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What are complex carbohydates?

How are they different from non-complex carbs? What makes them complex carbs? What foods count as a complex carb?

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Answer #1

A lot of people think that the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates is the speed of digestion. This is actually incorrect because - if I recall - maltodextrin is a complex (polysaccharide) carbohydrate, but is broken down very quickly. The real difference between the two is the number of sugar molecules that make up the carbohydrate molecule. An oligosaccharide (non-complex carbohydrate) typically contains less than 10 glucose / sugar molecules, while complex carbohydrates contain more than 10. That’s the simplest way to put it without getting too ‘sciency’. Typically this will mean that the carbohyrate molecules take longer to break down in the case of polysaccharides, which means they will produce sustained energy. Whereas consumption of an oligosaccharide will lead to a quicker energy hit, followed by a trough. Examples of complex carbohydrates would be whole grains, maltodextrin, spinach, sweet potatoes, whole-wheat breads, some cereals (those lower in sugar) and so on.

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