foods where you will find carbohydrates
include beans, milk, popcorn, bread, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, and
cherry pie but these foods don't all contain the same kind of
carbohydrates.
Traditionally, carbohydrates that were classified
as complex carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, and other starches were
considered to be "good," and simple carbohydrates or sugars such as
table sugar, candy, and honey were thought of as "bad." However, research
now shows us that the picture is more complicated.
Carbohydrates are a necessary part of a healthy
diet because they provide the body with the energy it needs for physical
activity and to keep organs functioning properly. Many foods rich in
whole-grain carbohydrates are also good sources of essential vitamins
and minerals.
Fiber helps shield the carbohydrates in food
from immediate digestion, so the sugars in fiber-rich foods tend to
be absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly.
The higher a food's fat content or acid content,
the slower its carbohydrates are converted to sugar and absorbed into
the bloodstream.
Some foods that contain complex carbohydrates,
such as potatoes, quickly raise blood sugar levels, while some foods
that contain simple carbohydrates, such as whole fruit, raise blood
sugar levels more slowly.
But is simply cutting back on fat and loading
up on carbohydrates a healthy way to eat or to lose weight? Just as
researchers learned that not all types of fat are bad, they're also
discovering that not all types of carbohydrates are good.
Stomach Fat |
Weighing In | Eat
and Lose Weight | Holiday Weight
Gain
No Dieting Weight Loss | Cutting
Calories | Behavior Modification
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| Dangers of High Fat
Diets that Fail | Increase
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Flabby Arms
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of Obesity
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the Weight Off | Weight Loss
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at Weight Loss
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