Macros Matter: What Are Carbohydrates?
A macronutrient that most Americans have no issue getting their daily requirement of is the carbohydrate. Unfortunately for most, the carbohydrates they are consuming aren’t exactly benefiting them and their health. In fact, they could be doing more harm than good.
It’s not unusual to hear people saying that they are cutting their carbohydrates in order to lose weight. In reality, all they truly need to do is change their source of carbohydrates for the most part. For simplicity sake, we tend to categorize carbohydrates as “good carbs” and “bad carbs.” What constitutes a good or bad carb? We’re going to get into that next.
Good Carbs vs Bad Carbohydrates
With carbohydrates, it’s easy to look at a label and see just how many grams of carbohydrates you would be consuming if you ate a product. However, most good carbs don’t come with a nutrition label on them. What? It’s true. Things such as vegetables and fruits make for good carbs while you can toss items like pastries, candy, and ice cream as bad carbs.
While I hope you already understood that differentiation between carbs, the labels on packaging are fairly generic and don’t help many people choose their carbohydrate choices wisely. Then we toss in another variable of simple versus complex that can cause your head to spin, but I’ll try to simplify it for you.
Simple vs Complex
Carbohydrates can be broken down into two categories: simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates, as the name implies, are a simple molecular structure. Common sources are glucose (dextrose), sucrose (table sugar), fructose (sugar from fruit), and galactose (sugar from dairy). But, here’s where it can get confusing for some. Looking at the list, you see “sugar.” Normally, this would be an instant red flag and an item you want to stay away from. However, while table sugar is unhealthy, the sugars coming from fruit are healthy and come with a bunch of vital micronutrients.
Think of the “good” simple carbohydrates as those that are made through nature and have not gone through any processes to change its structure. When products become refined such as with soda, candy, and sweets, the sugars within the carbohydrate quickly turn into a poor nutritional option.
Complex carbohydrates are multi-chained molecular structures. We most commonly refer to complex carbohydrates as starches. These food items would include bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals, grains, and other vegetables. While some complex carbs are healthy, many are not. Similar to simple carbohydrates, generally the healthier forms are those that remain in their natural state and are not refined.
Good sources of complex carbohydrates are vegetables, brown rice, and unrefined grains (like quinoa) to name a few. These types of complex carbs maintain their micronutrients as well as their fiber content.
As Usual… Source Matters!
We preach it often and for good reason – the source of your carbohydrates matters. Not all carbs are created equal, and consuming the wrong variety can inhibit and stall your health and fitness goals. For that reason, it’s important to know what is a good versus bad carb so you can ensure you consume the ones that align with your goals.
When in doubt, ask yourself if the carbohydrate you are consuming is in its natural state or if it has been altered. If altered, you can almost be certain that it would fall under the “bad” carbohydrate – such as French fries, white rice, white bread, soda, candy, cakes, and cookies. While all of those are delicious, they aren’t healthy carbohydrate options.
*This was written for and sponsored by Crush1 Nutrition
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