Monday, February 28, 2011

Which Carbs are good?

I attached an article below that brings to light some of the carbohydrate issue that we all here people talk about.  Have a nice read.

My Take on Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Low Carbs, and all of the Carb BS
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
With so much talk, confusion, and controversy in recent years about "carbs", I wanted to give you my take on good carbs vs bad carbs, low carb, and all the other "carb confusion" out there.  I'll also show you one of my favorite healthy carbohydrate choices.
First of all, although I'm not a "low carb" extremist, I do believe that one of the main reasons so many people struggle to ever lose any body fat is that they are overconsuming processed carbohydrates such as:
  • cereals
  • pasta
  • rice
  • bagels
  • muffins
  • breads (even whole grain varieties are not ideal if you're looking to lose body fat)
  • sodas
  • juices
  • candies
  • crackers
It is extremely hard to lose body fat if you're overconsuming any of these types of carbohydrates (even if you workout very hard). In addition to causing wild blood sugar swings and insulin surges promoting direct body fat deposition, eating too many carbs also increases your appetite and cravings.
Note that I didn't include potatoes in the list of processed carbohydrates. Despite the trash talking they get from many fitness professionals, I think  whole potatoes (not fries or chips!) are a nutrient-dense healthy food.
Even carbohydrate sources that most people think are "healthy" really are just excess calories that don't really deliver a whole lot of nutrient density... and many types of breads and cereals pretend to be "whole grain" with clever marketing while in reality the first ingredient in them is refined flour, which is just going to shoot your blood sugar through the roof.
My take on it is that the majority of people struggling to lose body fat would do much better following these types of carb guidelines:
1. Reduce your grain-based carb products in the diet (cereal, pasta, rice, crackers, etc) and focus more of the diet on healthy grass-fed and/or free-range meats and eggs, grass-fed raw dairy, and TONS of vegetables and fruits.
2. Instead of the grains for most of the carbs, try getting most of your carbs from vegetables, sweet potatoes, and a variety of whole fruits and berries (NOT fruit juices, which remove the beneficial fiber as well as other essential parts of the fruit)
3.  If you're going to get any grains at all, focus on the most nutrient dense and fibrous portions of the grain... the germ and bran... this means that the best parts are getting oat bran instead of oatmeal, and using rice bran and wheat germ (beware of gluten in wheat if you have any intolerance) by adding to your yogurt, cottage cheese, salads, soups, etc.  This way you get all of the most beneficial nutritious parts of grains without all of the excess starches and calories.
For best results with grains, try to stick only to sprouted grain products if you're going to eat any grains at all.
4. To replace the void if you're used to consuming lots of bread, pasta, cereals, and other carb sources... try filling that void with more healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, nut butters as well as healthy proteins such as raw grass-fed dairy and meats, whole free-range organic eggs, etc. Healthy fats and proteins go a long way to satisfying your appetite, controlling proper hormone and blood sugar levels, and helping you to make real progress on fat loss.
With all of that said, here's one of my favorite carb sources that is high in fiber as well as tons of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants:
Sweet potatoes or yams
I always choose the orange varieties instead of the white varieties of sweet potatoes. One of the problems with sweet potatoes is the time it takes to bake a sweet potato for 1 to 1.5 hrs.
I cook my sweet potatoes in a different way that only takes 5 minutes and they come out delicious... and no, I would NEVER use a microwave (I'll talk more about why never to use a microwave to cook your foods in a future newsletter).
The easiest and quickest way I've found to cook up a sweet potato is to slice it up into thin slivers and put it into a pan that you can cover with a lid.  I add a touch of butter, virgin coconut oil (beneficial medium chain triglycerides), and about 3-4 Tbsp of water and simmer with a covered lid for about 5 minutes. 
When the sweet potatoes are soft, then add a little cinnamon and maybe a touch of the natural sweetener stevia (if you want a little more sweet flavor) and you're all set with a delicious healthy carb side dish to go with any meat dish.  Add a side salad and you've got the perfect lean-body meal plan.

4 comments:

  1. Good carb alternatives especially the sweet potatoes. I have recently started making sweet potatoes a staple in my diet (2-3 per week) and I have noticed that it makes me 'full' even in a small serving. Not only is this a good source of healthy carbs, but along with pumpkin, it is one of the best natural sources for Vitamin A.
    My question is: If I were to eat a bagel (or any other processed carb) over a period of time, opposed of just eating it all at once, will this have a different effect on the body?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes. If you eat a regular bagel (not whole wheat) then the glycemic surge in your body is greater and the subsequent insulin spike will be greater which can cause you to store the carb as fat unless you eat it right after a workout, then your muscles will use the carb load properly. That is why it is good to have a protein shake with a carbohydrate after a workout because the insulin spike will allow the best way to absorb the protein into the muscles. Therefore, it is best if you spread the bagel out throughout the day then the insulin surge will be gradual and you will not receive the typical tired feeling that can happen and the storage of unwanted calories. Make sense?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes. Is this also related to why many small meals through the day is better than 3 large meals?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing that valuable information. I think bread and cereal are good carbs. Always take them to maintain your health.

    Buy Vega

    ReplyDelete

Weekly Recipe

Salmon Salad

DRESSING:
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 c. low-fat milk
1/4 c. snipped fresh dill
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt, if desired
1/8 tsp. black pepper
SALAD:
1 (15 oz.) can salmon, drained, skin discarded & flaked
1/4 c. finely chopped scallions
12 oz. med. sized macaroni shells, cooked al dente in water to which 1 tbsp. oil has been added
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced or quartered (optional)
1. In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, combine the salmon, scallions and cooked shells. Add the dressing and toss the ingredients gently to combine them. Cover the salad and chill it for at least 2 hours before serving it. Before serving, garnish the salad with eggs, if desired.

P.S. Since the ingredients are rather colorless, consider garnishing the salad with parsley and/or sliced radishes. 6 servings.