The enormous amount of fad diets has given carbohydrates a bad name. There are carbohydrates that are good for you however. Many people don’t realize this and by eliminating carbs they are missing out on an important part of a healthy diet. Having a carbohydrate guide is a great way to keep track of what carbohydrates are good for you.

A healthy diet depends on a daily intake of carbohydrates. The cells in your body depend on the metabolism of carbohydrates for use as energy. By not having any carbohydrate intake or by having to little of a carbohydrate intake you could be hurting your body. This can affect your glucose levels, body and organ functions as well as your concentration.

Carbohydrates come in two major categories. They are simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars are metabolized by your body at a very fast rate. This can adversely affect your mood and blood sugar and energy levels.

The other category, complex carbohydrates, is also known as starches. These require more time to metabolize. The result is a much more steady consistent flow of energy for your body.

There are two sides to simple sugars. They can be seen as either being good or bad. The bad simple sugars Processed or convenient foods are looked at as the bad type of simple sugars.

Candies, cookies, sweets, soft drinks, jams, boiled sweets etc. are examples of bad simple sugars. These are carbs that need to be avoided. Good simple sugars come in the form of all natural unprocessed fruits. With these you can eat as many as you want.

There is no such thing as a bad complex carbohydrate. They simply don’t exist. Complex carbs metabolize much more slowly than simple sugars giving you a feeling of being full for a longer period of time thus helping you to avoid in between meal snacks and ultimately lose weight.

Whole grains are your best bet for a great source of complex carbs. Included in this group are bran, barley, and cornmeal. Other choices are wholegrain breads, brown rice, potatoes or any other root vegetable, peas and corn.

In order to maintain a well balanced you must include carbohydrates. This is going to be the fuel that your body needs to stay healthy. Making a list of carbs that you like and incorporate them into your diet and your body will thank you.

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