are carbs natural or added
Natural Sources of Carbohydrates. By far, the best place to get the carbohydrates that your body needs is from natural sources. While carbohydrate supplements can be valuable for individuals that have severe deficiencies, consuming as many carbohydrates as possible from natural whole food sources is the most healthy approach for the human body. Provided in this article are good natural sources of carbohydrates that you can enjoy every day. Please use this article as a reference if you are having a difficult time deciding on which foods to eat to get your daily requirement of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the human body. BE WISE: MINIMIZE! It is actually easier to define which carbohydrates are NOT refined, because the term “refined” is very confusing. ALL sugars and starches, EXCEPT those that come in the form of a natural whole food like a piece of fruit, a Lima bean, or a sweet potato, are considered refined carbohydrates. Plain, unsweetened yogurt is your best bet for low carbs and sugar. Photo Credit Norasit Kaewsai/iStock/Getty Images. When you’re counting carbs, it’s easy to get tripped up by packaged foods -- like y yogurt -- that sneak in lots of added sugar. Your best bet when monitoring your carbohydrate intake is to choose a plain, unflavored yogurt. Most are quite low in natural sugars and starches as well, making them suitable for low-carb diets. Diane provides accurate information, wise guidance, and delicious menu plans that allow for flexibility with respect to grains, legumes, dairy, and carbohydrate quantity. Your body doesn’t need to get any carbohydrate from added sugar. That’s why the Healthy Eating Pyramid says sugary drinks and sweets should be used sparingly, if at all, and the Healthy Eating Plate does not include foods with added sugars. An important fact to keep in mind when reading nutrition labels: 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon. Refined carbohydrates are forms of sugars and starches that don’t exist in nature. They do come from natural whole foods, but they have been altered in some way by processing to “refine” them. Processing methods include industrial extraction, concentration, purification, and enzymatic transformation. Plain Yogurt Carbs and Sugar. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and all dairy foods and milk products, including yogurt, contain a natural sugar called lactose. The amount varies according to brands and types of yogurt. You’ll find the lowest carb and sugar counts by far in plain, unsweetened varieties of yogurt. A cup of low-fat, plain yogurt has 17 grams of carbs, all from natural sugars; the same serving of low-fat plain Greek yogurt has 10 grams of carbs, of which 9 grams are sugar. To learn more about the health risks associated with eating refined carbohydrates and added sugars, along with a helpful infographic listing simple ways to reduce your risk, please see my post How to Diagnose, Prevent and Treat Insulin Resistance. Though food and beverage manufacturers list a product’s total amount of sugar per serving on the Nutrition Facts Panel, they are not required to list how much of that sugar is added sugar versus naturally occurring sugar. That’s why you’ll need to scan the ingredients list of a food or drink to find the added sugar. 1 The AHA suggests an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.  There’s no nutritional need or benefit that comes from eating added sugar.
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