Emma Laing, a clinical professor and head of dietetics at the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, conversed with Lose It! regarding the various kinds of carbohydrates.

“Naked carbs” is a fashionable phrase describing simple carbohydrates like fruit juice, sweets, or white bread that lack other vital nutrients such as fat, fiber, or protein. We frequently consume these items to temporarily quell our hunger. Nevertheless, that hunger typically resurfaces within an hour or so.

According to Laing, naked carbs can lead to surges in blood sugar levels due to their rapid digestion. While occasional spikes might not be detrimental, they can heighten cravings and increase appetite. Continuous spikes over time, however, may lead to cardiovascular and renal issues as well as other complications.

“Blood sugar will inherently vary throughout the day and before and after meals. However, swift rises and falls in blood sugar that are not monitored closely can pose risks for certain individuals,” Laing stated.

“Clean carbs” may denote foods that are minimally processed and closest to their original form. However, this term lacks a formal definition or acknowledgment among nutrition professionals.

“Adopting a clean eating approach can become problematic if perfectly nutritious and culturally accepted foods are neglected due to concerns about being unclean and detrimental to health,” she remarked. “One’s relationship with food could also be adversely affected by labeling foods as clean versus unclean or unprocessed versus processed as synonymous with good versus bad. I would only classify a food as unclean or bad if it is spoiled, tainted, or has been contaminated.”

Most foods undergo some degree of processing to transition from farm to table, resulting in a range of processed versus unprocessed carbohydrates.

Heavily processed foods are predominantly or entirely composed of ingredients derived from food. These products often contain numerous artificial additives like preservatives or colorings.

“There are numerous ways that food processing can influence the final product and its nutritional quality, and there is nothing inherently wrong with foods that are packaged, frozen, cooked, or chopped, also known as processed,” Laing noted. “The nutrient profile of a food is certainly crucial to health, but so are its cost-effectiveness, availability, and cultural significance.”

The article Dietetics director talks different types of carbs originally appeared on UGA Today.