Complex Carbs?? why are they complex, what food=C.C

DannyA0130

So I Went last night to meet a gym owner/trainer/ registered dietitian.The guy was really nice and really informative said eating carbs is not a bad thing, but they need to be complex carbs. like broccoli, sweet potatoes. while i like both I would like more variety. Does anyone have any insight on "complex carbs" Also does anybody have suggestions of types of foods that are considered complex carbs? Any imput would be great.

WBB55

Complex carbs are long chains of starch molecules which form the basic structure of a lot of food. Celery is a bunch of fiber in long strings, if you follow me. Honey and sugar, these are "simple sugars," they're the same molecules, more or less, but they're in much shorter chains. Complex carbs take longer for your body to access the glucose molecules along the chain of "complex carbs" because the enzymes in your stomach and digestive tract have to break down the fibers first to access the glucose molecules. This is why they (complex carbs) don't spike your blood sugar levels as much as a tablespoon of sugar will. Your body does not have to "digest" or "work" at absorbing simple sugars. They're already broken down small enough to just almost instantly pass into your blood stream. Simple sugars don't even have to make it to your stomach before they're in your bloodstream. You have these enzymes in your saliva called amylase. That's why sugar and chocolate melt in your mouth. That's your saliva breaking down the last bonds in the simple sugars and they get absorbed right into your blood.

So that's an easy way to tell if a carb is a "complex" carb or not. If it melts on your tongue and you don't have to chew it, it's a simple sugar. If you have to chew it (because it contains fiber) then it's a "complex carb."

richardheath

Sucrose (table sugar) is a simple carb (a combination of glucose and fructose):





These are complex carbohydrates, where each dot represents a single sugar molecule. Note - they can be much longer than shown here - up to several thousand sugars per chain.



The complex carbs need to get broken down to the simple sugars before we can use them.


Edited as one image didn't load

AJ_G

So I Went last night to meet a gym owner/trainer/ registered dietitian.The guy was really nice and really informative said eating carbs is not a bad thing, but they need to be complex carbs. like broccoli, sweet potatoes. while i like both I would like more variety. Does anyone have any insight on "complex carbs" Also does anybody have suggestions of types of foods that are considered complex carbs? Any imput would be great.

The registered dietitian that you talked to is working with information that's about 10 years old. You do not need to stick to complex carbs. All you need to do is make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals everyday, and beyond that your carbs can come from anywhere you want. Unless you're diabetic or have problems with insulin resistance, then it makes no difference whether your carbs are complex or simple sugars

WBB55

then it makes no difference whether your carbs are complex or simple sugars

I would argue it's important to get enough fiber in ones diet. Some of your carbs really should be complex.

AJ_G

then it makes no difference whether your carbs are complex or simple sugars

I would argue it's important to get enough fiber in ones diet. Some of your carbs really should be complex.

What I should have said was as long as you hit your protein, fat, fiber, and micronutrient goals every day, then it doesn't matter where the rest of your carbs come from.