If you want to go on a diet on your own (without a recommendation from a nutritionist), many people tend to completely remove carbohydrates from your eating plan, and they do it without taking into account all the benefits they offer and the gains they bring to the body.
In the collective conception there is an idea of rejection of carbohydrates
or carbohydrates, when you want to start a healthy diet. And while it is true that several carbohydrates contribute to weight gain, these are the main source of energy that the body can obtain.
This is why a marked division is made between the good carbohydrates and the bad carbohydrates, although the reality is that both are good; only that the bad ones must be consumed with greater care.
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What are carbohydrates?
In the food pyramid, the model made to represent the importance of food in a balanced diet, the base is carbohydrates; your role is
nourish the body with energy, because all these foods are processed by the body and its components are transformed into glucose, the substance that cells use as their main source of energy.
Carbohydrates, chemically speaking, they can be simple or complex, and this is reflected in the how quickly the human body processes them. Regarding their own classification, these include the starches, sugars and fiber.
Simple carbohydrates
The simple carbohydrates provide the body with energy quickly but in small amounts. Within this group are simple sugars, such as common sugar, milk, syrups, all drinks with sugar, and certain fruits.
These carbohydrates are often classified as bad carbohydrates due to the fact that they encompass sweet foods, but an ideal diet should take them into account, only in a cautious and well thought out way.
Complex carbohydrates
The complex carbohydrates are characterized by providing large amounts of energy to the human bodyBut for this to happen, they must first be processed by the body, which takes some time because their chemical composition is, as the name suggests, complex.
Within this classification are pasta, rice, dough (whether wheat or corn), and also vegetables and fruits.
Good carbs vs. Bad carbs
As stated before, simple carbohydrates are the ones that are often labeled as bad, leaving complex carbohydrates as good.
However, thanks to advances and nutritional studies made to date, it is now known that these labels are wrong, because the fact that carbohydrates are processed quickly does not mean that they are bad, nor the same with carbohydrates complexes being good.
In fact, if people are guided by the proposition that complex carbohydrates are the only ones that are good for maintaining or achieving a slim figure, they are in a contradiction, since most of the foods within complex carbohydrates have other components that would favor weight gain (flours, breads, pasta).
Now, nutritionists are aware that carbohydrates can be measured by their glycemic index.
Glycemic index
The glycemic index of carbohydrates is a way of measuring how the consumption of these affects the blood glucose level, or blood glucose.
To be able to measure them, a scale that goes from 0 to 110 is used, and in this scale an important difference is made in three parts: from 0 to 55, from 56 to 69 and from 70 to 110.
- 0 – 55: within this range fall all carbohydrates that are processed in a slow way, be they simple or complex. This slow absorption by the body represents a slow increase in glucose in the blood, so its consumption is not harmful; These are the most recommended to include in meal plans. In addition to this, slow absorption is also responsible for the feeling of fullness, so these carbohydrates are also ideal for controlling meal times. (Cereals, whole grains, grains, legumes)
- 56 – 69: This is the mid-range where carbohydrates are found that provide energy effectively but in a short period of time. (Whole wheat bread, white bread, rice, potatoes and potatoes, honey)
- 70 – 110– Being the highest rank on the scale, carbohydrates with this glycemic index represent foods that raise glucose levels quickly. To no one’s surprise, several of those with these levels are sugars, so people with diabetes should be careful about their consumption. (Table sugar, processed from sugar)
Balance diet
The point is, there is no such thing as good carbs and bad carbs; You just have to learn to eat a diet that includes both simple and complex carbohydrates in ideal amounts, you have to know how to consume them.
A balanced diet should be rich, nutritionally speaking. This includes a large amount of greens and vegetables, as well as fiber from cereals, calcium from milk and its derivatives (as long as they are low in fat).
Sugars (be it table sugar, honey or syrups) can be included in the preparation of meals so as not to restrict their consumption, but to do so considerately, since these in excess can become bad. Sugars, in addition to energy, do not have a great nutritional contribution to the body, so their consumption must be careful.
Today’s nutritionists do not tend to stick to a standard diet, especially since today each person has a different way of life and lifestyle; there are vegans, people allergic to certain foods and others. Now, nutritionists give everyone the freedom to make their diet, but with a balance of parts.
Maintaining a balanced diet with all types of food is essential to have an ideal physical condition and provide the body with all the nutrients it needs. This BBC article shows several considerations to keep in mind when making a comprehensive eating plan.