Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates for a Healthy Diet

You’ve chosen to eat a healthy diet but you’re still not quite sure about your choices. You know you need to eliminate sugars and simple carbohydrates from your diet and replace them with complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. But what’s the difference between these types of carbohydrates?

There are three forms of carbohydrates – simple, complex and dietary fiber. The difference between these three is the amount of sugar units and how these sugars are combined.

Simple carbohydrates have a either one or two units of sugar. An example of a simple sugar, one with a single unit of sugar (called a saccharide), is fructose. An example of a double sugar, one made with two units of sugar (called a disaccharide), is sucrose. If you look at the ingredients on the labels of ordinary foods you buy at the supermarket, you will find these sugars in many of the every day items you buy. Some of these foods are table sugar, candy, soda, fruit juices, syrup and jellies. Simple sugars are broken down quickly into the blood stream giving you a sugar rush. Although these foods may taste great, they have no nutritional value and are empty calories. These are the foods to avoid.

Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) have a string of simple sugars linked together. A starch is a complex carbohydrate that comes from plants such as seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables and grains. Whole grain breads are included in this category if they contain no refined flour. Complex carbohydrates fill you up, increase your energy and make you more resistant to illnesses. They take longer to be broken down so take longer to enter the blood stream. This gives you energy over a longer period of time, not a sugar rush. So when you eat complex carbohydrates, you help to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Dietary fiber is a polysaccharide like complex carbohydrates but unlike complex carbohydrates it does not get broken down by digestive enzymes. Dietary fiber comes from plants but is not digestible. Eating dietary fiber is important because it helps to maintain proper blood sugar levels. Some examples of dietary fiber are oatmeal, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, grapefruits and oranges.

For healthy eating, eliminate those simple carbohydrates and fill up on complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber instead! A great way to do this is to have a salad with lunch and dinner. Try some different types of lettuces and vegetables to give variety to your diet.

So the next time you’re tempted to reach for that piece of candy, go for a piece of fruit instead. Your blood sugar will thank you for it.