To eat or not to eat carbohydrates. that is question. There are good carbs and there are bad carbs. How can we tell difference and how do we know what to eat? The old way of classifying carbohydrates:
Complex Carbohydrates provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and energy. Some foods that contain complex carbohydrates are whole grain bread, legumes like peas and beans, pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables.
Simple Carbohydrates are broken down quickly to provide energy. Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in milk, fruits and vegetables. Simple carbs are also found in processed foods like syrup, soda, and refined sugar found in many processed baked goods.
In this way of classifying carbs, it is recommended that we limit our intake of simple carbs and get most of our carbohydrates from complex carbs.
The new way of classifying carbohydrates: The Glycemic Index (GI) measures how quickly blood sugar rises after ingesting a food with carbohydrates. Eating a diet full of foods that have been rated with a high GI may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Highly processed or highly refined carbohydrates have been found to have a high GI - foods like white bread, white rice, white pasta, french fries and refined breakfast cereals.
Whole foods will have a lower GI - legumes, whole fruit, and whole grains like wheat, oats, barley, and brown rice.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. Many other factors influence GI of a food. Fiber content, fat content, ripeness, and type of starch also affect GI. Thus some foods like potatoes and bananas have a high GI.