Recent diet fads such as the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet have determined that carbohydrates should be cut out of your meals as much as possible.
But before making this decision it is critical to learn what carbohydrates are good and which are not.
This will allow you to know what carbohydrates do for your body.
Good carbohydrates provide the body with the energy needed for daily activities.
These good carbohydrates are found in grain breads, in fruits, and in vegetables.
Many of these carbohydrates provide the nutrition needed by the body to function properly.
It is a matter of determining which ones are good and which ones are bad.
Even though all carbohydrates are basically sugars, complex carbohydrates are the good carbohydrates for your body.
These strings of sugar are difficult for the body to break down and trap other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals in the sugar strings.
As these carbohydrates slowly break down other nutrients are released into the body and provide the body with fuel for a number of hours.
Bad carbohydrates are simple sugars and break down easily.
These carbohydrates hold few nutrients for the body other than the sugars from which they are made.
The body converts these carbohydrates to fat and stores them in the body.
Most diets recommend staying away from simple carbohydrates since they have little nutritional value compared to complex carbohydrates.
The most important difference to consider is how you actually eat carbohydrates.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
These foods include the nutrients needed for your body.
Adding grain breads instead of white bread products or white flour products are rich in fiber.
Foods rich in fiber are a good source of carbohydrates.
The body is made up of what it consumes.
Learning the difference between good and bad carbohydrates is important to healthy eating.
Eliminating all carbohydrates is not the answer.
It is just a matter of choosing the carbohydrates that will benefit your body.
This is a part of a healthy, balanced diet.