Why Refined Carbs Are Bad For You?

• What are refined carbs?

• Why refined carbohydrates are unhealthy?

• What happens when you take a diet rich in refined carbs?

• How can you avoid refined carbohydrates?

Refined carbohydrates are processed to remove all the vitamins, minerals and fibres from them. They are otherwise called empty calories as they contain calories and no nutritional value.

Refined carbohydrates can be in:

• Refined grains: White flour, White pasta, Products made from white flour, breakfast cereals, etc.

• Refined sugars: Sugar-sweetened drinks and beverages, candy, soda, etc.

• Other foods: Cakes, biscuits, pastries, beer, sweet white wine, etc.

Refined carbohydrates are high in glycemic index, that is, they cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels when they are consumed.

Food with a high glycemic index provides short-term fullness, lasting only about one hour. So, you are more likely to feel hungry after eating a meal rich in refined carbs. It can cause overeating and obesity in the long run.

Refined carbs can increase blood triglycerides and blood sugar levels and cause insulin resistance. All these factors combined can cause heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Check the labels of the products you buy for words like syrup, molasses, sweetener, fructose, sucrose, maltose, etc. If you see these words, avoid buying these products as they contain refined carbohydrates.

If you want to minimise the consumption of refined carbohydrates, learn to choose the alternatives.

• Choose fruits over sugar when you crave sweets.

• Choose brown rice over white rice.

• Choose whole wheat bread over refined white bread.

• Choose natural yoghurt over flavoured yoghurt.

• Choose chopped tomatoes with herbs over ready-made pasta sauce.

• Choose oatmeal over breakfast cereals.

In summary, you might find it hard to avoid refined carbohydrates altogether. However, you can minimise their consumption by choosing healthier alternatives like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and unprocessed foods. That's it for this article. See you in the next one.

- Vishal