Bad carbohydrates consist of foods with refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, white rice and refined sugar. These foods are linked to weight gain, diabetes and fatigue. However, reducing your risk of these conditions is not as simple as eliminating all sources of bad carbohydrates from your diet. If you are interested in making major dietary changes to your daily diet, consult a doctor or nutritionist for advice.
Types of Carbohydrates
There are three main carbohydrate types: fiber, starches and sugars. Fiber comes from plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables and nuts, and offers the greatest health benefits. Starches include some vegetables, such as corn, potatoes and peas, dried beans and lentils, and grains. Sugars, which are most commonly thought of as bad carbs, include both natural and added sugars and are listed on ingredient labels under a variety of names, including high-fructose corn syrup, lactose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose, sugar cane syrup, molasses, honey, table sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar and others.
Good Carbs Versus Bad Carbs
Because they are simple or refined, bad carbs digest rapidly, causing surges in blood sugar that contribute to weight gain and may increase the risk of diabetes and other health problems. Good carbs take longer to digest, which means they do not have the same negative effect on blood sugar as bad carbs. Also, foods that contain fiber and starches provide other health benefits that sugars do not, such as protection against heart disease and cancer.
Examples
Some common bad carbohydrates include cookies, cakes, sweetened cereals, white bread, pizza dough, white rice, soft drinks, honey, jelly, candy and other foods made with simple or refined flour and sugar. Vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains, such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread, are examples of good carbohydrates. Many foods contain a mix of complex and simple carbohydrates, which means you must read product labels carefully to determine if the nutritional benefits of the food outweigh any potential risks associated with consumption of bad carbohydrates.
Considerations
Consuming some carbohydrates is necessary for good health because they are converted into glucose to provide energy to the body. In fact, carbohydrates are a better source of energy than fats or proteins. Significantly reducing your carbohydrate intake can result in fatigue and moodiness. A healthy diet should contain a mix of complex carbohydrates and protein with an emphasis on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meat.
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