Hating on carbs has been a
popular nutrition fad for the past few years.
Low-carb diets however, have not proved to be the long-term health
solution that America needs. In order to
understand what kind and how much carbohydrate we need, we have to keep a few
things in mind:
1. Not all
carbohydrates are created equal. There is a big difference in the nutrition of
carbohydrates found in a glazed donut compared to the carbohydrates found in
whole-grain pasta. The more complex the carbohydrates
(whole grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, etc.) the more health benefits they
provide since complex, unrefined carbohydrate sources provide vitamins,
minerals and fiber. Refined
carbohydrates (sugars and refined flours) lose a lot of those nutrients through
the refining process.
2. Carbohydrates
are not nutritional villains. Everyone’s body runs on carbohydrates. In the absence of carbohydrates in the diet,
our bodies will work hard to convert proteins and fats into a usable fuel
source (glucose). So in order for our
bodies to function the way they were designed, we need a balanced intake of
carbohydrates.
3. Excess and
hidden sugars are really what we need to watch out for. Processed,
packaged and restaurant foods are notoriously high in hidden sugars. Cookies, candy and soda pop aren’t the only
hideouts for sugar. Condiments (barbeque
sauce, creamy salad dressings, marinades), yogurts, juices and breakfast
cereals all contain more sugar than you might think.
So how does one limit the
amount of processed or refined carbohydrates in favor of the more complex?
· Don’t drink your sugar – go for water.
· Go whole grain – aim for 3 servings of whole grain per
day.
· Check breakfast cereal labels – 5 grams of sugar or
less per serving is great.
· Use condiments as they were intended – sparingly
(ketchup is not a vegetable serving).
· Swap out creamy salad dressings for olive oil and
vinegar based dressings.
· Cut the croutons and top your salad with nuts, seeds,
or roasted chickpeas.
· Try a square of bittersweet chocolate for dessert
instead of milk chocolate. (up to ½ as much sugar in bittersweet compared with
milk chocolate)
· Go with corn instead of flour tortillas (corn
tortillas are whole grain with 60 calories, 13 g. carbohydrate vs. flour
tortillas 150 calories, 25 g carbohydrate).
· Eat out less often.
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