Difference of simple/complex carbs in terms of energy

balancedbrunette

Hey guys, so been a while since i read up on this and just came across an article in a womans mag yesterday which was debating the effects of simple carbs on the body saying it rises blood sugar fast and our body needs to use this for energy immediately or it is stored, just wondering what are people's thoughts on this all around.

Since joining here i have got down to my desired weight and am maintaining now, i've always corporated complex carbs in my diet in the form of porridge oats, wholewheat bread and veg but obviously i do have my simple carbs too in moderation.

ashzacher

Just from a personal perspective - I generally incorporate complex carbs like oats, brown rice, etc. into my daily diet. I USED to be a carb junkie - Cheezits, pretzels, white bread, etc. If I eat rice, veggies, and chicken at lunch, I'm fine the rest of the day. If I have a sandwich or pasta or pizza, or even just a ton of snacks that are carby, I feel sluggish and run down. That's just me, but I feel like simple carbs are a waste when I could be eating something that makes me feel much better. Not saying I don't enjoy my simple carbs now and again

neanderthin

Just from a personal perspective - I generally incorporate complex carbs like oats, brown rice, etc. into my daily diet. I USED to be a carb junkie - Cheezits, pretzels, white bread, etc. If I eat rice, veggies, and chicken at lunch, I'm fine the rest of the day. If I have a sandwich or pasta or pizza, or even just a ton of snacks that are carby, I feel sluggish and run down. That's just me, but I feel like simple carbs are a waste when I could be eating something that makes me feel much better. Not saying I don't enjoy my simple carbs now and again

Whether insulin is raised quickly and then back to baseline or more slowly over a longer time line has nothing to do with weight gain or fat storage......that's from consuming too many calories, not from consuming an apple. For future reference Cheezits, pretzels, white bread, pasta and pizza etc are all complex carbs, not simple ones.

balancedbrunette

Just from a personal perspective - I generally incorporate complex carbs like oats, brown rice, etc. into my daily diet. I USED to be a carb junkie - Cheezits, pretzels, white bread, etc. If I eat rice, veggies, and chicken at lunch, I'm fine the rest of the day. If I have a sandwich or pasta or pizza, or even just a ton of snacks that are carby, I feel sluggish and run down. That's just me, but I feel like simple carbs are a waste when I could be eating something that makes me feel much better. Not saying I don't enjoy my simple carbs now and again

Yea i get where you're coming from, i've noticed on days where i used to grab a cereal bar from the shop on the go i would be hungrier faster or just feeling sluggish in general, thats changed now as most my meals are pre-prepared for the week, was just wondering how they affect the body in terms of energy.

Mr_Knight

...came across an article in a womans mag yesterday which was debating the effects of simple carbs on the body saying it rises blood sugar fast and our body needs to use this for energy immediately or it is stored...

What the world really needs is someone to invent a time machine, go back in time, and shoot Taubes before he had a chance to publish that ****ing book.

sheermomentum

Simple carbohydrates are sugars - refined sugar, honey, maple, agave, anything like that, and also the sugars found in fruit (fructose). Refined corn and wheat flours are complex carbs, even if they are processed into what we think of as junk food, or baked into white bread, etc.

I think sometimes this concept gets confused with the glycemic index of foods. Foods with a high glycemic index are metabolized quickly and cause blood sugar to rise quickly, and usually cause a more rapid rise in what is called insulin demand - you need more insulin more quickly to process them. High GI foods include BOTH refined sugars and refined grains like white flour and white rice, but don't include fruit (I don't know why that is).

There's definitely a theory out there that Low GI foods (whole grains, veggies, fruits, all those good things we think of as "whole foods") may be better for weight loss because they stabilize blood sugar, which keeps you from getting hungry faster, keeps your body from going through a cycle of "sugar high" and "crash." And maybe some other reasons. I know there's a study or two out there that seems to indicate a correlation between obesity and a High GI diet. I do not know, however, if the theory is particularly well-established from a scientific point of view. I'm pretty sure you have the same internet I do, so you can research that if you're curious.

I don't know what the magazine article was trying to say. Sugars (simple carbs) certainly would spike your blood sugar, but I don't think that you need to burn up that candy bar within the hour or risk it being converted to fat...I don't think the fat is going to be created quite that quickly.

balancedbrunette

I don't know what the magazine article was trying to say. Sugars (simple carbs) certainly would spike your blood sugar, but I don't think that you need to burn up that candy bar within the hour or risk it being converted to fat...I don't think the fat is going to be created quite that quickly.

Thanks for replying guys, gosh more annoyed at myself for even posting this ha because it is stuff I have already read about been debated on here where people have actually made since incomparison to the stuff raised in these magazines especially regarding fad diets. Thanks for the advice anyways - sometimes i guess a refresher is no harm!:)