For those who want to live a healthier life, then we need to know about complex carbs vs simple carbs. Also, what foods are rich in complex carbohydrates and which are not. It is not only important to have a healthy diet, but knowledge of carbohydrate-rich foods is also important in controlling food for people with blood sugar.
Foods that contain carbohydrates are the main source of human energy, this is an important macronutrient in weight loss. Because in losing weight, you are advised not to consume foods that contain carbohydrates in excess.
So, in living a balanced and healthy diet we must find the right carbohydrates for body health and not avoid carbohydrates altogether. For whatever reason, carbohydrates are important for the body.
Foods that Contain Carbohydrates
Consuming carbohydrates is important for our energy source. Maybe you’ve heard that complex carbohydrates are better than simple carbohydrates. And it’s true that foods that contain complex carbohydrates are better for health than foods that only contain simple carbohydrates.
However, it is unfortunate that the food packaging that we buy does not include the type of carbohydrates. On food labels sometimes only mention “carbohydrates” without going into details.
So, it is important for us to share this information, which foods contain complex carbohydrates and which do not. Check out the following foods that contain simple carbohydrates and foods that are sources of complex carbohydrates.
Complex Carbs VS Simple Carbs
Foods that contain simple carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates are types of carbohydrates that are not good for health. Called “simple” because the nutritional content in this food is very simple.
Among the types of foods that contain simple carbohydrates are sugar, there are also naturally found in milk, and there are also types of simple carbohydrates that are usually added to our daily diet, such as:
- raw sugar,
- brown sugar,
- corn syrup,
- Sucrose, fructose, and glucose,
- Fruit juice concentrate
These are foods that contain simple carbohydrates, and some of them should be avoided.
Types of food to avoid
The types of foods that contain carbohydrates that should be avoided are as follows. Even if these foods whet your appetite, consider avoiding them because they are bad for your health.
1. Soda
Soda is a drink that is rich in sugar, in some conditions it is not good for health. As an alternative, you can drink lemon-flavoured water instead.
2. Grilled food
Choose fruits as your snack food, avoid eating grilled foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugar.
3. Packaged cakes
If you can, make your own food from home and use healthy ingredients. Use a substitute for carbohydrates or sugar, you can use applesauce or sweeteners. It’s also good if you want to look for foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates.
4. Juice concentrate
Fruit juice concentrates include foods with simple carbohydrates that you should avoid. To know these are foods you should stay away from, look at the labels. This label is usually on the back of the product packaging.
Just take juice with 100% pure, you can have fruit juice or you can make your own juice at home.
5. Eat cereal for breakfast
Are you among those who love to eat cereal for breakfast? If you like it, think again, because these foods are a source of simple carbohydrates or these foods are very few nutrients.
Foods that Contain Complex Carbohydrates
These are foods that contain a variety of nutrients so they are called complex carbohydrates. So, eating these foods is healthier than eating foods that contain simple carbohydrates.
These are foods that are usually rich in fiber and take a long time to digest. So, when you consume foods rich in complex carbohydrates, your weight will be controlled because it makes you feel full longer. You will feel defensive and able to hold back from eating longer because you still feel full.
Types of foods rich in complex carbohydrates are good foods for people with type 2 diabetes. It can regulate sugar production so it doesn’t cause blood sugar spikes when consuming these foods.
Fiber and starch are two types of complex carbohydrates. Among the main food sources that contain complex carbohydrates are:
- Fruits,
- Vegetables,
- Grains, and
- nuts.
While complex carbohydrates obtained from starch are from foods such as:
- Wheat bread,
- corn,
- Wheat,
- Rice, and
- peas.
Eat the foods rich in complex carbohydrates
Here, we mention some types of foods rich in complex carbohydrates that you need to add to your daily menu. Are as follows:
1. Wheat
Wheat is a filling food that is rich in fiber, potassium, selenium and magnesium. If you choose foods that contain whole grains, then choose foods that process simple grains such as buckwheat, quinoa, whole grains or pasta.
2. Fibrous fruits
The choice of foods rich in complex carbohydrates that you should consume is fruits that are high in fiber. Among the fibrous fruits are apples, berries, bananas. Avoid consuming canned fruits because these processed fruits are usually added with artificial sugar.
Also see: Health Benefits of Chickpeas and Nutrition Facts
3. Consume vegetables
Furthermore, foods rich in complex carbohydrates are vegetables, you can choose green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli or orange vegetables such as carrots and others.
4. Nuts
Nuts are not only rich in fiber, but nuts are also included in foods that contain folate, iron, and potassium.
