Quote:
Originally posted by Chelle1977:
White bread, rice and instant mashed potatoes are not complex carbohydrates. They're simple. They will, however, raise blood sugar levels. |
Bread, rice, and mashed potatoes are not simple carbohydrates. The are mostly starch, which is chemically classified as a complex carbohydrate. Many people associate high fiber foods with complex carbohydrates, which is correct, but incorrectly assume that low fiber foods are not complex carbohydrates.
And then there is the whole refined/unrefined carbohydrate issue which adds to the confusion.
Simple carbohydrates are sugars (either monosaccharides or disaccharides ) - sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, lactose, etc. Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) are starch, fiber, and everything in between.
Now the level of complexity of those complex carbohydrate foods varies, but they are still just chains of simple carbohydrates. The complex carbs in grains may only be a short chain of glucose whereas the complex carbs in green leafy vegetables may be very long chains of glucose molecules. The longer the chain length, the longer it takes to break the bonds so that you end up with individual sugar molecules, which is what is required for them to pass from the digestive system into the bloodstream.
If it is not sweet, then it is not a simple carbohydrate. But it doesn't have to be sweet to raise your bloodsugar level.
Sugar = simple carbohydrate
Starch and fiber = complex carbohydrate
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