Home
>
Nutrition
>
Just What Is A Carbohydrate Anyway?

Just What Is A Carbohydrate Anyway?

During a recent discussion with my father about low carb diets, he pointed to the butter on the table and said "is that a carbohydrate?" when I started to explain, he then pointed to the sugar and said "well, what about that?"

Unfortunately, you cannot just point to a food and label it a "carbohydrate" as each food is made up of protein, carbs and fats in varying degrees. Some foods are almost all carb, and some, like meat, eggs and fish have none.

To make matters even more complicated, there are simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. For matters of nutrition, you should always pick the complex carbs which have a low glycemic index.

The simple carbohydrates include foods like desserts, sugar, white bread, candy. Typically, these foods have a little nutritional value. Though they may taste good, they are basically empty calories and are digested quickly causing a high blood sugar spike and then a quick drop off. This is the reason these foods don't really satisfy your hunger and you get cravings for more shortly after having eaten them.

By contract, the complex carbohydrates are extremely nutritious, these are foods like legumes, whole grains, vegetables and most fruits. They are loaded with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Calorie for calorie, complex carbohydrates will fill you up more and leave you full longer then the simple carbohydrates.

When choosing which carbohydrates to put on your plate, you should try to load up on whole grains, fruits and vegetables but if they are not available in plentiful enough amounts, you should try to balance your simple carbs with your complex carbs and proteins. Use the simple carbs as more of a side dish - maybe filling ? of your plate with them and fill up on the lean protein and complex carbs. This will have a net effect of a more nutritious and filling meal as well as leave you satisfied longer.

Lee Dobbins writes for various websites including sites about health, pets and even carbohydrates visit carbohydrates to learn more about carbohydrates.

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Just What Is A Carbohydrate Anyway?

Nutrition