Posted by Deanna Kidd on Mon, Jun 07, 2010
It may sound like it’s making your life more complicated, asking you to switch simple for complex carbohydrates. And then asking you to do it “for good” – which means both “for your own good” and “for the long term.” But choosing good, complex carbs makes your life better, and it’s not that hard to do.
Here’s how complex carbohydrates are good for you, according to Good Carbs.org:
- high in fiber: helps you stay full longer (and avoid overeating), provides sustained energy, lowers cholesterol levels, helps to remove toxins from the body
- low glycemic index: stabilizes blood sugar levels and insulin production
- high in nutrients: natural vitamins, minerals & phytonutrients promote health and help to prevent chronic disease
- low 'energy-density' (except nuts & seeds): provides sustained energy, promotes healthy weight loss and long-term weight maintenance
- greater 'thermic effect': naturally stimulates metabolism and promotes fat loss
So here’s how and where to make the switch:
Throughout the day, embrace fruits and vegetables. (And the less you do to them, the better they are for you.) Put fruit on your cereal, or have fruit with whole grain toast in the morning. Take some for snacking throughout the day, and then make sure the bulk of your meals are vegetables.
Swap your snacks. Instead of pretzels, have celery with almond butter, or carrot sticks; instead of corn chips, have a handful of walnuts and some string cheese. Have an oatmeal cookie instead of candy, and juice, milk or soy milk instead of soda.
For cereal, bread or dinners, try choose high-biran or whole-grain alternatives. Kashi or oatmeal for breakfast, darker breads for sandwiches, and new and exotic grains like quinoa, boiled barley, bulgur, and kasha instead of rice or pasta. If you must have rice, make it brown or wild rice, and for pasta look for whole wheat or other types.
Posted by Deanna Kidd on Sun, Apr 25, 2010
You’ve probably heard of diets that help you lose weight by cutting out carbs. But carbohydrates provide most of the energy needed in our daily lives, both for normal body functions such as heartbeat, breathing and digestion and for exercise such as cycling, walking and running. For optimum heart health, we need to remember the difference between simple and complex carbs.
Simple carbohydrates are known as the 'bad' carbs. Sugary and often highly processed, they contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. These are the carbs we should cut out - baked goods, white breads, snack foods, candies, and soft drinks. Consistently eating large amounts of high-sugar, low-fiber, nutritionally-poor 'bad carbs' eventually leads to a much higher risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and more. Most of the simple carbs we eat should come nature - fruits and milk or yogurt, or honey and molasses, all of which also contain vitamins and minerals.
Complex carbohydrates are the “good” carbs. A diet rich in these foods will lead to a more even distribution of energy throughout the day, rather than the sugar rush and crash from simple carbs. You can think of them as unprocessed foods in their 'natural' state - or very close to their natural state. They have been minimally altered by man or machine (or not altered at all). They take longer to digest and are usually packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Pretty much all 'leafy' vegetables and fruits fit into this category along with beans and legumes, and nuts and seeds and whole-grain foods - whether cereal, breads or pastas. Most experts recommend that 50 to 60 per cent of the total calories in our diet come from carbohydrates, and the bulk of the carbs we consume should be complex.