CARBS! The "evil" Food
Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source of your body. You need carbs for your brain, muscle/nerve function, and to jumpstart your metabolism. Carbohydrates can be broken down into 3 monosaccharides (solo sugars) which you might be familiar with. Fructose (sugar from fruit), Galactose (sugar from milk), and Glucose (sugar from everything else). Now you can build/breakdown these sugars unto main form, but the main form needed is glucose. Glucose is your key to keeping the body fueled and ready to go!
In a perfect world, your diet should consist of 45-50% of your carbs per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Sounds like a lot doesn't it. Well, it is, and that is due to how crucial it is for the body to get glucose, and glucose equals carbs. So, how do you get glucose without overstuffing and eating "bad" carbs. Well, you are in luck, because that is why I am here, to break it down and make it make sense!
In my opinion, carbs can be broken down into tow basic categories: Short-term carbs and Long-term carbs. Your short-term carbs consist of white grained products and added sugar products. Versus, your long-term carbs consist of your fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and fiber. (Now milk can fit into either category just really depending how you react to it.)
Short-term carbohydrates are out fast-acting carbs, or "short-term". These carbs tend to be the "scary ones", the ones that raise your Blood Glucose, elevate inflammation, add unnecessary calories, and resemble what it is like to throw gasoline on a fire. These are the ones I would recommend avoiding because it causes unnecessary responses in the body. As well these are the ones everyone fears. Carbs on the short-term list include, white bread, white rice, corn syrups, table sugar, sodas, and pastas. Now just because I recommend avoiding these foods, does not mean you have too. Pastas in some aspect can be completely healthy, orzo and couscous are recommended on the Mediterranean Diet.
Now long-term carbohydrates are our longer acting carbs, that really fill up the energy reserve. These carbs give you the energy your body needs like the short-term carbs, but they do not come with the adverse body reactions that the short-term ones do. These carbs are the carbs you SHOULD be eating and not be scared of! So, what doe these carbs look like? Well, as mentioned these tend to be your whole grain bread, oats, and pastas. Vegetables and fruits are pretty straight forwards with your potatoes and broccoli being the biggest source in veggies and peaches, apples, and watermelon being your biggest carb source in fruits.
I listed fiber separately even though we know most whole grains, fruits, and vegetables contain fiber. But that is due to the fact, fiber is essential for the breakdown of food. Fun fact, most American's do not consume enough fiber in their daily diet! Anyways, I will skip the nitty gritty scientific details and tell you fiber is low at giving you energy but amazing for making you feel full sooner and helping you poop! Foos that are high in fiber are bran products, granola, whole wheat bread, raspberries, avocados, lima beans, and green peas. There are many more produce that contain fiber, but these are just the heavy hitters.
As a side note, I did not mention much about dairy products. You can get carbs from dairy products due to galactose, which is a great way to get some sugar into your body. Great sources of carbohydrates from dairy products include milk and cheese. Since most people seem to have adverse reactions to dairy and avoid the products in general it is not the main focus for getting carbs into your system. It is great for calcium intake though!
In addition, it is good to note that some of these carbohydrates may just not be the carbs for you . If you get an adverse reaction to something listed as a carb, the I would stay away from it too. No need to be in discomfort over something you can easily get from other sources. Also, it is good to note that the reason carbs get such a bad reputation too is due to the overconsumption of carbs. Like I have repeatedly stated, carbohydrates are your body's favorite source of energy because it can be broken down into glucose. It is going to want to keep that favorite source of energy hidden and locked away so when it no longer has it, it can go into the storage to be use for later. That is where we find big weight gain. Fat cells are used to store extra glucose. Keeping this in mind, the best way to reduce these fat cells are through exercise and not food restriction. I will go into detail about this in a later post! But again, carbs should be consumed with the mindset I am providing my body with the main source of energy and nothing more then that! Keep it positive!
Now, you could be completely overwhelmed with the information I have just given and trust me that is okay! SO let me give you some key takeaways that might assist you into making a more educated decision when making your next meal.
- Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy
- Carbohydrates should be 45-60% of your diet
- Two categories of Carbohydrates
- Short-term - the one's to avoid/stay mindful of
- Long-term - the healthier one/preferred choice
- Fiber is good at making you fuller sooner and passing poops
- Carbs are not scary
As Always,
Keegs
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