Carbohydrates: the quality is crucial.

What’s important is the nature of carbohydrates that you consume since some are better than other sources. The quantity of carbohydrates in your diet – low or high is not as important as the kind of carbohydrate included in the diet. For instance, healthy whole grains such as grain pieces of bread, wheat barley, and Quinoa are superior to refined white bread and French fries. (1)

A lot of people are confused about carbohydrates but bear in mind that it’s better to consume carbohydrates from healthy foods rather than following strict diet restrictions or tracking the number of calories consumed.

What are carbs?

Carbohydrates can be found in a variety of healthy and unhealthy foods like milk, beans, bread and popcorn, potatoes and cookies, spaghetti sodas, popcorn and even cherry pie. They are also available in wide varieties. The most popular and plentiful types are fibres, sugars and starches.

Carbohydrate-rich foods are an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Carbohydrates are a source of glucose, which converts into energy to help support bodily functions as well as physical activity. But the quality of carbohydrates is vital, and certain types of carbohydrate-rich food items are more nutritious the others :

• The most unhealthy sources of carbohydrates are white bread and pastries, sodas and other refined or processed food items. These foods contain readily digestible carbohydrates that can cause weight gain, hinder weight loss, and can cause the development of heart disease and diabetes.

The Healthful Eating Plate recommends filling the majority of your plate with healthy carbs – including vegetables (except potato) and fruits occupying around half of your plate, as well as the whole grain taking up approximately one-fourth of your plates.

Check out these tips to add healthy carbohydrates to your diet

1. Get your day started by eating whole grains.

Choose a hot cereal such as steel cut or old-fashioned oatmeal (not Instant oatmeal) or a cold-breezed cereal that has an entire grain as the first item on the list of ingredients and is not high in sugar. A general rule of thumb: Pick a cereal with a minimum of 4 grams of fibre and less sugar.

2. Make use of whole grain bread for lunch or snack time.

Are you unsure of where to locate the best whole-grain bread? Look for bread that lists its first ingredient, wheat, whole rye or different whole grain. Even better, it is made of just entire grains, like 100% Whole Wheat bread.

3. Don’t forget to take a look at the aisle of bread.

Whole wheat bread is typically made from finely ground flour, and bread products are usually filled with sodium. In lieu of bread, consider whole grains in a salad, like brown rice or Quinoa.

4. Use whole fruits instead of juice.

An orange contains twice more fibre and half the amount of sugar as a 12-ounce glass of orange juice.

5. Put aside the potatoes and instead add the beans.

Instead of consuming potatoes which have been proven to boost weight gain, pick beans as a good source of slow-digesting carbohydrates. Beans, as well as other legumes like chickpeas, can also supply an adequate amount of protein.