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.
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