What to eat instead of refined carbs?

[Chris_1977]

I read quite often here that refined carbs (as in bread, flour) are bad for my health. What about pasta? Is that also bad? I am a bit lost now becaue I have eat bread for both breakfast and lunch since I was a child. What else can one eat that is healthier? Obviously I still needs to eat carbonhydrates in some way. For dinner I usually have (among other things) cooked patatoes. Are they good carbs?

Many thanks!

[escapee]

Watch your waistline and weight, if it's more than 40inches for males and 35 for females , then you may be consuming to much of Carb/refined carb based on the SAD diet. It's very easy to overeat refined carb because it's just so addictive, filling, satisfying and tasty ( a deceptive sense of satisfaction that leads to bad health ).

Choose whole grain instead of refined/processed grain. Vegetables and some fruits are healthy complex carb .

[escapee]

YouTube - Is Your Cereal Really Healthy?

[WanderingOak]

It depends on what you consider to be a 'good carb'. An Atkins practitioner would say that all carbs, including potatoes were 'bad carbs'. In many cases, they substitute low carb vegetables such as cauliflauer. The way I see it, the closer the food is to it's original form, the better. So in my book, potatoes, brown rice, and corn are on the 'good carb' list while sugar, white flour, and most pasta would be considered 'bad carbs'.

[escapee]

Potatoes are ok whole food if you are healthy and it's consumed in "moderate" amount. It's definitely not for those with Diabetic condition. It 's a very starchy, relatively low fiber and high GI food compared to other whole grain.

Potatoes and diabetes

There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates have high glycemic index, more easily and rapidly digested by the body; and complex carbohydrates have low glycemic index, and digested more slowly.

Simple carbohydrates are found in fruits (apples, all the berries, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, pear, oranges, peach, melon, plum), and they are low in simple sugars and do not promote weight gain. Simple carbohydrates, which are high in simple sugars and cause weight gain rapidly, include: table sugars, cakes, ice cream, non-diet pop beverages, candies, chocolate, fudge, jam, honey, pudding, sweets and desserts, in general. They are easily and rapidly digested by our body.

Complex carbos are found in almost all plant-based foods. The body digest these foods more slowly, and some of these are bran, wheatgerm, corn, barely, oatmeal, buckwheat, pasta, macaroni, brown rice, potato, brown bread, cassava, yam, muesli, lentils, peas, beans. They are the "healthier complex carbohydrates." These are essential to an exercise regimen, making each workout more effective in losing body fat and weight. However, potatoes now seem to have gained this new notoriety with this recent published prospective study.

The data from this significant study strongly suggest a potential benefit from limiting the consumption of potatoes, especially french fries, in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Other studies have likewise shown that eating a lot of the Simple Carbohydrates that are HIGH in simple sugars (review list above) lead to weight gain and obesity and an increased risk of diabetes.

Carbohydrates with lower glycemic indices, such as high-fiber forms of (complex) carbohydrates like whole grains, bran, oat meal, wheat, muesli, lentils, peas, beans, broccoli, in combination with a low-fat diet of fish, green leafy vegetables and nuts, plus daily exercise reduce our risks, not only from diabetes, but from cancer and cardiovascular illness, like heart attack and stroke.

[Wit and Itch]

Good carbs are those that you can pick of a tree or out of a garden. Everything else is a bad carb.

[Chris_1977]

Thanks for you answers! I do note rather varried opinions, though. I think the whole grain bread I used to be able to buy when I still lived in the Netherlands was okay. However, in the country I am currently in (Italy) all bread seems to be much worse. It just tastes like there is no substance in it. Probably filled with bad carb. So I think I will try some of your suggestions. Thanks again!

[Josh Wesalo]

I'm not sure what ingredients lists look like in Italy, but I know that in the United States, if you see "wheat flour" or "enriched wheat flour," it's bad news. As far as pasta goes, most pasta that looks yellowish doesn't have very much nutritional value—it's more or less a refined grain (I'm pretty sure). If you can find whole wheat pasta, where the ingredients list specifies "whole wheat flour" or "100% whole wheat flour" or "whole grain wheat flour" or something like that, you're in good shape. If you're not sure about the ingredients, the Nutrition Facts should say that there are a few grams of fiber (probably about 5 or 6g in 100g of pasta).

Good luck on your health food crusade!