Even more basically, carbs can be found in a variety of foods. They usually are found in three things—sugar, starch and fibre. This can include our everyday white sugar or other fruit sugars. Starches are things we most commonly associate with carbs—bread, grain, pasta, rice, flour. Fibres are also a carb—also we usually think of them as good for us. They definitely are, and are found mostly in vegetables and nuts. Foods that have a high amount of carbs are fruits, candy and carbonated beverages. Complex carbohydrates include breads and pastas.

How Much Should we Eat?

The general consensus these days seems to be that carbs are bad for us and should be avoided at all costs. It’s not so much how much we should eat so much as what kinds of carbs we should eat. The general rule is to go for the most natural forms. If you eat the right kinds of carbs you can get more than half of your daily calorie intake from carbs, granted they don’t come in the form of cakes and pies.

What Kinds of Carbs are Ok to Eat?

Fruits and veggies are the best type of food in terms of carbs. They contain ‘good’ calories and are jam-packed with nutrients. They also make you full faster and put you at a lower risk for heart disease. Try to eat at least five portions a day. Since almost more than half of our daily caloric intake comes from carbs it’s important to choose the right ones. Fruits and veg are it.

Whole grains can also be good for you. As mentioned—the most natural forms are the best for you, so brans and ingredients like wheat germ can do wonders for your body. Try to cut back on white rice and white bread as they are more processed.

Not so Bad After All
Maintaining a steady blood sugar level is a very important component of your diet. While you've just seen that your body breaks down all digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar, some are converted into blood sugar faster than others. Thus, some carbohydrates cause a spike in your blood sugar level causing you to feel hungry faster and to crave more sugary foods. Other carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar more slowly, resulting in less hunger and food cravings.