Simple & Complex Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates or monosaccharides, are found in refined foods such as white bread, white sugar and pasta. They are quick to break down and use for energy, but they won't keep you full for long. Sugar flows into the blood steam stream quickly, and causes the blood sugar to rise and drop within a short period of time, which is of not much gain, particular to people who are trying to lose weight or have diabetes.

An example of a common Simple carbohydrate breakfast, is a piece of white toast and a bowl of sugary cereal. A healthier choice would be rye bread/ whole grain and oatmeal/ porridge (Complex carbs).

The whole grain food items will fill you up up and provide you with a longer lasting energy. Other simple carbohydrate foods are dairy products and fruits.

Simple Carbohydrates are generally considered bad "empty calories", but natural carbs found in fruit are perfectly fine (just be aware of the sugar content).

Simple carbohydrates are one or two sugar molecules which are joined together, whereas Complex carbohydrates are made up of three or more molecules bound together.

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Complex Carbohydrates, or polysaccharides are considered healthier than simple carbohydrates because of the slow digestion process. Sugar is released slowly creating a more consistent level of energy, compared to simple carbohydrates where energy is instantly created, and sugar levels quickly drop to a low again.

Complex carbohydrates are often found in foods such as vegetables, lentils, peas, beans and whole grains.

When it comes to choosing carbohydrate foods, a basic rule of thumb is:

Anything White is BAD. (Have limited amounts of white rice, white bread substances etc)
Anything Brown & Green is GOOD. (Balance your diet around whole grains, brown rice, vegetables, fruits etc)

Some of the simple carbohydrate foods include:

Candy
Fruit Juice
White sugar
Syrup
White bread + White pasta + Pastries + Cakes etc (anything with White flour)
Sugary cereals
Honey
Fruit
Dairy products
Jam
White Rice
Potatoes (not sweet potatoes)

Here is a few, but I'm sure you get the idea:

Beans
Cauliflower
Sprouts
Eggplant
Soy milk
Lentils
Peas
Onions
Whole grain bread
Zucchini
Prunes
Brown rice
Sweet potatoes
Artichokes
Natural muesli
Cabbage
Celery
Asparagus
Carrots
Cucumbers
Low fat diary products
Spinach
lettuce