In: Root » Health » Nutrition
Read some of the most popular low-carb diet books and you get the impression that carbohydrates are the root of all evil. Many of these books claim that pasta, bagels, fruit, sweet potatoes, and other high-carbohydrate foods trigger the body to store excess fat. But, as with many wacky diet theories, this one takes a scientific theory and distorts it beyond recognition. In reality, carbohydrates are your body’s main source of fuel, and exercisers need plenty of them. Sports nutritionists recommend that between 50 percent and 70 percent of calories should come from carbohydrates. Choosing the best carbs The key is to favor complex carbohydrates and natural simple sugars over processed and nutritionally-void simple sugars. Complex carbohydrates have sugar molecules strung together in long chemically bonded chains. These carbs are found in beans, whole-wheat pasta, grains, veggies, and the like. Most complex carbs are low in calories, low in fat, and high in fiber. The sugar in complex carbohydrates is absorbed relatively slowly into your bloodstream so that your blood-sugar level and energy level remain fairly constant, and you feel full for a good while. Getting enough fiber Although most Americans eat just 12 to 17 grams of fiber per day, the federal government recommends 20 to 35 — nearly double. Fiber comes from wholegrain products (veggies, fruits, oats, whole-wheat bread), plus in dry beans, peas, nuts, and seed. Check labels, of course, and you’ll find very little fiber in processed foods. To get the most fiber, eat whole-grain flour-based products and the skin on vegetables and fruits. Perhaps the most well-known benefit of fiber is to keep your colon healthy and keep your bowel movements regular. Fiber also plays a role in reducing cholesterol. But the most tangible benefit? Fiber keeps you feeling full longer throughout the day. If you just don’t eat a lot of fiber in your diet and can’t seem to change that pattern, try using a fiber supplement such as Metamucil. Although you want to get your fiber from the foods you eat, a supplement is a good idea if you don’t. Avoiding processed carbs Simple carbohydrates, on the other hand, are single or double sugar molecules. They’re found in table sugar and processed foods like Pepsi and Twinkies, but they also occur naturally, like in fruit. Simple carbs, whether they’re found in a papaya or a Pop Tart, are absorbed quickly, causing the amount of sugar in your blood to skyrocket and then plunge soon after, leaving you feeling tired and hungry. But there’s a difference between the natural simple sugars found in fruit and the refined simple sugars found in candy. When you eat that papaya, the sugar comes packaged with vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber. Also, the sweetness in fruit comes from fructose (as opposed to sucrose or glucose in other simple sugars), and fructose doesn’t cause the sort of sharp insulin spike that other simple sugars do. In general, eat foods that are processed as little as possible. Choose an apple over apple juice, and whole-wheat bread over white bread. Be sure to buy bread that is actually labeled “whole wheat.” Many wheat and grain breads are mostly refined white bread colored with molasses, despite the brown wrapping that depicts wheat fields waving in the wind and names like “12- grain health nut bread.” Read food labels carefully and find out where you’re getting most of your refined sugar. Breakfast cereals such as Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes are more than 42 percent sugar. Flavored yogurts are loaded with sugar, too. Be aware that sugar goes by other aliases, including corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, maltodextrin, sucrose, and other words that end in -ose. Sugar is sugar. Going low-carb — with modifications If you’ve been bitten by the low-carb craze, don’t fret. Low-carb eating could be an ideal way to eat with the following simple modifications: - Consume an unlimited variety of vegetables. - Choose dense, whole grains and avoid processed carbs. - Eat two to four half-cup servings of unsweetened fruit each day. (Most low-carb diets eliminate fruit, but fruit contains many vitamins and minerals that are important to consume.) - Substantially reduce your intake of saturated fat and trans fats, which many popular low-carb diets don’t limit.
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