Are all carbs the same?

chill2525

I have increased my exercise and have been monitoring my intake of carbs. I haveen't cut them out just trying to keep the complex carbs and do away with the simple ones. Intuitively it doesn't seem right that the carbs I get from a cup of carrots and celery and peppers count the same as the carbs I would get from a plate of pasta? Are all carbs the same?

cwolfman13

chill2525 wrote: »

I have increased my exercise and have been monitoring my intake of carbs. I haveen't cut them out just trying to keep the complex carbs and do away with the simple ones. Intuitively it doesn't seem right that the carbs I get from a cup of carrots and celery and peppers count the same as the carbs I would get from a plate of pasta? Are all carbs the same?

First you need to understand what simple and complex carbs are. Carbohydrates are sugar, starch, and fiber. Sugar is a simple carb...starches and fiber are complex carbs (largely starch and fiber)...so things like pasta are actually complex carbs...fruit and veg are actually largely simple carbohydrates as they are largely sugar with a little bit of fiber.

Carbohydrates are carbohydrates...different foods are going to provide nutritional profiles but that has nothing to do with carbohydrates. There will be more vitamins and minerals in a carrot for example than pasta. That doesn't make pasta "bad"...you really have to look at your overall nutrition as a whole rather than the minutia of this particular food item or that particular food item.

whmscll

There is more than twice as much fiber in a cup of raspberries (8 gm) than in a cup of pasta (3 gm).

TrishSeren

If you are trying to lose weight then calories are king, not the type of carb you are eating.

Obviously, some carb based foods are higher calories than others, but they can still be eaten whilst losing weight. Just might need to re-jig portions to ensure it fits in the daily allowance.

snuff15ee

short article written by the fitness guy I follow on youtube - https://athleanx.com/blog/nutrition/the-truth-about-carbohydrates-and-building-muscle

lemurcat2

From the perspective of nutrition, carbs are contained within foods (vs. being a kind of food) and the foods that contain them are different. Are the carbs themselves? Yeah, fiber is different, and complex carbs (starches) often take a bit longer to breakdown than sugar (simple carbs) although a more significant factor is whether fiber is also present. You will probably notice that some foods that are high in carbs will be more or less satiating than others, although this varies by person. Some provide quicker or easier to digest energy than others (which is why certain kinds of sugar are common fuel sources in endurance sports).

If you are talking about from the perspective of a keto diet, then the total amount of net carbs matters (that's carbs other than fiber).

Current diet culture, pop culture version is way too focused on "carbs" vs. "fat" and so on, when IMO for nutrition the actual sources of the carbs and fats are much more significant. Also, carbs are not evil.

Justin_7272

Your question begs; why do you ask?

Calorically, a carb is 4 cal/g, regardless of it's complexity. In that sense, all are the same.

By volume, pasta is typically more dense per serving than carrots, celery, and peppers (a cup of pasta weighs much more than a cup of peppers), and thus has more calories (and more carbs).

Back to ground zero; why do you ask?