The colourful carbs you should eat - and the ones to reduce or avoid

The colour of carbohydrates you eat can make a big difference to your health and aid weight loss.

Carbs form a crucial part of a person's everyday diet, but they are also the first thing which comes into consideration when people are trying to shift weight.

Low-carb diets are a popular solution for weight loss.

In a new BBC programme, The Truth About Carbs, Dr Xand van Tulleken reveals that rather than cutting out carbs from your diet, people should concentrate on the colour of the carbohydrate.

The colourful carbs:

Sweet potatoGreen peasButternut squashBlack beansKidney beansCauliflower riceCeleriacLentilsBananasStrawberries/blueberries/raspberriesBroccoliSpinachKaleCarrots

These carbs will have a dish looking like a rainbow, while providing a range of health benefits.

The dietary fibre, provided from green carbs, consists of vitamins and minerals and will slow the stomach from emptying.

Resistant starch, coming from the likes of lentils and beans, will prove beneficial to the colon and feed the bacteria found in your gut.

Beige carbohydrates are the ones to decrease or simply cut from your diet. Unfortunately they are the most popular.

Beige and white carbs aren't good for you according to experts. Picture: Shutterstock

Beige and white carbs:

BreadBagelsWhite riceRice cakesCerealWhite pastaPotatoesProcessed grainsSugary drinksSweetsCrisps

Some of those are obvious foods to try to avoid eating too much of.

Others form a large part of the population's diet. They should not be ditched completely but eaten in moderation, swapped for alternatives at times.

Dr Xand van Tulleken told the BBC: "Most of the starch and sugar in these beige and white carbs are broken down into glucose for energy, and if you eat too much, the glucose is stored as fat."

Top tip

Reheating can turn bad carbs into good carbs.

"If you reheat starches like pasta or toasted bread from the freezer, the molecules reconfigure themselves and become more resistant, allowing them to travel further in your gut and feed your microbiome," said Dr Xand van Tulleken.