15 Complex Carbs You Should Incorporate Into Your Diet

It’s become totally normal to order burgers without buns, eat meatballs on a pile of zoodles, and even to (gasp!) make pizza with cauliflower. Because apparently carbs are the enemy.

However, complex carbohydrates - starches made up of long chains of sugar molecules - are considered "good carbs" because they take longer to digest and thus don't spike blood sugars as quickly as more simple ones, says Ha Nguyen, R.D.N., of Yummy Body Nutrition.

While simple carbs like juice, ice cream, candy, and white bread are okay in moderation, your best bet is to make sure your carb intake comes mostly from complex carbs like whole grains, legumes, and starchy veggies. To make things super-easy, keep this complex carbs list on hand for your next trip to the grocery store.