Carbohydrates are a tricky subject. When you hear people talking about a low-carbohydrate diet, they are undoubtedly speaking of starchy carbohydrates. Even on the lowest carbohydrate diet, the Atkins Diet, you are still required to eat plenty of fibrous carbohydrates every day. That’s right. It isn’t all bacon and mayonnaise.
With that being said, I’ll discuss the two types of carbohydrates, starchy and fibrous.
Starchy carbohydrates are from grains such as oats, wheat and corn. Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes are also starchy carbohydrates. Oatmeal, flour and the bread made from it, corn and corn tortillas, as well as mashed or baked potatoes are all loaded with starchy carbohydrates.
There are a few things you should know about starchy carbohydrates. They are actually digested in the mouth. When they hit saliva, sugar is created instantly. This is why it is so easy to become addicted to this sort of food. Whole grains are always the best sort of starchy carbohydrates to consume, if you must consume them. The reason for this is because whole grains, rather than processed grains, still contain fiber and bran. Fiber can’t be broken down by the human body but it does help to make one feel more full and satisfied. Fiber also slows the body’s absorption rate of the sugar that a starchy carbohydrate contains. (This keeps one’s blood sugar more stable rather than allowing the sugar to cause it to spike.) While whole grain bread is better than white bread, we are far better off if we eat the grains in their least processed form. Oatmeal is an example of a whole grain in its least unprocessed form. Dieters should know that every molecule of starchy carbohydrate grabs on to two molecules of water as it is consumed and this causes water retention (bad for dieters).
Beans and legumes are also a form of starchy carbohydrate but they are in a whole different class than grains and potatoes. The reason for this is that beans and legumes contain so very much fiber. One serving of pinto beans or black beans contains about 15 grams of fiber. That is practically half of the total carbohydrate count in those beans. (When counting carbohydrates for your diet, you take the total carbohydrate grams and subtract the total fiber grams to come up with your “net carbs”.) Since beans and legumes are so well loaded with fiber, this makes them “slow carbs” and ideal for those who are trying to lose weight.
Fibrous carbohydrates are vegetables and fruit. Things like broccoli, tomatoes, peas, lettuce, apples, cabbage, green beans, peppers, onions…well, you should get the point. Fruits are naturally high in their own natural sugar (fructose). That is what gives them their sweet flavor. Vegetables are lower in the natural sugar, fructose, and therefore taste less sweet.
Ideally, when you diet, you should eat fruit sparingly. If you must have fruit, have the actual fruit and not processed fruit juice. The fruit itself contains lots more fiber than juice ever could and not only is that good for your digestion and blood sugar but it is far more likely to make you feel satisfied after eating it. The beautiful thing about fibrous carbohydrates is that they already contain all the water they can hold on to and that means no water retention and better flushing of your system.
Moral of the story: Fibrous carbohydrates are excellent for weight loss but starchy carbohydrates are not. If you’re trying to lose weight, go with whole grains rather than processed ones and vegetables rather than fruit. The more vegetables the better!