In recent years, carbohydrates or 'carbs' have endured close scrutiny and extensive debate as low-carb diets such as the Atkins and South Beach diets have captured the public's attention. As a result, many people have come to believe that carbohydrates are inherently bad. But that is not the case. In fact, carbs are our body's primary source of energy.

All carbohydrates are made up of different types of sugars. Common sugars include fructose (found in fruits) and lactose (found in dairy foods). Our body breaks them down into glucose or blood sugar. Glucose is essential for the functioning of the brain, nervous system, muscles, and various organs.

Canadian and American nutritional authorities recommend that 45 to 65% of children’s, teens’, and adults’ total calories come from carbs, though pregnant and lactating women need more. If your diet has 1,800 calories per day, then you should eat about 200 g of carbs daily. Most of these carbs should come from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables (including beans), rather than sodas, baked snacks, ice cream, and sweets. Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: simple and complex. The typical North American diet provides an overabundance of simple carbs and heavily processed starches, and too few unprocessed complex carbs.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, are so-called because they are chemically made of just one or two sugars. They can generally form crystals that dissolve in water and are easily digested. Naturally occurring sugars are found in a variety of fruits, some vegetables, and honey. Processed sugars include table sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and high-fructose corn syrup.

It’s hard to overdo it with foods that contain natural sugars; you’d have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to equal the amount of sugar in one piece of candy or one can of soda. Processed sugars, on the other hand, we overdo without realizing it. Most of the sugar in North Americans’ diets is added during food processing at the manufacturer—even to foods we don’t think of as sweet, like barbecue sauce or bread. These added sugars account for about 16% of the calories that Americans eat.

Reducing the amount of added sugar in your diet is a quick way to reduce calories without cutting out a lot of important nutrients. The American Heart Association, for instance, recommends that most women limit themselves to 100 calories a day from added sugar, men to no more than 150 — about what you’d get in a plain 1.5-oz chocolate bar or 12-oz soda.

When examining food labels for added sugar, look for the words corn sweetener, corn syrup, or corn syrup solids as well as high-fructose corn syrup. Also look for other words ending in “ose” (like sucrose, lactose, maltose, glucose, and dextrose).

The Real Deal

High Fructose Corn Syrup High-Fructose corn syrup is found in many frozen foods. It gives the bread an inviting color and soft texture. It is found in beer, bacon, soft drinks, and even ketchup. Some research suggests that this liquid sweetener may upset human metabolism and encourage overeating, raising the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Other experts, though, say it functions just like regular fructose. There is no question, though that it adds calories and that we eat too much of it.

Special Carb Needs Certain diseases may require adjustments to carb intake:

- Diabetes Contrary to popular belief, sugars do not cause diabetes, nor do people with diabetes have to completely avoid sugar. But people with diabetes must manage the total amount and type of carbs they eat at each meal and snack. Knowing the glycemic index or glycemic load.

- Heart Disease: People with heart disease need to emphasize high-fiber, complex carbohydrates in their diet. Soluble fiber, found in oat bran and fruit pectin, helps lower cholesterol and plays an important role in preventing atherosclerosis.

- Cancer: People with cancer are often advised to increase their carbohydrate intake and decrease fat intake, especially if they have cancers of the breast, colon, uterus, prostate, or skin. But make sure those carbs come from high-fiber and antioxidant-rich whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. A few studies suggest that refined carbs that cause blood sugar to spike may also feed cancer cells.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are made of complex chains of sugars and can be classified as starches or fiber. Our digestive system can metabolize most starches but lacks the enzymes needed to break down most fiber. But both are important to good health; while starches provide glucose for energy, dietary fiber promotes colon function and may help prevent some types of cancer, heart attacks, and other diseases.

Old School Fewer Carbs is Healthier

New Wisdom Choosing the healthiest carbohydrate, especially whole grains, is more important to your well-being.

Starches and fiber are naturally found in most grains and vegetables and some fruits, which also provide essential nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, and other minerals. Unprocessed whole grains are the best source. At least seven major studies show that women and men who eat more whole grains have 20 to 30% less heart disease. And in a 2010 study of more than 13,000 adults, those who ate the most servings of whole grains had lower body weight.

On the other hand, choosing refined grains such as white bread, sugary cereal, white rice, or white pasta can boost your heart attack risk by up to 30%. And refined grains are associated with insulin resistance and high blood pressure. The refining process removes fiber and many essential nutrients, making refined grains too easy to digest and thus flooding the body with too much glucose.

American and Canadian guidelines, for example, urge people to make sure that whole grains account for at least half of all grain foods. Unfortunately, less than 5% are getting the minimum recommended amount.

When shopping for whole grains, don’t be fooled by deceptive label claims such as “made with wheat flour” or “seven-grain.” Or by white flour bread topped with a sprinkling of oats or colored brown with molasses. Often, they’re just the same old refined stuff. Instead, look for the fiber content of at least 3 g per serving and for the first ingredient to be a whole grain such as:

1. Brown Rice
2. Bran
3. Bulgar
4. Kasha
5. Oats
6. Quinoa
7. Rye
8. Whole Wheat

In addition to unprocessed grains, get plenty of legumes, beans, raw or slightly cooked vegetables, and fruits. The glycemic index and glycemic load can be helpful tools to identify the best types of carbohydrates to eat.