What's in a Carb?

Carbohydrates have been given a bad reputation in recent years. If you believe everything suggested by the diet industry and the media,

Not only is this way of thinking inconvenient, but it could also be harmful. The human body is designed to function optimally when it receives certain types of food. Carbohydrates are one of the kinds of food the body needs. Let’s examine the types of carbohydrates and how they contribute to a healthy weight-loss diet.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are the “bad carbs” that you’ve heard about. Their molecular structure is tiny, so the body easily absorbs them. Your body quickly converts simple carbohydrates into simple sugars. This makes carbohydrates taste good, as well as leads your body to store the excess as fat. Simple carbs consist of foods like white bread, cake, cookies, and white flour pasta. These foods should be limited.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are essential for proper nutrition. They provide quick energy, as well as essential nutrients and fiber. The fiber they contain makes them stick around your body a little longer, while still allowing them to convert to much-needed energy fast. Limit your servings to a few a day, and you should be fine. A good guideline is to aim for 30-45 grams of carbohydrates per day, with 15-20 grams per serving.

Fiber

The amount of fiber in a carbohydrate needs to be taken into consideration. As you choose your daily carbohydrates, you can deduct the fiber grams from the carbohydrate grams. For example, if a cereal contains 25 grams of carbohydrates per serving, but also contains 5 grams of fiber – those 5 grams don’t count toward your daily total! Adding fiber to your diet is a quick way to aid weight loss – choose foods like whole grain breads, fruits, and vegetables.

When you begin a weight loss plan, it is easy to assume that you must cut out carbohydrates. However, complex carbohydrates can be included in your weight loss diet. Choose whole-grain foods such as brown rice, multi-grain bread, and whole-wheat pasta. Be sure to include fruits and vegetables, and you’re on your way to a weight loss plan that includes carbohydrates.

Eat Carbohydrates Based on Activity

Why?

Carbs are our fuel for activity, the more active we are, the more carbs our bodies require. Follow these basic guidelines to help you regulate your carbohydrate intake:

• Low activity level (no daily movement or weekly workouts): 1 carb-based meal per day

• Moderate activity level (daily movement or weekly workouts): 2 carb-based meals per day

• High activity level (daily workouts or physical job): 3-4 carb-based meals per day.

How can I personalize this habit?

I recommended that you eat your carb-based meals

around your workouts e.g. before and after. Use the list to select your carbohydrate sources and refer to the hand portion guidelines.

TOP TIPS TO MAKE THIS EASY

1. Schedule your training sessions to allow you to plan your meals accordingly.

2. If you train early in the morning, fruit and oats are great carbohydrate sources to fuel your workouts.

3. If you train later in the day, rice and sweet potato

provide efficient energy beforehand and replenish energy stores post-workout.

4. Monitor your portion sizes. If you are gaining weight, decrease your carbohydrate portions. If you are maintaining weight, feeling energized, performing well in your workouts, AND noticing positive changes to your body composition, continue with the same portion sizes. If you lack motivation, experience reduced energy levels, feel lethargic and lose weight without changing shape, try increasing your carb portions.

Good Carbs:

Vegetables: All of them. It is best to eat a variety of vegetables every day, the darker, the better.

Whole fruits: Apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.

Legumes: Lentils, kidney beans, peas, etc.

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, etc.

Seeds: Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds.

Whole grains: Choose genuinely whole grains, as in pure oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc.

Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.

Not so good Carbs:

Sugary drinks: Coca-cola, Pepsi, Vitamin water, etc. Sugary drinks are some of the unhealthiest things you can put into your body.

Fruit juices: Unfortunately, fruit juices may have similar metabolic effects as sugar-sweetened beverages.

White bread: These are refined carbohydrates that are low in essential nutrients and bad for metabolic health. This applies to most commercially available bread.

Pastries, cookies, and cakes: These tend to be very high in sugar and refined wheat.

Ice cream: Most types of ice cream are very high in sugar, although there are exceptions.

Sweets and chocolates: If you’re going to eat chocolate, choose quality dark chocolate.

French fries and crisps: Whole potatoes are healthy, but french fries and crisps are not.

These foods may be fine in moderation for some people, but many will do their best by avoiding them as much as possible.

BOTTOM LINE:

Carbs in their natural, fiber-rich form are generally healthy. Processed foods with sugar and refined carbs are incredibly unhealthy.