Carbohydrates: Friend or Foe?

There are a lot of crazy ideas out there regarding Carbohydrates or "carbs."

I hear some people advise you to cut all of the carbs out of your diet. I hear others saying it's all about the fat. Well I'm here to tell you what worked for me. As usual, there's a little bit of truth to both sides.

In our daily routine we do need to cut back on our saturated fat intake. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are still your friend though. That's the kind of fat you need to keep your digestive track running smoothly. These kind of fats help feel more full throughout the day too. Saturated fats tend to make you feel pretty bad after eating them. It's a less wholesome fat. It should be a minimal part of your diet.

Carbs are completely essential in your daily diet. If you don't eat carbs you will crash. There's a problem though. You only need a certain amount per meal. I recommend no more than 20 grams of carbs per meal. (this is for high yield weight loss) I know not all your food is going to have a label telling you how many carbs it has. So let's take a look at foods that contain carbs.

So what are carbs anyway? Carbs are types of food that your body will use as sugar. So naturally, sugar translates into carbs. If you have something with 20 grams of sugar, it will have at least 20 grams of carbs. That's not all there is to it though. All grains are carbs. Wheat, oats, rice, and barley are all carbs.

What do carbs do to me? When you eat carbs your body turns them into sugar for energy. When you get sugar your body uses insulin to break that down. High amounts of insulin tells your body it's time to store fat and repair muscles. So if you want to eat a lot of carbs right before lifting weights or right after, you've got a plan. If you don't have any muscle damage to repair then you don't need a whole lot of carbs in the day. If you do eat bread in every meal (which most Americans do) you'll be telling your body to store fat all day.

There's a fundamental difference in the grains you should and shouldn't eat. You want to eat whole grains, not processed grain. Whole Wheat bread vs. white bread is the most obvious difference. When grains are left in their whole form they retain all their vitamins and nutrients. When you consume these whole grains it takes your body longer to process them and it releases sugar into your body more slowly. If you eat processed grains there are virtually no nutrients inside and your body processes them extremely quickly and your body gets a heavy dose of sugar that it doesn't need. When you do need that energy later it's already gone and you'll just eat again.

So whenever you eat a grain product you will be eating a significant amount of carbs, so make sure you're eating whole grains or your body will receive a sugar spike.

A few more foods that contain high amounts of carbs may surprise you. If you bite into a piece of fruit you're getting way more sugar than you might think. Yes, this sugar is natural and I would recommend eating some fruit, but only in the morning when you need the sugar and energy.

Even fat free milk has carbs. The sugar that naturally occurs in milk will effect your carb intake for the day. Do not forget to factor that into your diet. You usually get about 12 grams per 8 oz. in fat free milk.

If you're not looking to lose weight and just want to live a healthier lifestyle, just remember to eat whole foods. Don't be eating "refined" muffins, bagels, biscuits, and pastries. Your blood sugar will skyrocket with these over processed nightmares. Eat the natural whole foods and your body will slowly break down what you need and you'll be nourished for a longer period.

I'll talk much more about carbs in future posts. It is the main basis of my diet. Remember! Carbs are good for you. You need carbs to have energy. Just make sure you're getting good, clean, whole energy.

If you're eating out, check this website. www.dietfacts.com

You can sort by store name and check the nutrient facts before you buy. If you're serious about your health you'll do the research before you put anything into your body.

EDIT: I had some comments regarding other vegetables and their carb counts. Check this website for info on any fruit, nut, vegetable or anything you can imagine.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/