What is the diff. between simple and complex carbohydrates?

Question

What foods have what? And what does it matter if you are trying to lose/gain weight?

Answer 1

What are carbohydrates? Sugars, starches, fructose, sucrose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, waxy maise starch, corn starch, oatmeal, pasta, bread, oranges, apples, grapes, chicken, beef, turkey........... carbohydrates are found is just about anything. However, most of the world refers to sugars and starches when talking about carbohydrates. Some are simple carbohydrates and some are referred to as complex carbohydrates. What is the difference? Check out the carbohydrate telephone.

Take 2 cans, a piece of string and pull the string tight between the cans. Talk into one end and the person on the other end can hear you. Simple, effective, but only for short distances, not very durable and won't last long with use. This is the perfect example of a simple carbohydrate.

White sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar, glucose, dextrose, fructose (found in fruit), maltodextrin, white rice, white bread, cookies, candies, soda pop and ice cream are all full of simple carbohydrates. They give fast energy, are easy to get, very cheap, effective for short bursts of energy, but not durable just like the tin can telephone. These types of carbohydrates do not typically keep blood sugar levels stable. Are they bad for you? NO

When you use them properly in your nutritional plan, they can be beneficial. Take too many and you get the "sugar rush" and the "crash" afterwards. You feel tired and blah! They are easily stored if you consume too many (fat gain).

Now, take apart your cellular phone. How much energy does it take? You have to remove the cover, take out the sim card, battery, antenna, led's, wires and all the little doohickeys that are in there. Takes a lot of time and energy! This is a great way to describe complex carbohydrates. These should be the bulk of your carbohydrate intake every day.

Complex carbohydrates supply our body with a constant supply of energy and require more energy from the body to break apart. We don't usually store it as fat as easily and foods with complex carbohydrates often have more vitamins and minerals than simple carbohydrates.

Sweet potatoes (yams), whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oats, oatmeal, bran, cream of wheat type cereals, are all great sources of complex carbohydrates. Many also have protein and good fats.

The only time that is a good time to eat simple carbs is if you are having a cheat meal to stay sane, or you are having your post-workout meal. At this time your body needs the simple carbs to replenish blood sugar and muscle glycogen.

Complex carbs can be eaten anytime and especially before your workout to give you energy. Shoot for 200-300g of complex carbs a day for an active person. Shoot for 100g of protein and 40-60g of good fats!

Live life, enjoy food and have fun with it!

A.J. McAlendin

Answer 2

Simple carbs are fast digesting and provide quick energy or fat gain, via an insulin spike.  The fat gain can be caused when glycogen stores are full (the liver, muscles and blood store glycogen).  Complex carbs require a longer time to break down in the digestive tract and don't have nearly as much of an insulin spike, and most often have a higher nutrient profile.  Complex carbs can cause fat gain as well if kept unchecked, but is not as readily stored as simple carbs because of the relative low insulin spike and more "time released" property.

Complex carbs usually have a fibrous husk or include fiber it their makeup - fiber gives a full feeling, soluble fiber aids in the removal of LDL cholesterol, and helps slow the digestion process.

Losing bodyfat involves much more than cals in v. cals out - if it were that simple, 500 cals of donuts would be the same as 500 cals of chicken and broccoli, right?  Losing bodyfat involves controlling insulin levels, insulin being the primary and a very powerful storage hormone, as well as controlling how many cals are consumed.  Insulin also competes with GH, a fat burning hormone, so controlling insulin helps increase circulating GH levels.

So, for fat loss, complex carbs will always trump simple carbs.  The only times you don't have to worry so much about it is when you first wake up, during extended intense exercise, or after intense workouts.  Even then, limit the simple carbs.

Examples of simple carbs are sugars, most processed packaged items like candies, cakes and cookies, white rice, most supermarket breads (in spite of popular belief), most dry cereals, packaged diet and so-called "health" foods, sugared drinks, 100 calorie pack snack foods.  Complex carbs would be most veggies, many fruits, whole grains that you have to cook (ie, brown rice, pearl barley), legumes, whole potatoes, whole oats.  Most people consume way more carbs than they actually need.

Answer 3

This site has lots of information about carbs