Anyone who follows the news about diets and healthy eating has more than likely heard about refined carbs. Some experts claim that they’re wholly bad for you and should be avoided at all costs. Other dieticians state that you can eat some refined carbs. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and while it’s up to everyone to make their own choices, it helps to be fully informed.
What exactly are these staples of the standard American diet? Which foods can you have that include refined carbs? Should you add them to your diet or remove them entirely? We’ll answer those questions and more here.
What Are Refined Carbs?
When it comes to refined carbs, the refined part really says it all. Refined carbs are starches that have been heavily processed. When grains such as oats, wheat, or barley get refined, the nutrients and fibers within get removed. The grains become easier to digest but also very high in sugar.
Also known as simple carbs, these processed grains are found in everything from soda (in the form of high fructose corn syrup), pasta, white bread, breakfast cereals, and plenty of sweet treats, like cookies, cakes, and brownies. If you’re buying white or refined flour or white rice, you’re purchasing refined carbs.
What Are the Different Types of Refined Carbs?
There are two main types ofrefined carbs. Each is made from a different grain and with a different process to become simple carbohydrates many refer to as bad carbs.
- Simple Sugars – Some examples of simple sugars include white table sugar and high fructose corn syrup. These are found in many foods, from bagels and pre-packaged treats to fruit juices and soda.
White table sugar comes from sugar cane. It goes through a process that breaks it down and removes most of its nutritional value. High fructose corn syrup, obviously, comes from corn. It goes through a similar process that breaks it down and liquifies it.
- Refined Grains – These are the grains that have had all of their nutritious parts removed to become more digestible. Although this processing is done with many different types of grains, the main type of grain that’s used is wheat. The manufacturers remove the outer covering of the grain and then grind it into a fine powder known as flour. We then use this processed flour for baked goods, cereals, and noodles.
Why Are Refined Carbs Viewed Negatively?
The process ofrefining carbs makes them very easy to digest — but lowers their nutritional value. This means that the sugars contained in the foods with these processed grains hit your system very quickly. To put it in terms that a dietician (or knowledgeable foodie) would know, they are high on the glycemic index. When you eat refined carbs, which are digested quickly, your blood sugar spikes.
While that blood sugar spike can give you a quick boost of energy as your body releases insulin to process it, once your blood sugar levels off again, you’ll begin to crash and feel sleepy or irritable. On top of this, you’ll start to crave more refined carbs or sugary treats. The cycle continues, repeating itself, and eventually, you’ll end up with weight gain in your belly region. Refined carbs are not the friends of anyone interested in weight loss.
If you let the cycle continue, over time, you run the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, insulin resistance, and obesity. That’s why nutritionists and dietitians often refer to simple carbs as empty calories.
Are There Other Nutritional Issues With Refined Carbs?
In addition to making your blood sugar spike and causing your body to produce extra insulin, refined carbs also have other nutritional deficits compared to complex carbohydrates like whole grains.
For example, whole grains maintain their outer covering, which is removed from refined carbs. This means that whole grains contain all of the vitamins and minerals refined carbs lose such as:
- Iron
- Manganese
- Phosphorus
- Selenium
- Magnesium
- B vitamins
Dietary fiber is another essential nutrient that foods made with refined carbs often lack. These make them more nutritious and filling options compared to refined carbs.
Which Foods Contain Refined Carbs?
Avoiding refined carbs is harder than you think. They appear in many foods that you more than likely eat every single day. Here’s a quick list of foods to cut back on and substitute for healthier carbs:
White Rice
Standard white rice is very processed. The outer hulls of each piece of rice have been removed, taking a good amount of the nutrients with them.
White Pasta
The main ingredients in most forms of pasta are white flour and eggs. The type of pasta that you buy from the store that comes in a box has a few additional ingredients as well, like preservatives. However, the white, processed flour is to blame for the refined carbs.
Bread
White bread and rolls, both of which are very popular, are made from highly processed wheat flour. This means that they contain plenty of refined carbs and have lots of hidden sugars.
Cereal
Cereal can be tricky because plenty of varieties have whole grainwritten on the label but have added sugar, a refined carb. Plus, many cereals and granolas have sugary toppings making them taste delicious but lack the nutrients you need.
Oatmeal
Even oatmeal has refined carbs. If you purchase the instant kind, which usually also has flavors thrown in, like apple cinnamon or blueberries, you are getting the type that has both refined carbs and added sugars.
Snacks
Pre-packaged snacks tend to contain enormous amounts of refined carbs. They’re made from processed wheat flour and have sugar added to make them taste sweeter. Most of the fresh treats you’ll find in the grocery store or bakery will be made of these two things unless they have whole grains listed on their ingredients list.
Beverages
Many pre-made beverages contain refined carbs. If you have standard black coffee but add sugar and flavored creamer, you’re drinking refined carbs. (Straight black coffee and freshly brewed tea are fine.) Many juices and sodas contain high fructose corn syrup, which is a refined carb.
Of course, these are just a few examples of refined carbs. There are plenty of others out there, so make sure to check the ingredient labels if you plan to limit them in your diet.
Do Good Carbs Exist?
Yes, good carbs do exist. They’re known as complex carbs and are made from whole foods, and there are versions of many of the foods on the list above that consist of these good carbs. These foods offer plenty of health benefits, and many of them are high-fiberveggies that are packed with antioxidants and other essential nutrients.
When putting together your meals, look for foods that say they are made of whole foods. There are plenty of options out there, including brown rice, whole grain noodles, whole wheattortillas, multigrain or whole grain breads, quinoa, lentils, and more. You can even substitute other ingredients for refined carbs, such as making noodles out of non-starchy vegetables like squash.
If you want something sweet, you can choose all-natural treats like fruit. Apples, bananas, pears, nectarines, and more have some carbs, but they are of a healthy variety. This makes them a great addition to your diet since you won’t have the sugar rush and subsequent crash that refined white sugar gives you.
Other forms of good carbs include beans and other legumes. They contain a lot of protein, as well as plenty of fiber, so they’re good to add toyour meals. Consider substituting them for some of your refined carbs for a healthy diet.
Which Type of Carbs Should You Eat?
Refined carbs can be bad for you. They lack the vitamins and minerals of whole, unrefined grains and contain extra sugar that causes blood sugar spikes. They can be addictive, starting a cycle where you constantly crave them, due to the amount of sugar involved.
Carbs made from whole grains, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and don’t contain all of the additional sugar of refined carbs. With that said, refined carbs can be hard to avoid since they’re added to so many foods.
Although you should focus on eating unrefined carbs for breakfast,lunch, anddinner, there’s nothing wrong with having refined carbs now and then. Just keep everything in balance by eating more unrefined carbs, and remembering that the refined ones will leave you craving more.
Sources:
Why Refined Carbs Are Bad for You | Healthline