The good, bad and the ugly side of carbs

Carbohydrates are some of the essential things your body needs. Your body needs carbs to produce the energy you use during your daily activities. Although you can survive on carb-free diets, taking carbs optimise your ability to higher levels. But carbs have been painted as the villain where it comes to weight loss. Although some […]

Carbohydrates are some of the essential things your body needs. Your body needs carbs to produce the energy you use during your daily activities. Although you can survive on carb-free diets, taking carbs optimise your ability to higher levels.

But carbs have been painted as the villain where it comes to weight loss. Although some carbs can lead to weight gain, the good types, Dr. Fatima Kaigama tells us that the complex kind aid in digestion and even facilitate weight loss. But the key where it comes to carbs is knowing the type and amount of the carbohydrates you are eating.

The good: The good carbs include starchy vegetables like potatoes, legumes, fruits, and whole grains like wheat, oats and brown rice (ofada rice). These offer more nutrients and do not drastically increase the blood sugar levels.

The bad: On the other hand, the bad carbs like pastries, bread, pasta, processed foods and refined sugar in general have relatively low nutrients, digest quickly, spike blood sugar levels, which overall isn’t healthy.

The ugly: The worst of it all is when you end up consuming too much of bad carbs, to the point that your body stores the empty calories that it cannot burn which turns to fat, leading to unwanted weight gain.

Overall, you need carbohydrates to remain optimally functional. But it’s key to know which carbohydrates you eat, as well as the portions you consume. Although it is okay to sometime eat the bad carbs, do it less often and in moderation. Instead, incorporate the good, healthy carbs that your body will thank you for.