I saw my friend eating a banana, and he said “I’m trying to eat more fruits instead of junk like bread and crackers”, and my other friend said “that doesn’t matter. Carbs are carbs.”
Now at face value, it seems a bit silly: we are all brought up to believe that fruits have other nutrients that are beneficial to us. But in the end, are the carbs in both sources the same? Similarly, can one say that the sugars one obtains in a fruit are the same as those obtained in a candy bar?
My intuitive understanding is, while “sugar” is in fact just sugar (irrespective of the source), the reason we consider fruits or vegetables important is because of the other nutrients and vitamins they contain, giving them an overall better nutritional profile than their processed counterparts. In addition, I think that the chemical modifications that manufacturers make to their goods are considered unhealthy. But In the end, is it fair to say that a “carb is just a carb”? Or sugar a sugar?
In: Biology
Fruits have fructose which is a simple sugar/carb, just like table sugar which is added to candy and soda.
Bread/pasta/rice/potatoes have complex sugara/carbs.
Simple sugars are are quickly converted to blood sugar giving you a short-lived rush of energy (and also a spike in insulin which isn’t particularly healthy). Complex sugars are processed more slowly giving you a longer and more steady energy release.
So complex carbs are better, but too much of either isn’t good. Eating healthy is all about balance.
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