Just What Is A Carbohydrate Anyway?Written by Lee Dobbins
During a recent discussion with my father about low carb diets, he pointed to butter on table and said “is that a carbohydrate?” when I started to explain, he then pointed to sugar and said “well, what about that?”.Unfortunately, you cannot just point to a food and label it a “carbohydrate” as each food is made up of protein, carbs and fats in varying degrees. Some foods are almost all carb, and some, like meat, eggs and fish have none. To make matters even more complicated, there are simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. For matters of nutrition, you should always pick complex carbs which have a low glycemic index. The simple carbohydrates include foods like desserts, sugar, white bread, candy. Typically, these foods have a little nutritional value. Though they may taste good, they are basically empty calories and are digested quickly causing a high blood sugar spike and then a quick drop off. This is reason these foods don’t really satisfy your hunger and you get cravings for more shortly after having eaten them.
| | Carbohydrates – Good Or Bad?Written by Lee Dobbins
Carbohydrates have gotten a lot of bad press in past few years with advent of low carb diets, but truth is that not all carbohydrates are “bad” and, in fact, your body needs carbs to survive.Many people mistakenly believe that eating bacon, eggs and steak will set them on road to a thinner body with increased energy and good health, but this is not case. While cutting out simple carbohydrates found in processed foods is a healthier way of eating, neglecting complex carbs found in fruits and vegetables can be hazardous to your health. Fruits and vegetables are packed with enzymes, vitamins, minerals and fiber. All key ingredients to your health. They also contain antioxidants which can help your body fight disease and may even help ward off certain kinds of cancer. Picking The Best Carbs The old saying “you are what you eat” has a lot of truth to it. You get energy that your body uses as well as your nutritional needs such as vitamins, minerals and fiber from foods you eat. Doesn’t it make sense, then to eat foods that will provide your body with best fuel possible? You want to avoid foods that are processed. I’m sorry to say that most foods that can be found in packaged in your supermarket like cookies, cereals and even white bread are filled with “bad carbs”. These foods are often processed to taste better and all nutrients are stripped out in process. Then chemicals are added in to prolong shelf life and add to color and taste. Your body has no use for these empty calories so when you eat these foods it is a big drain on body to digest them and try to salvage any nutritional value from them.
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