Low Carb Monster - Good Carbohydrates

Good Carbohydrates

There's a lot of confusing information out there when it comes to low carb dieting. There are good carbohydrates and bad, simple and complex. But do you know which are which?

Good Carbohydrates Are So Complex

The first but of news we have is that good carbohydrates are the same thing as complex carbohydrates, and bad carbohydrates are the same thing as simple carbohydrates. That in and of itself is confusing because good things usually aren't complex. But in this case, they are.

Good carbohydrates are made of lots and lots of units of sugar that link together to form one molecule. Simple carbohydrates are made up of only a few units of sugar to form a molecule. It's much harder for your body to break down the sugar units in good carbohydrates than it is to break down the sugar units in simple carbs. This means that when you eat good carbohydrates, you will feel full longer, and therefore, eat less overall.

Identifying Good Carbohydrates

Good carbohydrates are foods that don't contain sugar, sugary syrups or white flour. That eliminates white breads, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks like candy bars, cookies, brownies, cake, pie, etc. However, you can have whole grain or whole wheat breads and crackers, whole wheat pasta, brown rice and most fruits and vegetables (the more fibrous the better). Before you scoff at the idea of whole wheat pasta or brown rice, give it a try. You'll probably barely notice the difference. You just have to give it a chance. You might be surprised. And with vegetables, you can make some interesting dishes. Add the right spices and you could really end up with a tasty side dish!