What Are Good Carbs?

Do all vegetables have bad carbs? What defines good carbs and bad carbs?

• My dad was newly diagnosed as a Type II diabetic. He told me that he needs to limit his carb intake to a certain amount of carbs per meal. He also told me that peas (considered to be healthy by most people) had starch, the same kind of stuff found in potatoes. Since peas are considered fruit (according to Wikipedia), I would imagine that they'd be healthy like all other fruits and veggies. In fact, I thought all fruits and veggies were healthy to eat. So how do these otherwise healthy foods become starch magnets? And what is the difference between good carbs and bad carbs other than being "good" and "bad?" Which fruits and vegetables have the good stuff instead of the starchy bad stuff?

• Answer:

  "Bad" carbs is kind of a misnomer, but I understand. You want to avoid carbs that are quickly absorbed, or that turn to sugar quickly in your system. The whole issue is keeping your blood sugar from spiking high, in which case you need insulin to bring it down to prevent other health problems. Eating only foods that are slowly absorbed keeps your blood sugar level stable. If you are very careful and it gets easier very quickly, you can keep your blood sugar level without spikes or lows at all, reducing or eliminating the need for insulin. Unrefined carbs are better than processed ones, but you still need to know how much to eat of which kinds. For example, according to Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, raw carrots are more slowly absorbed than cooked ones, so you have to limit amounts of cooked carrots but can eat more of raw ones. You might benefit from seeing her chart on glycemic index of different veggies. You can eat about all you want of fresh steamed whole green beans or spaghetti squash, but you need to limit things like green peas which are high in both sugar and starch. Some carbs are okay to have depending on how much of the food you eat, what form it is in, and how you combine it with sufficient protein, fiber and fat in the same meal. Check out the book Schwarzbein Principle II and her website. You don't have to buy her products, and you can probably borrow the book from your library. She's an endocrinologist, reversing type II diabetes in her clinic in California. God bless your Dad and keep him healthy.