Carbohydrates are becoming more and more popular as diets like the keto diet work to eliminate as many carbs as possible. But what if I told you carbs are actually essential to your daily functioning and shouldn’t be completely eliminated. Its true!
What are Carbohydrates?
While many of the carbohydrates we consume in a day can come from not so great sources. There are several sources that are deemed 100% good for you. Not to mention, carbohydrates are what we consume for its energy. But what are carbohydrates and what are the differences you need to know?
In science, a carbohydrate is noted to be a biomolecule that has carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. But for the sake of understanding them in terms of what we eat, the general definition used to explain them is that they are essentially a type of sugar molecule. They are important for us to function and thus fall into the category of macronutrients alongside fats and proteins.
Within our bodies, carbs are broken down into glucose. If you’re not familiar, glucose is essentially the body’s blood sugar. It is the main source of energy for cells, organs, and tissue. In most cases, the glucose created from the carbohydrates we eat are either stored in our liver or muscles to be used later on. However, sometimes overconsumption of the carbs that we eat can sometimes cause us to gain unwanted weight.
Types of Carbohydrates
As with most macro- and micro-nutrients, there are categories in which our carbohydrates come from. The three main categories are sugars, starches, and fiber. Let’s break each one down, shall we.
Sugar
Sugars are commonly known as simple carbohydrates. This is because they are in the most basic form and can be added to foods like candy, soda, or baked goods. But don’t be fooled, sugars aren’t just in what we add them to, fruits and vegetables also have naturally occurring fruit in them as well.
Starch
Unlike sugar, a starch is a complex carbohydrate. This means that unlike the sugars they are not in their most basic form. Instead, they are made up of multiple simple sugars that are strung together to make the starch. But that isn’t to say that starches are bad for us. In fact, the body needs starches for energy as much as sugar. Most cases of starch occur in things like potatoes, corn, and bread.
Fiber
Fiber is yet another complex carbohydrate. In most cases, our body has a hard time breaking fiber depending on what it is. The good thing about eating fiber is that it is able to make you feel fuller and keep you from overeating. So while they’re harder to break down they’re still good for you. A small known fact about fiber is that in many cases it’s able to prevent stomach and intestinal problems. This complex carb is found primarily in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
What Amount of Carbohydrates is Okay to Eat?
Contrary to popular belief, there is no general one thing that works for everyone when it comes to eating carbs. In fact, the amount often varies depending on the person. Things that dictate the amount of carbohydrates you eat, whether good or bad, include age, sex, and your overall health. Of course, while there isn’t a general set in stone amount, there is still a range in which to keep within. That range is between 45% and 65% of your total caloric intake for a day.
What is Considered a Good Carb?
Now, when it comes to what kind of carbohydrates you should be consuming, there are technically good carbs and bad carbs. When you’re looking to gain energy from what you eat, you’ll obviously want to eat the good carbs. This means eating whole grains and foods with a good amount of fiber.
Examples of High Fiber Foods:
- Pears
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Apples
- Raspberries
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Artichokes
- Brussel Sprouts
- Lentils
What you may notice is that all of the examples listed are of the plant based variety. This is because in most cases, plants are pretty high in fiber.
Bad Carb: Should I Avoid Them?
Okay, so if good carbohydrates are good, then what about bad carbs? Granted, in most cases, as long as you eat a pretty well balanced diet you’re set. There are still different carbohydrates you’ll want to avoid as much as possible. But of course, avoiding them all together would sometimes feel like a crime against humanity. Why? Because you’ll want to primarily avoid sugars or processed foods that have sugar added.
Moral of the Story
While diets consisting of lowered carbohydrates are becoming popular in the fad diet world, they aren’t very sustainable and can sometimes even lead to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Now, that isn’t to say that it isn’t a method that can’t be used. It’s just to say that you’ll want to be careful and do it correctly to obtain and maintain the goals you’re working towards. This often means speaking with a healthcare professional prior to the diets to best gauge how to do it.
Now, if you’re still wanting to lose weight and don’t necessarily want to completely eliminate or reduce your carbohydrates by any means there is hope. The hope is in the form of peptides and SARMs. Different peptides and SARMs do different things and it really depends on your personal preference. Where some people can’t stand needles or injecting themselves, others can. For those that can stand needles, peptides may be the way to go. However, if you hate needles or are afraid of them then SARMs may be the right option for you instead.
Next Steps to a Healthier Life
Of course, you’ll want to do your research and understand what your preferences are prior to deciding on what you’re going to go with. The good news is that Paradigm Peptides has your back. We do tons of research and have blog articles on every product we manufacture. That way you can read up and understand what you’re purchasing before you buy peptides, SARMs, or any of our other products. Get started today by clicking here.