Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

Good Carbs, Bad Carbs and the Ugly Truth about your DIET



A CARBOHYDRATE IS AN ORGANIC ENTITY THAT CONTAINS CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, WHICH TOGETHER FORM SUGAR MOLECULES. THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATE - SUGARS, STARCHES AND FIBER.



THE CARBOHYDRATES ARE THE MAIN ENERGY SOURCE FOR OUR BODIES.



What makes carbohydrates good or bad?



Refined and processed carbohydrates are considered bad, as they are absorbed quickly by the human digestive system, and cause blood sugar level spikes, which in turn forces your body to store the excess sugar as fat.



Carbohydrates full of fiber are considered good, as they are absorbed gradually into the human body, without causing spikes in blood sugar levels.



bad carbs



REFINED SUGAR

What 50h of carbs in a blueberry muffin do to you?

insulin levels in your blood SPIKE.

Carbs are converted into fat cells.

The Body Stores the fat cells. You get FATTER.



good carbs



100g of blueberries have 14g of carbs.

insulin levels in your blood are LOW.

Carbs are NOT converted into fat cells. Body burns the carbs.

The Body does NOT store the fat cells. You LOSE Weight.



bad carbs

- White bread

- Rice

- Potatoes

- Corn

- Soft Drinks

- Pasta

- Cereals

- Refined Sugar



good carbs

- Whole Grains

- Green Vegetables

- Legumes

- Lentils

- Beans

- Berries

- Lemons

- Cantalopes



What is Glycemic Index



The Glycemic Index (GI) of a food indicates how much does eating this food affect the glucose levels in your blood. Eating carbohydrates with low glycemic index, increases blood sugar and insulin gradually, which is good. Foods with high GI cause surge in sugar blood levels and insulin, which in turn causes the excessive glucose to be stored as fat.



What is Glycemic Load



The Glycemic Load (GL) is an extension of the Glycemic Index, which takes into account the quantity of carbohydrates in the food portions you eat. If you compare the GI and GL of watermelon and banana for example you will find out that even though the watermelon GI (72) is much higher compared to the banana GI (51) the glycemic load of 120 grams banana (13) is over 3 times higher than the GL of 120 grams watermelon (4).



Blood Sugar Levels Graph

Food with low GI Index

Food with high GI Index



60

40

20

0

GIndex GLoad



alcohol and carbs



Distilled alcohols like vodka, rum and whisky don't have carbohydrates in them. Regular beer has 3-4 carbs per 100 grams, which makes it difficult to assess its glycemic index and load (you've got to drink lots of beer in short span of time to consume 50 grams of carbohydrates, which is usually used to assess GI). Wines have around 3.5 grams per standard serving, which is also on the low side. Although most alcoholic beverages have low carb content, they are high in calories, so use with moderation.



finally,

CHOOSING BETWEEN GOOD CARBS AND BAD CARBS CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Good Carbs, Bad Carbs and the Ugly Truth about your DIET A CARBOHYDRATE IS AN ORGANIC ENTITY THAT CONTAINS CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, WHICH TOGETHER FORM SUGAR MOLECULES. THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATE - SUGARS, STARCHES AND FIBER. THE CARBOHYDRATES ARE THE MAIN ENERGY SOURCE FOR OUR BODIES. What makes carbohydrates good or bad? Refined and processed carbohydrates are considered bad, as they are absorbed quickly by the human digestive system, and cause blood sugar level spikes, which in turn forces your body to store the excessive sugar as fat. Carbohydrates full of fiber are considered good, as they are absorbed gradually into the human body, without causing spikes in blood sugar levels. bad carbs good carbs REFINED SUGAR What 60g of carbs in a blueberry muffin do to you? 100g of blueberries have 14g of carbs. Insulin levels in Insulin levels in your blood SPIKE. your blood are LOW. Carbs are converted into Carbs are NOT converted into fat cells. fat cells. Body burns the carbs. The Body does NOT store the fat cells. The Body Stores the fat cells. You get FATTER. You LOSE Weight. bad carbs good.carbs - White bread - Rice Potatoes - Whole Grains Green Vegetables Legumes - Lentils - Corn - Soft Drinks - Pasta - Cereals - Refined Sugar Beans Berries Lemons - Cantalopes What is Glycemic Index What is Glycemic Load The Glycemic Index (GI) of a food indicates how much does eating this food affect the glucose levels in your blood. Eating carbohydrates with low glycemic index, increases blood sugar and insulin gradually, which is good. Foods with high GI cause surge in sugar blood levels and insulin, which in turn causes the excessive glucose The Glycemic Load (GL) is an extension of the Glycemic Index, which takes into account the quantity of carbohydrates in the food portions you eat. If you compare the Gl and GL of watermelon and banana for example you will find out that even though the watermelon GI (72) is much higher compared to the banana GI (51) the glycemic load of 120 grams banana (13) is over 3 times higher than the GL of 120 grams watermelon (4). to be stored as fat. Blood Sugar Levels Graph 60 40 20 Food with low GI Index Food with hign GI Index Glndex GLoad alcohol and carbs Distilled alcohols like vodka, rum and whiskey don't have any carbohydrates in them. Regular beer has 3-4 carbs per 100 grams, which makes it difficult to assess its glycemic index and load (you've got to drink lots of beer in short span of time to consume 50 grams of carbohydrates, which is usually used to assess GlI). Wines have around 3.5 grams per standard serving, which is also on the low side. Although most alcoholic beverages have low carb content, they are high in calories, so use with moderation. finally, CHOOSING BETWEEN GOOD CARBS AND BAD CARBS CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? sources: Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source INFORGRAPHIC DESIGN BY LOW CARB FOODS http://www.lowcarbfoods.org/