Good Carbohydrates

When talking about good carbohydrates we must talk about the glycemic index (commonly referred to as GI) and understand that natural is always better than processed. GI is basically a way to classify carbohydrates, all linked to the effect they have on blood glucose levels. All carbohydrates that turn to glucose fast will receive a high value of GI and those that will metabolize slower offer a low value of GI. According to most specialists hypertension, heart disease, insulin resistance and diabetes is usually caused by eating too many carbohydrates that have a high GI value. With this in mind, we must know exactly what the best sources are for good carbohydrates in order to maintain healthy living and eating.

One of the best possible sources of good carbohydrates stands in fruits and vegetables. These foods have low calories and include different important nutrients like fiber, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals. The addition of fruits and vegetables in increased quantities in your diet is a great idea, especially if you have a goal set up in losing weight. According to various studies that have been performed in the past, individuals that consume enough vegetables and fruits show lower heart disease risk and are even stronger at fighting cancer. Nutritionists recommend that you eat 5 vegetables and 5 fruits daily, be it canned, frozen, cooked or fresh.

In the past whole grains were completely avoided by people that wanted to lose weight and athletes. Common whole grains are rice, noodles and pasta. You surely heard of a lot of people telling you that you should not eat such foods as you would gain weight. Well, this is actually the best source of energy that your body has. The trick stands in choosing whole grains that are unrefined as these are much better than others available in supermarkets. Carbohydrates that are unrefined do not give you too many calories. If you want to lose weight there are some good carbohydrates out there and unrefined whole grains need to be on your list in order to gain the best possible results.

Now we need to talk about potatoes. These vegetables come with high GI values and you need to handle them carefully. We all love potatoes and they are put into our diet a lot. The best way to handle them and gain good carbohydrates stands in white potatoes and sweet potatoes. You can easily reduce the high GI value of potatoes by simply combining them with different other foods that show a lower GI value. Keep in mind that potatoes do not include fat and you will also gain different other nutrients that are highly important for your body.

The biggest problem that people have stands in how many carbohydrates should be consumed. Unfortunately we tend to neglect the differences between good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates. Try and keep your intake of good carbs higher than bad carbs at all times and this will immediately give you a plus in nutrition and healthy living. Now if you choose unrefined carbohydrates or generally carbs that are as less refined as possible you can eat around 40 to 60 % of all your calories under the form of carbohydrates. Now there is also the option of undergoing a low carb diet. Keep in mind that all diet plans that are too low in carbohydrates need to be avoided as they will create more damage than benefits on the long run. Also remember that nutritional supplements must also be handled with care and doing the math at all times is always recommended. Make sure that you take in good carbohydrates as much as possible and you will make a huge step towards staying healthy.