Why You Should Invest in Complex Carbs

In the world of diets and diet pills, you’ve probably heard terms like “complex carbohydrates” and “simple carbohydrates,” “good carbs” and “bad carbs” thrown around. In this article we’ll explain the difference between the different types of carbs and explain why you should buy products that contain complex carbohydrates.
First, complex carbs are the good carbs and simple carbs are the bad carbs. That’s obviously a simplification, but it’s a good general way to approach these different types of carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates are the carbs that contain refined sugars and fewer vitamins and minerals. Examples: sugar, fruit juice, white bread, milk, molasses, honey, yogurt, and fruit.
Complex carbs contain more fiber, which means they take longer to digest which means that they’ll fill you up for longer. Examples: Whole grain products, vegetables, cereals, and legumes.
There’s something important to remember when shopping for carbohydrates: The “bad” carbohydrates are still important diet staples. For example, yogurt and milk are healthy and vital parts to a healthy diet. However, it is true that they won’t fill you up for as long as, say, a whole grain bun with a lean protein. Therefore, if you are going to be eating a food from the simple carb category, you should always try and mix in some complex carb. So if you’re having yogurt, add some whole grain cereal to it, and the meal will take longer to digest and keep you full for longer. If you’re going to eat fruit, add a sprinkle of wheat germ as a garnish.
Most dieticians and nutritionists believe that people should consume about 50-60% of their daily total calories from the carbohydrate group. Of that, the majority should be from the complex carb category. For the simple carbs (because, as mentioned, those are essential too), you should try and keep them in the group of milk, yogurt, and fruit.