Healthy Carbohydrates Food Sources

Carbohydrates are essential in our diet. Several myths have been built around them, some more true than others, but mostly based on a misinterpretation of reality. e truth is that healthy carbohydrates exist, and no, they are not exotic foods. First, we have to understand what they are. Then yes, that is what affects us.

Types of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are of two types, simple and complex. The simple ones have easily assimilated sugar subunits, such as sucrose and lactose.

They are found naturally in the fruits, vegetables, and dairy products that we consume daily; but they are also found in all those innutritious foods like sweets and snacks, which do not fill us up and only leave us feeling hungry.

Instead, the complexes are made up of hundreds and thousands of these simple sugar subunits and therefore take longer to digest. These can be of various types such as:

• Starch: it is found in potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, pasta, beans… It is found in many foods that we consume continuously.
• Fiber: It is also found in fruits and vegetables, as well as cereals and beans.

Where do we find healthy carbohydrates?

Having a source of healthy carbohydrates is very important for you to keep your blood sugar level stable.

Healthy carbs are easy to find, so here’s where you can find them:

• Whole grains are one of the best sources of fiber and nutrients, unlike refined grains, which go through a process where parts of the grain are removed.
• Vegetables and fruits are rich sources of fiber, even better if they are fresh and without extra added sugar.

Cheese, yogurt, and milk are products that are undoubtedly good sources of calcium, vitamins, minerals, and protein. It is recommended that you consume options low in saturated fat and without added sugar.

• Peas, lentils, peas, peas, and beans, among other legumes, are an excellent option due to their low-fat content and high potassium, iron, and magnesium, in addition to having beneficial fibers.

These mentioned foods are some of the possibilities that you can take into account from now on in your diet.

They are needed?

It is recommended that 45% to 65% of all calories consumed per day come from carbohydrates. This means that of daily consumption of 2,000 calories, between 900 and 1,400 must be carbohydrates. In terms of mass, an intake of 225 g to 340 g translates.

Carbohydrates are essential to the diet and should make up a large part of our food. These give us a large part of our energy, even more so if they are complex carbohydrates that take time to digest.

We recommend you consume them intelligently, knowing how to choose them with each meal you consume. The more varied the diet, the better. For these reasons, eating a salad or soup is recommended for lunch. In addition, eating whole fruits and raw vegetables maintains the contribution of fibers and minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Carbs and emotions

This kind of attitude towards managing our emotions will have long-term consequences on our health, such as cholesterol problems, overweight, diabetes, among other conditions resulting from poor control of our diets, and the absence of an exercise routine.

There are several methods to avoid falling into these unhealthy eating cycles. One of the most basic is to begin to stop seeing food as an emotional outlet or supplement; This may sound exaggerated, but it is a real situation. One way to let go of this behavior is to use other outlets for our feelings, such as exercise, reading, or some other activity that we can focus on.

How to know if carbohydrates are healthy?

Sometimes we’re not sure what healthy carbs are, and just having a list can be unreliable. For this reason, a safer and more methodical way to find out which foods can help you in your diet is the glycemic index (GI).

The GI ranges from 0 to 100, foods with a high GI raise blood glucose very quickly. On the other hand, those with a low GI barely affect the sugar level. At the higher end (100) is pure sugar.

There are diets to lose weight that are based only on the GI and restrict the consumption of any food with a high GI, such as white bread, potatoes, and desserts made with refined flours. They often recommend eating foods with a low glycemic index such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, grains, and low-fat dairy.

Below we will show you a simple classification of the GI, so you can see where your favorite foods are and know if they are really useful for your diet.

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