Smart Carbs vs. Dumb Carbs

Which Carbohydrates are Winning in Your Life?

Finally! It seems like the low-carb wave is declining as people are starting to realize that it’s about “smart carbs,” not “no carbs”!

Smart Carbs are:

fruits and vegetables
beans
seeds
nuts
whole grains

Smart carbs are complex carbohydrates. You can have carbs, as long as you choose them carefully–that is why they are called smart! It’s all about balance. The body’s muscles need smart carbs as fuel and so does the brain.

Carbs that are NOT SMART:

Food that is full of refined carbohydrates like sugary (even those made with honey, maple syrup, etc.) cakes & cookies.
White bread & pasta.
White rice.
Bottled and canned fruits and juices.
Pops/sodas and other sugar products.

They are simply empty calories with very little to no nutrition in them. IF IT’S WHITE, IT’S NOT RIGHT!

The Best Smart Carbs are:

Fruits and vegetables, especially the green ones that grow above the ground like kale or dark, leafy lettuce.
Beans such as kidney beans and garbanzo beans.
Seeds including as sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Nuts such as almonds.
Whole grains such as brown rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, whole wheat bread & pasta, multigrain cereal/bread, oatmeal and oat bran.

Next: Why you need carbs

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Read more: Basics, Diet & Nutrition, Food, Health, carbohydrates, carbs, sugar

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Michele W.

3:32AM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Thank you

send a green star

Diana C.

8:04AM PST on Nov 15, 2011

This article lists garbanzo beans and oatmeal, as well as others, as good, while the previous article listed garbanzo beans and oats as very acidifying. Which is right? Very confusing.

Eternal G.

11:45PM PDT on Jun 14, 2011

This family is doing well I read!

Annemarie W.

1:40PM PDT on May 31, 2011

I love white stuff :(

Brigid C.

11:56AM PDT on May 20, 2011

thanks When white stuff tempts me, I want to remember this

Lika S.

6:46PM PDT on May 19, 2011

Hmm, even with rice, I would think that real rice you have to cook, is better than instant rice. Same with oatmeal.

But then I read that oatmeal in any form, even oatmeal raisin cookies helps regulate cholesterol and is heart healthy.

So much info changes back and forth, it's hard to keep track of what's right and what's not.

Simple sugars and flour and such is very bad, because refined starch is always sure to be not very healthy for you.

As a diabetic, I always have to watch it, and well, it still holds that everything in moderation is usually best.

Linda E.

12:04AM PDT on May 18, 2011

Thanks for the reminder about good carbs. I find myself sometimes thinking of them as the enemy.

Diana H.

6:22PM PDT on May 16, 2011

Chrissy, the first time Atkins diet was mentioned on this page is when you did.
Thank you for your clarification for those who do not know.
I do think that low carb fruit and veg are a good idea but also believe that grains are a healthy part of a diet.

Chrissy M.

6:09AM PDT on May 16, 2011

Atkins was never about "no carbs" but all about eating meat and salads and low carb veggies like broccoli, green beans and Cauliflower. Better get your facts straight. You can even eat berries on Atkins.

Karen L.

7:47PM PDT on May 15, 2011

Thank you for this info. My son is big on the ketogenic diet and thinks that any carbs are just as good as others, ie - pop and chocolate and pizza - I try to convince him of the value of good carbs. This helps.