What are carbohydrates?

I guess I don't really understand carbs.  I know the basics that they are a quick form of energy.  I know that we need to avoid eating anything too high in carbs (though how do we determine what is "high" in carbs??) and I know that carbs are listed on nutrition labels as containing fiber and sugar.  But, what else is in the Total Carbohydrates besides fiber and sugar?

For example, I just got the nutrition info on some bread posted by a member which sounds DELICIOUS.  She says it has 19g of Carbohydrates, 1.5g of sugar and 5g of fiber.  So, is this considered "HIGH" in carbs?  What are the other 12.5g of carbs which are not sugar or fiber?  Is this bread okay because it's low in sugar, despite it's total number of carbs?  Or is total carbs more important than grams of sugar?

I'm trying to eat a "low carb" diet (well, when I can start eating real food again that is my intention) but I don't know how to figure out if something is low-carb.  I think I remember seeing something about the total carbs-fiber=net carbs.  In the recipe example above that makes it 14g of net carbs, right?  Is that a lot or a little?  Is this a good calculation to use?

Can anyone shed some light on this for me???  :)

 There are two different types of carbohydrates:  Simple and Complex.  

Simple carbs are basically sugar - brown sugar, maple syrup, soft drinks, sugar beverages, etc.
Complex carbs consist of vegetables, whole grains and food made from whole grains (pasta, breads, etc), starches.

That being said, you want to stay away from Simple carbs.  The good carbs are the complex carbs and the carbs you do take in on a daily basis should be Complex.  After RNY, you will most likely be told to stay away from breads and pastas.  However, when you get further out, you can get in veggies that have complex carbs. 

Hope that helps!

How do you know whether a food is a simple carb or a complex carb?  Is it just by what people say - that white foods are simple and colored foods are complex?  I've never seen anything on a nutrition label which says one way or the other.

can't some foods be a combination of both simple and complex?  I'm thinking whole wheat pastas and brown rice maybe?

 Well foods like whole grain breads and green veggies are complex.  Simple are things like candy bars, regular pasta, white bread, sugary cereals.  

I think the easiest way to think of it is to avoid white and processed carbs, which have little to no nutritional value (white bread, white pasta, cookies, cake, pastries etc)

Most of us are ok with dairy, vegetables and fruit and when you are further out and tolerating most foods, you could add in a little brown rice, wholewheat pasta and wholegrain bread.

Personally I am happy to rely on dairy and vegetables for the vast majority of my carb intake as I have diabetes and it helps keep my blood sugar stable.

I think it's when the processed carbs enter our diets that people have problems - crackers, chips, cookies etc ... I don't know of anyone that has a problem with carbs in the form of vegetables - unless it's potatoes !!!!

 Ah...carbs. They are complicated.

I would disagree with the blanket assertion that you should stay away from simple carbs. Fruit is a simple carb as is the lactose in milk. 

There is a time and place for both simple and complex carbs. For example, before you work out you should have a fairly simple carb (some fruit, yogurt) to fuel you. You see lots of folks here get their "starch fix" before a hard workout although most of us choose whole grain options.

There is also no "good" and "bad" carbs per se. There are some that tend to be healthier (whole foods based carbs) versus not beneficial (processed carbs) but carbs have functions in our diets and labeling food good and bad just causes problems down the line.

I'd encourage folks to think of all the carbs in the world standing in a straight, horizontal line. On one end there is the simplest of simple carbs, on the other end there is the most complex of complex. All carbs fall on that line somewhere. There is no simple OR complex. Some carbs are simpLER or more complex than others.

Yes, that's way more to say than just saying simple vs. complex but not understanding that concept leads to unnecessary freak outs ("OMG! There's carbs in my milk!", etc.).

I did a series on Bariatric Foodie that breaks this down into "bite sized nuggets":

http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/03/bf-basics-carb-c onfusion.html 

I have never, since surgery, counted carbs.  What I have done, is track my food intake, which in turn tells me how many I have each day.  I never paid attention to that number.  The only number I ever watched was the protein grams.

If you eat the way you are supposed to, measuring everything, you will not overdo the carbs.  It really is that simple.  In the early days, you'll do good to get your required protein in with a few bites of veggies.  As time progresses, and you can eat more and more variety, as long as you stick to a healthy diet of fresh meat/dairy/produce and whole grain.........you'll be golden.

Today, in maintenance (for over 2 years now) I eat 1,800-2,000 calories per day, at least 120 grams of protein and about the same in carbs.  I do not eat low fat anything....If I want cheese, I eat the real thing........I also eat 6-7 small meals each day so I don't get low blood sugar.

My doc doesn't make me count calories or carbs.  He said eat good carbs (veggies, fruits) avoid bad carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes).  So basically eat green veggies and protein!

simple carbs are not all bad. fruit is a simple carb and is very healthy. milk is also a simple carb.

complex carbs are what your body needs to break down before it can be used.

i don't 'count' carbs, although i know i get more then most on here, because i don't eat meat.

what i DO watch, is to ensure i don't eat anything with added sugar, and i don't eat pastas. i rarely eat bread (sometimes a whole wheat wrap). i try to eat food as whole and natural as possible.

check out this link. don't worry about what it says people should strive for for carbs a day, but it gives a good description of the difference in carbs

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/carbs.html