Carbohydrates don't need to be complex

Carbohydrates are a thing slightly shrouded in mystery. As a result of Aktin's and other diets they are often considered as the reason for heart problems, obesity and other health issues. Subscribers to the Aktin's diet can enjoy eating as much fats and protein as they liked whilst cutting their carbs in a way to encourage the body to burn fat, although some poeple felt fatigue and nausea following this diet. 

Carbohydrates come from a huge number of sources including: grains, popcorn, soft drinks, potatoes, milk, corn and beans. The most common forms are divided into starches, sugars and fibres. Carbohydrates are broken down by the body into sugars, glucose is the type of sugar which the body uses as its main source of energy. Fibrous carbohydrates however cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead pass through the body undigested. Fibre is the name given to a range of substances found in the cell walls of vegetables, fruits, pulses and cereal grains.

Sugar is the simplest form of carbohydrate, it occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, milk and other food sources. Fruit sugar (fructose) is the sweetest of all, white sugar is 99.9% sucrose, one of the world’s purest foods (and without the vitamins and minerals present in brown sugar), and milk sugar (lactose) stimulates the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli while also inhibiting pathogenic bacteria.

Starch is a complex carbohydrate, it is made of many glucose units bonded together. Starch occurs naturally in vegetables, grains, and cooked dry beans and peas and it is how plants store their energy. Many starchy foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Complex carbs are in beans, oats, whole-wheat bread, quinoa, barley, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and many other plant foods, whilst refined carbs are white bread, pizza dough, pasta, white flour, white rice, and many breakfast cereals. The more complex the carbohydrate, the better. They are more fibrous and so provide food for the good bacteria living in you gut, and they can even help guard against type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems. (Subscribers to the Atkin's diet can get this fibre from fruit and veg and whole grain carbohydrates (which contain less carbs than their refined brothers)). Unrefined whole grains are more likely to contain other minerals and vitamins too. They are also more filling, leaving you more satisfied for longer after eating. Yum.