What is the Difference Between Between Good and Bad Carbohydrates

You always hear the term "good carb" or "bad carb" but may have no idea what it actually is. Well the confusion is certainly understandable with all the "weight loss" programs, advertisements, friends and family advice.

Carbohydrates have an index or scale called the glycemic index (GI). Proteins also have an index or scale called the BV scale or biological value scale, but that will not be covered here.

All carbohydrates and starches have to be broken down or converted to glucose before the body's cells will accept them. Glucose is a major source of energy and gets a rating of 100 on the glycemic index scale.

The glycemic index separates carbohydrates into three general categories:

1. High glycemic index carbohydrates (GI = to or > 70) causing a rapid rise in blood-glucose levels.
2. Intermediate glycemic index carbohydrates (GI between 55 and 69) causing a medium rise in blood-glucose levels.
3. Low glycemic index carbohydrates (GI = to or < 54) causing a slower rise in blood-glucose levels.

What does all this have to do with the difference between "good carbs or bad carbs" for weight loss purposes. One of the keys to weight loss is keeping insulin levels in the blood stream consistent or steady throughout the day instead of spiking or valleys.

Without getting too technical, carbohydrates trigger the body to produce insulin to help it on its path to the body’s cells once it is converted to glucose. Knowing which carbohydrates to eat and their ranking on the GI scale is important for weight loss.

Carbohydrates lower on the GI scale take longer to convert to glucose therefore causing fewer fluctuations in the body's blood glucose levels and insulin levels. If someone takes in table sugar, which needs almost no conversion to glucose, this provides four calories for every gram of sugar. However many of the calories from carbohydrates lower on the GI are burned away in the conversion process to glucose. For example:

- 100 grams of Sugar x 4 = 400 calories
- 100 grams of pumpernickel x 4 – calories burned away in the conversion to glucose < 400 calories.

So basically, the lower the carbohydrate is on the GI scale, the more calories are burned away in the conversion to glucose and that means less net calories the body actually uses!

GI values for common foods

Below is a brief list of carbohydrates and their rankings on the GI scale. These are averages!

Sugars:

• maltose - 105
• glucose - 100
• sucrose - 65
• honey - 55
• lactose - 46
• fructose - 19

Breads:

• white bread - 70
• whole wheat bread - 67
• rye bread - 58
• pita - 57
• wheat bread - 53
• pumpernickel - 41

Cold cereals:

• Rice Chex - 89
• Corn Chex - 83
• corn flakes - 81
• Fruit Loops - 69
• All Bran - 42

Hot cereals:

• instant oatmeal - 66
• oatmeal - 49

Fruit:

• watermelon 103
• cantaloupe - 65
• kiwi - 52
• orange - 44
• plums - 39
• apple - 38
• cherries - 22

Rice:

• short white rice - 72
• long white rice - 56
• brown rice - 55

Dairy:

• full fat ice cream - 61
• low fat ice cream - 50
• low fat yogurt - 33
• low fat skim milk - 32
• whole milk - 22

Vegetables:

• baked white potato - 93
• mashed instant potatoes - 86
• beets - 69
• corn - 55
• sweet potato - 54
• carrots - 49
• green peas - 48
• lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, onions - 10

Beans:

• baked beans - 48
• pinto beans - 39
• lima beans - 32
• red kidney beans - 27
• soy beans - 18

Snacks:

• pretzels - 83
• jelly beans - 80
• corn chips - 72
• potato chips, plain popcorn - 55
• chocolate bar - 49
• Snickers bar - 41
• peanuts - 14

Remember small portions = fewer calories so keep that in mind!

There are many great books, magazines and web sites with good lists of carbohydrates and their GI rankings. Notice many have slightly different rankings on the GI scale so take that info with a grain of salt, but not too much, we don't want to get your blood pressure up!