Carbohydrates And Healthy Dieting By Brandon H. Masters At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

You may have heard the best way to diet and be healthy is to stay as far away from carbohydrates as possible. But carbohydrates are not as bad as many make them out to be. In fact, they even have important jobs in your body, being the main energy source to keep your system running.

There are three main types of food items you take into your body – fats, proteins and carbohydrates. There are also two kinds of carbohydrates. One is simple carbohydrates, which are quickly broken down in the digestive tract and turned into glucose (blood sugar). Items made of sugars such are sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar), and fructose (fruit sugar). Simple carbohydrates are the kind of items that are turned into fast energy for the body.

The other kind of carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates. These are foods that break down more slowly and are made of more complex chemical compounds. These foods include beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains which are much harder to break down and instead of giving just a quick burst of energy, slowly release the energy into the body and keep blood sugar levels constant. In addition, these foods have the added bonuses of having vitamins, minerals and high fiber content.

This does not mean you should totally cut the simple carbohydrates out of your diet. They are ok to eat, just don’t eat too much of them and use them as a treat rather than the regular things to eat in every meal. You should also moderate the amount of complex carbohydrates you eat. Any carbohydrates that are not being used by the system right away are stored by the body in the form of fat. So eating too much of any carbohydrate is too much. If you do feel hungry and want a little more to eat, try to steer yourself towards carbohydrates with a lot of fiber, like apples, bananas, pears or other fruit. They’re still sweet, but a healthier option. In addition to having fiber, fruits and vegetables also have photo nutrient compounds that are anti-oxidants and can help defend your body from disease.

When shopping, there are a few simple tips to remember. Avoid the things that you know have white flour and refined sugars in them such as pastries, cookies and crackers. When you are looking for grains, go for the whole grains instead of the processed ones. That means for breads, look for whole grain instead of white bread. Purchase brown rice instead of white rice. And also look for whole-wheat pastas. If you’re willing to try something new, you may want to try grains you may never have heard for before such as millet, bulgur and quinoa.

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