Simple vs Complex Carbohydrates. If you have Type 2 diabetes, you know that carbohydrates matter. Although eating carbohydrates can be part of a healthy diet, eating too many carbohydrates at a meal can make blood sugar levels soar. In addition to the quantity of carbohydrates, the quality of carbohydrates is important too. ![]() You see, not all carbohydrates are created equally. There are simple and complex carbohydrates. And within each of these categories, there are options that are better and worse for you and your blood sugar levels. Understanding the difference among sources can help you strike a balance in your eating — helping you to keep your blood sugars in an acceptable range, while feeling full, and maintaining a healthy weight. What are Simple Carbohydrates? Simple carbohydrates are made up of just one or two sugar molecules. The Atkins Diet - summary. The Atkins Diet is a low carb diet developed over twenty years ago by Dr Robert Atkins, an American heart specialist. Are carbohydrates good or bad? The short answer is that they are both. Fortunately, it’s easy separate the good carbs from the bad carbs. Atkins and Western Michigan University notes that it is based on the idea that consumption. As such, it doesn't take much for your body to break them down and absorb them (as glucose) into the bloodstream. For this reason, simple carbohydrates raise blood sugar much faster and usually higher than complex carbohydrates. Single sugars include: Fructose (found naturally in fruit and added to some processed foods as a sweetener) and. Galactose (found in dairy products)Double sugars include: Lactose (found in milk and other dairy products)Maltose (found in some vegetables and grains)Simple carbohydrates are found in processed foods, such as table sugar, candy, syrups and sweetened beverages like soda. These simple carbohydrates don't have additional components, such as fiber, to slow digestion and they lack nutritional value. ![]() ![]() Natural sources of simple carbohydrates are healthy food choices that can be included in a diabetes meal plan when portion controlled — they contain vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. These foods include: fruit and milk. What are Complex Carbohydrates? Complex carbohydrates are starches. They're made up of longer chains of sugar molecules, which makes them take longer to digest. Since complex carbs are digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates, most sources do not raise blood sugars as quickly as simple carbohydrates. Foods that fall into this category are starches, such as legumes, grains, peas, and potatoes. Dietary fiber is also considered to be a starch and is found in non- starchy vegetables and whole grains. Just as with simple carbohydrates, some are healthier than others. The healthiest complex carbohydrates are the least processed or refined. ![]() Whole grains (rather than refined grains), starchy vegetables, non- starchy vegetables, and legumes are the best complex carbohydrates. Examples of these foods are brown rice, quinoa, barley, bulgur, oatmeal, other whole grains. Potatoes and sweet potatoes, corn and legumes (kidney beans, chick peas), are also complex carbohydrates. Whole grains, legumes and starchy vegetables all provide significant amounts of fiber. Fiber is an important part of your diet: it helps keep your blood sugar levels from spiking too high, it can help regulate your cholesterol levels and is important for intestinal health. Refined starches, on the other hand, such as refined grains, are quite low in fiber. ![]() They may have vitamins and minerals if they've been enriched, but whole grains naturally have vitamins and minerals in them because they have not been stripped through processing. Meal Planning with Simple and Complex Carbohydrates. When planning your meals, focus on getting more of your carbohydrates from natural, less processed sources, whether from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy or legumes. This will ensure that you're getting the most nutritious, fiber- filled foods in your diet, which will help you control your blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full and energized. How Many Carbs Are in a Low Carb Diet? If you're trying to lose weight by going on a low carb diet, you've got a tough battle ahead of you. Because the typical American diet is made up primarily of carbohydrates. Trying to reduce the largest source of calories in your diet can be a challenge. In addition, it's hard to know how many carbs are in a low carb diet. The answer can be tricky. What is a Low Carb Diet? ![]() The best low-carb diet includes all the nutrients you need and is sustainable. Experts look at the Atkins, Paleo, South Beach, Dukan, and ketogenic diets. Low Carb High Fat Diet, LCHF Diet, Atkins Diet—regardless of what you call it, does this eating plan actually help you lose weight? Invariably I get asked the question, “If carbohydrates are so bad, why did There is no official definition for a low carbohydrate or . Weight loss programs that restrict or require you to count carbohydrates are usually called low- carb diets. Current dietary guidelines suggest that we consume 4. Technically, anything below that could be considered a low carbohydrate diet. Some diets are very low in carbohydrate. The ketogenic diet, commonly called a . ![]() ![]() On the program, you consume most (usually 9. The diet is sometimes prescribed by physicians to manage seizure disorders, but some dieters are able to lose weight on the program. How Many Carbs Are in a Low Carb Diet? Most low carbohydrate diets that you see advertised online or in magazines recommend that you limit your carb intake far below the guidelines recommended by the government. And when you see headlines about low carbohydrate diets in the news, the low carb diets studied are often much lower in carbohydrates as well. In one large study of diets, for example, researchers defined a low carbohydrate diet as any diet that allowed a maximum intake of 6. While another recent study defined a low carbohydrate diet as less than 4. Confused? You're not alone. ![]() I asked nutrition expert Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD to explain the low carb confusion in simple terms. Instead, a low carbohydrate diet is sometimes defined by the amount of carbohydrate grams consumed and other times it’s considered as a percent of overall calorie intake. I generally define a low carbohydrate diet as one that contains 2. A very low carbohydrate diet contains less than 2. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories of energy. So a food that contains 1. And if you are serious about losing weight, you'll want to monitor your intake of good carbs and bad carbs, as well. Instead, get your carbohydrate calories from fibrous vegetables and whole grains for best results.
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