I don’t know about you, but I consider carbs to be both my best friend and worst enemy. That huge bowl of pasta is just too perfect to not consider it as my one true love (except for when I can then wear nothing but sweatpants the next day). Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient that comes in two forms based on their chemical structure: simple and complex. What’s the difference? Well, lucky for us, our BFF pasta falls into the better half of the two.
Photo Courtesy of www.aspireptc.blogspot.com.
Simple Carbohydrates:
Simple carbs are the not-so-great carbs. These types of carbs are simple sugars with a chemical structure that is composed of one or two sugars. They’re easily digested by the body and are the quickest source of energy.
Sadly, simple carbs include all the good stuff that our taste buds have a strong relationship with, including candy, soda, packaged cereal, white bread and table sugar. These are the carbs health experts will advise to steer clear from.
Photo by Hannah Lin
Complex Carbohydrates:
These other bad boys have a chemical structure that is made up of three or more sugars and are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Because of their complexity, they take longer to digest, so they don’t raise the sugar levels in the blood as quickly as simple carbs.
These are good for us, so fuel up on complex carbs with vegetables, whole grains (hey, at least we can have whole grain pasta!), oatmeal, beans and potatoes.
Photo by Taylor Helber