complex carbs

[calteoh]

i hear alot about complex carbs, but i dont know the difference between it and simple carbs.
Can some explain the dif and which foods (not supps) are high in complex carbs

[Original Poster]

Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly.
Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals.

Examples of Simple Carbohydrates
fruits (Apples, Bananas, Berries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Grapefruit, Oranges, Pineapples, Plums, Watermelon.),
fruit juice, milk, yoghurt, honey, molasses and sugar.

Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Complex carbs fall under three different sub catagories.......

"Starchy"
Barley, Oatmeal, Pasta, Potatoes, Rice, Squash, Whole Grain Breads, Whole Grain Cereals, Whole Grain Pancakes, Yams.

"Legumes"
Black Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Navy Beans, Peas, Red Beans

"Fiber"
Alfalfa Sprouts, Asparagus, Bamboo Shoots, Bean Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Endive, Green Beans, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onions, Peppers, Radishes, Spinach, Zucchini.


Hope this helps......


PEACE

[Tim]

And it's important to not that simple and complex does not always correlate with high and low GI. For instance, an apple has a GI of less than 30, and a potato has a GI of about 80. However, fructose, the low GI carb found in fruits, for some reason tends to replenish liver glycogen stores, while most complex carbs replenish muscle glycogen stores. This alone makes complex carbs better.

[Original Poster]

Originally posted by Tim
And it's important to not that simple and complex does not always correlate with high and low GI. For instance, an apple has a GI of less than 30, and a potato has a GI of about 80. However, fructose, the low GI carb found in fruits, for some reason tends to replenish liver glycogen stores, while most complex carbs replenish muscle glycogen stores. This alone makes complex carbs better.

Very True, big bump here !!!

[jkl12345]

Originally posted by Tim
And it's important to not that simple and complex does not always correlate with high and low GI. For instance, an apple has a GI of less than 30, and a potato has a GI of about 80. However, fructose, the low GI carb found in fruits, for some reason tends to replenish liver glycogen stores, while most complex carbs replenish muscle glycogen stores. This alone makes complex carbs better.

To sum up: an apple is equal to a complex carb? it has the same effects because it's GI is low like that of a complex carb? Is that correct?

[calteoh]

oh i see.

so which kind of carbs is good for the post workout meal?
and wat does GI stand for? (sorry i'm a n00bie)

[Timbo]

Thanks, Tim.

The debate about simple vs. complex is ancient history. It's no longer a debate because it no longer applies. The molecular structure does not directly correlate to the phyiologic response (glycemic and insulinemic responses).

For example, white rice has traditionally been considered a "complex" carbohydrate, but certain varieties (i.e., shorter grain, sushi rice, low amylose, etc.) have extremely high glycemic and insulinemic responses. Contrarily, fructose--a "simple" sugar--has an extremely low glycemic and insulinemic response.

Therefore, rather than classify carbohydrates according to chemical makeup, it's more important to identify the response of rate of appearance of glucose and relative response of insulin.

[calteoh]

so when looking at the nutritional table on the side of foods the carb section looks something like this...

Carbohydrates
- TOTAL x grams
- SUGARS x grams


so is the total wat i'm looking at? I'm getting the idea that simple carbs are "SUGARS" and minus that from the Total and thats how many complex carbs are in there.

I might be wrong thou

[Tim]

Originally posted by jkl12345
To sum up: an apple is equal to a complex carb? it has the same effects because it's GI is low like that of a complex carb? Is that correct?

The carbs in an apple (fructose) are slowly digested an absorbed, but they are still simple carbs because of their chemical structure (single carb molecules, while complex carbs are multiple molecules joined together). Also, fructose in particular tends to fill liver glycogen stores, as opposed to muscle glycogen stores, making it more likely to be converted to fat.