How to Select the Right Carbohydrates for a Healthy Diet

It is important to carefully select your foods for consumption. You can turn to those that contain complex carbohydrates. Their labels should specify what ingredients they contain.

How many types of carbohydrates are there?

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for all cellular and metabolic processes in the body. There are two general types of carbohydrates: refined and complex

Refined carbohydrates have been processed. This means that sugars and grains have been deprived of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, according to She Finds specialists.

Complex carbohydrates are simply unprocessed carbohydrates, meaning the best nutritional parts remain intact.

Avoid the common breakfast mistake of eating complex carbohydrates.

How Eating Refined Carbs Affects You

You will get little nutritional benefit from eating refined carbohydrates. Many make the mistake of choosing to eat products from this category, such as pastries, pancakes, spaghetti or waffles.

The high sugar content of these foods and the lack of nutrients are concerns. These foods have a high glycemic index, which can favor the onset of diabetes.

Excess blood sugar can seriously affect your health. Frequent consumption can lead to insulin resistance, the disease in which muscle, liver and fat cells do not respond well to insulin and have difficulty taking up glucose from the blood. In the short term, you may experience feelings of fatigue or sluggishness shortly after eating them.

How you can avoid the breakfast mistake that many make

To avoid complex carbohydrates, you may have a hard time figuring out how to replace them. Fortunately, there are plenty of foods to choose from.

For example, you can eat: oatmeal with nuts or seeds, omelette with vegetables or plain Greek yogurt with berries and chia seeds. Nutrient-rich, balanced foods keep your blood sugar steady and give you the energy and nutrients you need.

fruits

As complex carbohydrates, fruits also contain nutrients. These include antioxidants, which help your body fight cardiovascular disease and cancer. These healthy options include strawberries, oranges, bananas, plums and blueberries.

To consume more types of nutrients, set a range of colors when selecting the fruits of the week. This trick can help you avoid eating the same fruit every day.

Cereals

A whole grain still contains the entire kernel. People who include more whole grains in their diet have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and tend to manage their weight more easily than people who don’t. When you eat cereal, you avoid the breakfast mistake that many make. Grain foods can include: wheat, rice, oats, barley, or any other grain.

Other healthy whole grain food options include whole grain bread, brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and popcorn.

Legume

Like fruits, vegetables are loaded with: antioxidants, fiber, potassium and folic acid. Low-sodium fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables are good choices when trying to increase your intake of complex carbohydrates. You can’t go wrong by eating more broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots or tomatoes, write Live Strong specialists.

Beans and peas are not only complex carbohydrates, but also a healthy alternative source of protein. Low in fat and high in fiber, beans and peas contain iron and zinc. These nutrients are also found in poultry. Vegetables have nutrients like potassium and folate.

Beans and peas are so nutritious that they fall into both the plant and protein food groups. Besides these, they also have similar properties: garbanzo beans, lentils and black-eyed peas.