Due to the modern diet trends, people assume that carbs are bad. This misconception leads to avoiding some of the incredibly healthy food items. It is essential to know there are good and bad carbs. So, what’s a good carb? Let us see it in detail.
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What’s a good carb?
Before we head towards what’s a good carb, let us see what constitutes a carbohydrate. A carbohydrate is a mixture of starch and fiber. The body breaks these components to make energy (glucose). Good carbs are items that have higher fiber amounts. Thus, the body takes too long to process and break it down for energy. Good carbs stay in our system for longer, and therefore, we will feel full even with a small quantity.
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The most common examples of good carbohydrates are wheat, fruits, vegetables, and others. The best examples of bad carbohydrates are white flour, cereals, and more.
Relationship between a good carb and weight loss
What’s a good carb effect on weight loss? If you are planning to curb overweight or obesity, will good carbs be of any help? Weight gain occurs when you consume too many calories. Food with lower fiber content would add too many calories but no nutrients. Thus, you would feel hungry more often, leading to overeating. Moreover, the faster digestion of low fiber content food leads to a sudden increase in blood sugar, which leads to the secretion of insulin. Insulin induces fat storage to remove sugar from the blood.
On the other hand, good carbohydrate takes longer to absorb, and thus, it becomes easier for the digestive system to handle the food without spiking the blood sugar level. In general, but not always, food items with high fiber content are rich in minerals and vitamins.
What’s a good carb healthy diet?
Is it possible to have a diet without good or bad carbohydrates? Yes, it is possible to have a diet with lesser carbs, but such a diet will be rich in fat and protein. However, it is not possible to go zero carbohydrates without losing some of the vital vitamins. If you plan on maintaining a diet for longer, it is best to stick with a minimal amount of carbohydrate (good), lower fat, moderate protein, and low sugar.
How to find which items are good carb in the market?
It is easy to tag fresh produce into good and bad carbohydrates. Unfortunately, most of what we eat today is in tins and cans. It is imperative to look at the nutritional chart to find whether it is a good or bad carb item.
If the package says processed items like processed orange juice, processed wheat germ, and others, it is more likely to have less fiber. Check the nutrition chart to find the total carbohydrates and grams of carbohydrates per each serving. This information will allow you to adjust the number of servings required.
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The next element is dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate that does not get absorbed by your body. Thus, you can subtract the amount of dietary fiber from the total carbs to know the net carb you will consume. You can consume up to 30g of dietary fiber every day.
The net carb that manufacturers publish on the package is the total carbohydrates minus sugar alcohols and fiber. The net carb does not mean total bad carbohydrate or otherwise. The best way to identify good carb food is by checking the ingredient list for good carb items without the term ‘processed’ in front of them.
How to add good carb in your diet?
The best way to begin is by avoiding all the processed food items like cakes, doughnuts, fried snacks, and more. Sugar is entirely off the chart for you. The next job is to add more sources of good carbohydrates into the diet.
Barley – simple carb meal
Barley is a natural appetite suppressant with 6g of fiber per serving. It helps to reduce blood sugar levels and cholesterol. A serving of barley will keep you satisfied for longer than a complete meal. Moreover, it pushes waste through your digestive system and reduces inflammation.
Acorn squash – add veggies
Acorn squash is rich in good carbohydrates and adds 1/3rd of your dietary fiber requirement. It also offers 30% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Moreover, the component in this vegetable increases muscle formation and boosts the fat-burning mechanism during exercise.
Legumes – a good carb for weight loss
Legumes are rich in good carbohydrates. It helps to lose weight and also bad cholesterol. If you consume four servings of legumes per week, you can reduce weight, similar to a strict diet for a week. Moreover, it also helps to maintain healthy blood pressure.
What’s a good carb alternative to bread?
It is not easy to go through with your life without bread and pasta. So, you can switch them with whole wheat pasta and bread. It might not give you the same taste, but you will not be filling on white flour. Please avoid the pre-made sandwiches with wheat bread. Since the taste factor is low, manufacturers add more corn syrup or mix white flour to make it tastier.
Black beans – good carb for salad
Black beans might not be your ideal choice for salad. But, if you wish to add more carbs to your plate, one cup of black beans is enough to add 9 grams of fiber. The black beans also help to improve fat-burning metabolism and muscle growth.
Oatmeal – easiest addition
Oatmeal is full of complex carbohydrates, which take longer to digest. Moreover, it is also rich in fiber. However, not all oats are the same. It is best to avoid processed oats. Moreover, adding honey, milk, and other high-carb items into oatmeal will reduce effectiveness.
What’s a good carb equivalent to rice?
Brown rice is not an ideal choice of good carb ingredients. However, if you plan to consume rice as a main meal, it is best to switch from white rice to brown rice. Brown rice has a rich amount of dietary fiber with magnesium. It has a lower glycemic index than white rice.
It might be hard to remove carbohydrates from your plate altogether. Thus, it is best to slowly remove processed food and make sure to consume an adequate quantity. Starving will not help you to lose weight.