Carbohydrates have been getting a bad rap recently – linked to weight gain and serious illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is not unjustified, given that highly processed and refined carbs such as white flour, white pasta, white bread and sugar make up a significant portion of many diets. These simple carbs provide us with lots of calories, but very little nutrient content.

They break down quickly into simple glucose and fructose. Glucose is the major fuel used by our body to produce energy and when we have used up what we need, the rest is stored as fat, which is why diets high in carbs can cause weight gain. High intake of simple sugars can also impact our immune system as we end up consuming foods very low in the nutrients that support our immune function.

Forms of complex Carbohydrates

However, carbohydrates are not all bad – far from it. The following are all forms of complex carbs!

• Vegetables

• fruit,

• wholegrains (brown rice, oats),

• nuts, seeds,

• quinoa,

• lentils,

• peas

These contain fibre, as well as a whole host of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, which are crucial for our immune system. The fibre in these foods also feeds the bacteria that lives in our gut, which is a good thing, as it helps to promote the growth of a diverse range of bacteria that is beneficial to our health. Having healthy gut bacteria plays a crucial role in the body’s immune response to infection. So, we need to make sure we are getting plenty of the right kinds of carbs into our diets to support us.

Here are a few tips on how to choose your carbs wisely:

1. Swap refined for complex carbs whenever possible – e.g swap white bread for wholemeal varieties or white for brown rice

2. Look at the ratios on your plate. Start to reduce portions of pastas, rice, bread and gradually increase the ratio of vegetables (ideally ½ plate).

3. Limit foods with added sugars – sugary drinks, fruit juice, flavoured yogurts, breakfast cereals (see previous post for an alternative), biscuits/cakes etc. If you want something sweet, have some fruit in its whole form (with some protein e.g nuts) and look for baking recipes which contain limited added sugars (e.g banana breads)

Written by Sophie Lett

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