What are the safest forms of carbohydrates? I’m very much of the view that you’re best off eating a low carb, high fat diet, but you need to make your own choices. The “complex carbohydrates” are the sugars in grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, and berries that are bound together into chains. Another word for complex carbohydrates is “starch.” In their native form, the carbohydrates are tangled up with lots of fiber, which means they digest more slowly, causing way less insulin elevation. The fruits and berries have some amount of fructose, which isn’t so good for you in large quantities, but at least there’s fiber. Eating the actual grain in some form instead of the flours made from the grains is way better. If you like rice, brown is better than white because the fibrous hull hasn’t been removed. A vegetarian diet can be relatively safe, but it’s tricky. Modern grains have been bred for too much starch and are processed so they digest too easily. The more nuts, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil and other sources of healthy fats and oils you can include, the better. If you’re willing able to consume butter, cheese, and eggs, you’re much better off. Not everyone can eat dairy products, especially since they too have been modified. See the next section, Plant Fats.
If you eat the OK carbohydrates along with easily digested carbs or actual added sugar, you’ll still drive your body in the direction of fat deposition, metabolic syndrome, and other problems. As I’ve said elsewhere, most flours digest too easily.