Carbohydrates

Maybe now you think, carbohydrates are bad, aren't they? But the opposite is true. Carbohydrates belong in a healthy diet. In order to provide energy every day, our body needs fuel. An important fuel supplier are the carbohydrates! Of course it depends on which carbohydrates you take. Other names for carbohydrates are starch and sugars.
Carbohydrates can be subdivided into:

• Milk sugar (lactose) can be found in milk, buttermilk, custard and yoghurt.
• Fruit sugar (fructose) can be found in fruit and fruit juices.
• Pure sugar (sucrose) can be found in cookies, pastries, sweets and soft drinks.
• And carbohydrates are found in bread, potatoes, legumes, cereals, pasta and rice.

The last group of carbohydrates, found in unprocessed (unrefined) cereal products, such as wholemeal bread, wholemeal crackers, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, quinoa and bulgur are the smartest choices. The advantages of these carbohydrates are:

• Fibrous
• Give saturation
• Are slowly absorbed into the blood. Your blood sugars will increase less rapidly.
• Source of vitamin B

Tip!
In order to have a well-balanced diet, it’s recommended that about half of your diet consists of carbohydrates. Preferably a moderation of the use of products rich in sugar (sucrose), because these often contain a lot of fats and calories, such as cookies and pastries.
Pasta is therefore not a fat maker! Try making a spaghetti bolognese with wholemeal pasta. You’ll notice that you’re saturated much faster than when you eat white pasta.