Carbohydrates Guide: Complex Carbs vs. Processed Sugars

Carbohydrates serve as an essential energy source, but processed versions can lead to inflammation and weight gain. Understanding the difference between complex carbs like oatmeal and simple sugars is key to metabolic health.

Carbohydrate

Symptoms of Cutting Carbs

Although cutting carbohydrates out of your diet can help you lose weight, doing so can lead to imbalances and undesirable side effects. The main source of energy from food for human beings is carbohydrate, and it's hard to completely avoid it. According to "The Low-Down on Low-Carbohydrate Diets,"

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What to Pack in a Lunch for Hiking

Whether you're planning a short stroll through the woods or a strenuous all-day trek, make it a priority to pack proper nutrition to fuel your hike. Stopping for lunch often marks the midpoint of a hike and is a good opportunity to replenish nutrients and stoke up for the return trip.

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toasted bread

How to Burn Carbohydrates

Your body is constantly burning carbohydrates and converting them to usable energy like glucose and glycogen. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy.

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small icing sugar covered donuts

Examples of Processed Carbs

Trading some of your saturated-fat calories for calories from carbohydrates may not be the healthiest choice for your heart, according to an article published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in March 2010.

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grated Parmesan given by a Chef

How to Reduce Carbs in Breadcrumbs

To cut breadcrumb carbs, you can stretch regular breadcrumbs with lower-carb ingredients. Using a lower-carb food in place of all or part of the regular breadcrumbs can enhance flavor and affect the texture, so it's best to pick an ingredient that suits the food you're breading and how you're going to cook it.

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Homemade hummus with assorted fresh vegetables and pita bread.

Is Hummus High in Carbohydrates?

Hummus makes a healthy addition to a low-carb diet because it’s packed with fiber and vitamins that contribute to your overall well-being. It's a moderate source of carbohydrates, so you may struggle to fit hummus into a very low-carb diet. But, if you follow a more relaxed low-carb diet, you can likely make it work.

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colorful pasta fettuccine

How to Count the Carbohydrates in Pasta

Tracking carbohydrates helps people with diabetes keep their blood sugar balanced. It’s also a good way for anyone who wants to watch his carb intake, whether to lose weight, consume the right amount or even to carbohydrate load before an endurance activity.

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portrait of a young girl holding a glass of water

Can You Get Thirsty After Eating a High-Carb Meal?

Feeling thirsty after eating a large amount of carbs is often a symptom of diabetes, a group of diseases in which the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it makes to regulate blood sugar levels.

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Honey dipper outgoing a jar

Good and Bad Effects From Eating Honey

Honey has been part of both diet and medicine for centuries. Although honey is a natural product, it’s not as healthy as many people make it out to be. Before you make honey part of your regular diet, take into consideration its good and bad sides.

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Woman Preparing Healthy Breakfast In Kitchen

What Factors Slow the Absorption of Carbohydrates?

The carbohydrates you eat, which mainly come from starchy vegetables, whole and refined grains, fruits and sugar-containing foods, are digested more or less quickly depending on a variety of factors. Once carbohydrates are digested, they are turned to sugar, or glucose, which is then absorbed into your blood.

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Mother and daughter (8-10) checking label on jars in supermarket

How to Calculate Carbs Needed Per Day

The macronutrients -- carbohydrates, protein and fat -- are sources of calories for your body. But carbohydrates should make up the biggest percentage of the calories you get, since they’re broken down into glucose, your body’s main source of energy.

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At night corpulent man violates diet

How Eating Carbs at Night Affects the Growth Hormone

Growth hormone is a protein hormone involved in several physiological processes such as building muscle and regulating metabolism. Other hormones, such as elevated insulin in response to carbohydrate consumption, can impair its secretion.

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Portrait of a young woman holding a piece of chocolate cake on a plate

Why Do I Crave Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are your body's main source of fuel. Eating too many carbohydrates, however, can lead to weight gain. If you crave refined foods such as potato chips, ice cream and candy you may be especially vulnerable. Understanding the factors that drive your cravings may help you deal with them.

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Healthy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap

How to Substitute Carbs

Carbohydrates serve as a great source of fuel, so they can power your active lifestyle. Eating too many carbs though, especially in refined foods such as sugar and white bread, can cause wild shifts in your blood sugar levels.

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Spaghetti with Garlic Bread

Hypothyroidism & Carbohydrates

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland is unable to produce adequate amounts of thyroid hormone for your body. The thyroid gland, which lies at the front of your neck, is responsible for regulating body temperature, metabolism and control of your appetite.

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Hand picking donuts

Carbohydrate Withdrawal Headaches

Most likely, your headache isn't caused by a withdrawal from carbohydrates, but rather a withdrawal from a specific type of carbohydrate -- sugar. When you eat a high-sugar diet, your body quickly becomes adjusted to a ready supply of glucose, your body's preferred source of energy.

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Nutrition Label

How to Calculate Net Carbs on Atkins

The Atkins Diet is arguably the mother of all low-carbohydrate diets. Since its introduction in the 1970s, the diet has undergone some changes to its structure, but one thing remains the same -- when following the diet, you count net carbohydrates rather than total carbohydrates.

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Fruits in wicker basket - close up

What Is the Meaning of Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are essential macronutrients that provide the most desirable form of energy for your body in the form of glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, which enters your bloodstream and provides energy to your cells.

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Roll breads with pumpkin seeds

List of Starchy Carbs

Carbohydrates containing starches get a bad rap from low-carb diet proponents for being higher in calories than nonstarchy carbs like green vegetables. Your body also digests starches more quickly than protein or fat.

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Breakfast

List of Low-Carb Cereals

If you’re following a low-carb diet, it’s tempting to limit breakfast cereal to a sprinkling on your Greek yogurt -- and with good reason. Because grains are carbohydrate-rich, there are few truly low-carb cereal options, and many boast upwards of 40 grams per serving.

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