Foods high in carbohydrates
Foods with carbohydrates in general we know them as bad foods, especially if we say high carbohydrate foods. But we must know that high-carbohydrate foods are not necessarily unhealthy. because some healthy foods come from foods that are high in carbohydrates. So, this needs to be known by those of you who want to run a diet to lose weight or a healthy diet.
High-carbohydrate foods should not be eaten carelessly, to take high-carbohydrate foods in your diet, you must first consult a doctor or nutritionist. Because if the food you consume is not right, this actually endangers your health.
As reported by myfooddata.com that high-carbohydrate foods that are healthy to eat are as follows.
- Mango, One mango contains 50 grams of carbohydrates
- Sweet potatoes, every 100 grams of sweet potatoes contains 23.2 grams of carbohydrates
- Brown rice, for every 100 grams contains 25.6 grams of carbohydrates
- Lentils, in every 100 grams contains 2011 grams of carbohydrates
- Bananas, in every 100 grams contain as much as 22.8 grams of carbohydrates
- Quinoa is a food rich in complex carbohydrates, in every one cup contains 39 grams of carbohydrates
- Dates also include foods rich in complex carbohydrates, where greetings per 4 dates contain 72 grams of carbohydrates
- Chestnut, in every 100 grams contains 53 grams of carbohydrates, and
- Raisins, this contains 79.3 grams of carbohydrates for every 100 grams
Low carbs food
If you are on a low carbs diet then you should of course choose foods with low carb content. If previously you often eat high-carb foods, now you have to choose to consume low-carb foods.
Usually a low-carb diet is a type of diet to lose weight. In fact, research says that a low-carb diet is more effective at losing weight than a low-fat diet.
Low-carb foods are not only good for weight loss but also good for lowering triglycerides in the blood. In addition, these foods can also maintain HDL in the body.
More: 10 Health Benefits of Kale (The Most Nutrient-Dense Foods on The Planet)
As mentioned by healthline.com, there are several foods with low carb properties, this is good for those of you who are on a low carbs diet.
- Eggplant, contains as much as 2 grams of carbohydrates per cup
- Cauliflower is one of the low-carb foods with only 2 grams of carbs in every 100 grams
- Cucumber contains 4 grams of carbohydrates for every 100 grams 100
- Avocado is also a low-carb fruit, it contains 8.5 grams of carbohydrates for every 100 grams of avocado.
- Strawberries contain 8 grams of carbs for every 100 grams
- Mushrooms contain 3 grams of carbs for every 100 grams
- Walnuts are also low in carbohydrates, every 100 grams contains 18 grams of carbohydrates
- peanuts, contains 16 grams of carbs for each size of 100 grams
- Mushrooms are low-carb foods, every 100 grams only contains 3 grams of carbohydrates
- Eggs, food almost empty of carbs
- Salmon is a fish that does not contain carbohydrates, as well as shellfish and sardines.
- Beef, chicken, mutton, turkey are non-carbohydrate foods
- Cheddar cheese, every 100 grams contains 1.3 grams of carbohydrates
- Greek yogurt contains 4 grams of carbohydrates in every 100 grams 100
- Coconut oil, butter, virgin coconut oil, no carbohydrates
- Then, foods that do not contain carbohydrates are coffee, and water.
Carbohydrates are Important for Health
Carbohydrates can meet about 45 to 64 percent of our daily calorie needs. If we follow a diet to burn 2000 calories per day, then about 900 to 1300 calories come from the carbohydrates we eat.
Well, we need to know why carbohydrates are important, and why we need to consume foods that contain carbohydrates, even if they have to be limited. Let’s see the following reasons.
1. As a source of energy
Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel needed by the human body. Foods containing carbohydrates when consumed will be digested, the sugar and starch content will enter the bloodstream after being broken down into simple sugars. So, this is what is called blood sugar.
Well, this glucose will enter the body’s cells with the help of insulin. The function of this glucose is as a material that will be converted into energy during human activities.
Meanwhile the extra glucose will be stored in the liver, muscles and other body cells with the aim of being used at another time or later converted into fat.
More: When It Comes To Protein, How Much Is Too Much?
2. Benefits of carbohydrates to protect against disease
Carbohydrate-rich foods can be an important protection against disease. Whole grains and other fibrous foods are healthy foods that can lower your risk of heart disease.
The benefits of fiber are also good for preventing obesity, type 2 diabetes and have an important role in digestion.
3. Control your weight
The next benefit of carbohydrates is to maintain an ideal body weight. Fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains are great for losing excess weight. These foods are rich in fiber which is good for digestion and facilitates bowel movement so that it can prevent excessive weight.
Well, that’s some high-carb foods and low-carb foods. We have also explained about what foods are included in the diet containing complex carbohydrates and what foods are included in the list of foods containing simple carbohydrates.
