Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs

With the new year just a few hours away can someone explain the difference between good and bad carbs. This has always been confusing to me and I also thought it would be a good reminder to all of us. Thanks for any and all help.....You guys are great!!! Happy New Year!! 2007 is going to be a great educational and motivational year for all of us!!!

"Good" carbs are not processed and contain a fair amount fiber (i.e. whole grain bread, oatmeal and whole-grain cereals, legumes, veggies, fruits, etc.) "Bad" carbs are refined or processed (i.e. white bread, white pasta, soda, and sugary foods).

Good being wheat and grain breads, brown pasta, brown rice, fruits, veggies, egg whites, chicken, fish, salmon, tuna, etc. Bad being, white bread, white pasta, white rice, potatoes/yams, junk food, ice cream, pork fat, deli meats, soda, butter, mayo, and dressings, egg yokes, sugar, muffins/cakes, bagels, bananas (this one surprises me). Darlene

There is a little blue small book for the South Beach Diet - it is a handbook that explains all about good carbs/ bad carbs. If you are really interested in learning this, i suggest getting the book. I got mine at Barnes and Nobles.

Hi Betsy, I generally agree with what's been said, although I would add that while potatoes and yams are high in carbs they contain a lot of good vitamins and nutrients - especially yams - and could be eaten in "extreme moderation" when paired with lean protein in the meal.

I agree and yams are also contain VERY high amounts of Vitamin A .. for anyone out there (like myself) who needs to watch their Vitamin A levels. Carol

You betcha, Tracy! I love me some sweet potatoes. They have become my former "potatoes". I have lean protein, a green vegies and baked sweet potato quite often these days. Delish!

There's a lot of (sometimes conflicting) information on the internet ... just do a google search on carbohydrates and you'll find tons of stuff to read. I found this quick tidbit on one such website: (start of excerpt) Carbohydrates (or simply carbs), which are found in foods of plant origin and dairy products, are an important nutrient in a healthy diet. Carbohydrates are essential nutrients that provide our bodies and brains with the energy they need to function. They are divided into two categories: simple carbs (simple sugars - including glucose, fructose (or fruit sugar found in fruit, some vegetables, honey, and saps), sucrose (or table sugar also found in honey, maple syrup, some fruit & vegetables, and grains), and lactose (found in dairy). Fruits, nonstarchy vegetables, and dairy products are simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs consists of long chains of glucose and are found in grains, such as rice and wheat, legumes (dried beans) and tubers (yams and potatoes). Another complex carbohydrate, which is essential in the human diet, yet non-digestible is fiber. Complex carbs - not necessarily better! Old wisdom was that complex carbohydrates were healthier than simple carbohydrates because complex carbs contained fiber. However, a complex carbohydrate can be refined, such as white breads, white rice, and white flours. These refined "complex" carbohydrates have had many beneficial nutrients removed - including vitamins, minerals, and most of their fiber. Most of us know that vitamins and minerals are beneficial. Well, fiber is too. Fiber is healthy because it lower blood cholesterol, aids elimination, reduces the risk of hormone-dependant tumors, is filling, and slows the absorption of glucose. Alternatively, simple carbohydrates can be unrefined and contain fiber, such as the simple carbohydrates in fruits and nonstarchy vegetables. In addition, fiber lowers the glycemic index of a carbohydrate making it less likely to cause a rapid spike in blood glucose after eating it. In fact, some fruits, which are primarily simple sugars, have lower glycemic indices than many complex carbs. Think "unrefined" rather than complex. Instead of using the term "complex" to describe healthy carbohydrates, think of the term "unrefined" to describe the healthier carbohydrates - the carbohydrates as they are found in nature, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole, intact grains. Eating unrefined carbohydrates is recommended by virtually every scientific and medical organization and is the way to health and longevity. The National Academies' Institute of Medicine recommends that carbohydrates contribute 45% to 65% of an adult's daily calories. So if there is a good or bad carbohydrate, think more in terms of refined versus unrefined (limiting your intake of refined carbs), rather than simple versus complex. (end of excerpt) Hope this helps! Carol

Thanks to everyone who posted. You all are great. I not only posted the original post to remind myself but to remind us all. The carb game has always been a tough one for me. I'm addicted to sugar........once I get away from it I'm great.....but then I seem to have a relapse and welp, there it went...... I was a comfort eater and am finding this out more and more. I am still that way, I am just trying very hard to change the old habbit and develope the new habbit....dang it's hard.... New Years is getting closer!!! Huggggggggs to everyone!!!!!

Just a note to all of the other great replies. If you are looking for a true whole grain bread, look at the ingredients. If on of the first words is "enriched" anything, then it is not real whole grain. That means it is supplemented with flour. Some products will say whole wheat of whole gran and are really. Read everything you buy.