Carb Carnival - Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

With all the bad press about carbohydrates in the last few years, we thought you might like to hear some good news about them.

The Importance of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are an essential part of our diets. Why?

Carbohydrates provide fuel for our bodies.
Many foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables) have essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fiber. This helps to ensure optimal health as well as disease prevention.
carbohydrates help to regulate your mood. Why? Because without carbs, your brain stops producing the hormone serotonin, which is the feel-good chemical that puts you in a good mood and acts as an appetite suppressant. And speaking of the brain...
Your brain cannot function without carbs. It's the only nutrient that makes it to the brain, so if you cut your carbohydrate intake severely, you are not feeding your brain. For optimal brain and body functioning, we need at least 130 grams of carbohydrates a day. The first two weeks of any diet focusing on low carbohydrates only allows you to have 20 grams of carbs a day.

Why Low Carb Diets are So Popular

The appeal of most low carb diets is that people seem to lose a lot of weight in a little time. While that's true, most people drop out of the diet eventually because it doesn't provide enough variety. Plus, the side effects (nausea, headaches, grouchiness, constipation, bad breath, and even possible kidney damage, heart disease and osteoporosis if done long-term) don't make it any easier. Once people stop the diet (or any other diet they've been doing, for that matter) they usually gain the weight back, and then some.

The best way to cut carbs is to count the number of carbs you eat in a day, then reduce that number until you're down to the 130-150 grams a day range. You might be surprised at how many carbs you eat in a day. Most of us eat well more than we actually need.

Another good way to cut the carbs is to simply replace any refined foods you eat with good carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. For example:

Instead of white bread, choose whole grain or whole wheat bread
Instead of regular pasta, eat whole wheat pasta
Instead of white rice, opt for brown or long grain rice
Instead of sugary desserts and snacks, reach for fruit

These replacements may not sound good, but you'd be surprised at how good they really are. In most cases, you can't even tell the difference between the regular version and the whole wheat versions of breads and pasta. The same goes for brown rice over white. And if you make fruit and vegetables a daily part of your diet, you won't even want those high-sugar, high-fat snacks anymore. Try it for yourself and see!