THE TRUTH ABOUT CARBS
Confused about carbs? Should you eat low carb or high carb? What’s a good carb vs. bad carb? Let me try to make some sense of this for you. Carbs are NOT evil! Carbohydrates are what gives your body instant energy. If you eliminate them, you will find yourself sluggish and probably hungry! Many people are eliminating carbs from their diet. DO NOT DO THIS! However, the type of carbs you consume does make a difference in how you feel, gut health, energy level, weight and body shape. You want to fill your body with the most nutrient dense whole foods available. I recommend living life by the 80/20 rule or 90/10 if you are truly seeking goal-oriented results. Nothing is off limits, even bread and pizza. However, they belong in the 10% category and should be consumed only on occasion.
Carbs come in many forms: sugar, flour, baked goods, processed cereals, granola bars, cookies brownies and other treats. But did you know all fruits and vegetables also contain carbohydrates? Here’s the skinny on “good” and “bad” carbs. Eliminate or make part of your 10% white processed carbs like baked goods, snack foods coming out of a box or a bag, chips, crackers and breads. You don’t have to live life without bread! Strive for filling up on carbs that are WHOLE FOOD, HIGH FIBER carbs. Here’s what you can safely eat to maintain health, energy and weight (you can even lose weight eating carbs but more on that later). Fill up on sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and any vegetable you like. Fruit does have more sugar but it still provides the micronutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals that you can’t get anywhere else. Eat 1 or 2 servings of fruit daily. You can also have whole grains loaded with fiber such as farro, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, and brown rice. Bread is still processed so limit bread intake but you can have a slice of sprouted grain, whole grain or seed bread such as Ezekial or any other that is not white flour. After years of limiting carbs and trying to lose weight with very little results, feeling low energy, “hangry” and regularly craving bread, I learned the body absolutely needs carbs for optimal nutrition and weight loss. Eat your CARBS!
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