Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs
"What you eat literally becomes you. You have a choice in what you're made of."
Limit the refined carbs. Studies show that refined carbs can spike blood sugar rapidly, leading to hunger, cravings and increased food intake a few hours later. Eating refined carbs is also strongly linked to obesity.
Did you know?
Carbohydrates are one of your body’s main sources of energy. It is recommended that 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. However, the majority of these should be from complex, unrefined carbs rather than refined carbs (including starches such as white potatoes and corn). Refined or simple carbohydrates include sugars and refined grains that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients.
What is the difference between a good carb vs bad carb?
Complex carbohydrates are digested slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar, but you can't truly judge a carb as "good" without considering its fiber content. Good carbs are usually high in nutrients and fiber, which can help prevent serious disease, aid with weight-loss, and improve your energy levels. In general, “good” carbohydrates have a lower glycemic load and can even help guard against type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems in the future.
Use the Nutrition Label to Track Your Carbohydrates
The Nutrition Facts section on food labels can help you sort the good carbs from the bad carbs. Here’s what to look for on the Nutrition Facts label.
Total Carbohydrate. For tracking the total amount of carbohydrate in the food, per serving, look for the line that says “Total Carbohydrate.” You’ll find that often the grams of “fiber,” grams of “sugars” and grams of “other carbohydrate” will add up to the grams of “total carbohydrate” on the label.
What are the Bad Carbs?
Sugars
“Added” sugars
Refined “white” grains - white rice, white bread, white potatoes, white flour
What are the Good Carbs?
Unrefined whole grains – whole wheat or multigrain bread, brown rice, barley, quinoa, bran cereal, oatmeal
Non-starchy vegetables – spinach, green beans, Brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes
Legumes – kidney beans, black beans, peas, lentils
Nuts – peanuts, cashews, almonds
Fruit – apples, berries, citrus fruit, bananas, pears
Take a look into your own diet and daily eating habits:
What’s the difference between a sandwich made on white bread and one made with 100% whole grain bread?
Or, the difference between French fries and side salad made with spinach, fruit and nuts?
All the foods above are carbohydrates. But the second option in both questions includes good carbohydrate foods (whole grains and vegetables).
Try these tips for adding healthy carbohydrates to your diet:
1. Start the day with whole grains. Try a hot cereal, like steel cut or old fashioned oats (not instant oatmeal), or a cold cereal that lists a whole grain first on the ingredient list and is low in sugar. A good rule of thumb: Choose a cereal that has at least 4 grams of fiber and less than 8 grams of sugar per serving.
2. Use whole grain breads for lunch or snacks. Confused about how to find a whole-grain bread? Look for bread that lists as the first ingredient whole wheat, whole rye, or some other whole grain —and even better, one that is made with only whole grains, such as 100 percent whole wheat bread.
3. Also look beyond the bread aisle and mix it up. Whole wheat bread is often made with finely ground flour, and bread products are often high in sodium. Do not limit your consumption of whole grains to only bread. Instead of bread, try a whole grain in salad form such as brown rice or quinoa.
4. Choose whole fruit instead of juice. An orange has two times as much fiber and half as much sugar as a 12-ounce glass of orange juice.
5. Pass on white potatoes, and instead bring on the beans. Rather than fill up on potatoes – which have been found to promote weight gain – choose beans for an excellent source of slowly digested carbohydrates. Beans and other legumes such as chickpeas also provide a healthy dose of protein.
Tips for Meal Plan Members:
Week 4: If you are introducing more carbs into your diet this week, focus on carbs with high fiber. Remember your diet is High Protein and High Fiber.
Tips for Workout Guide Members:
Pick 1 exercise this week that seems to have given you the most difficulty. Practice your form and work on completing all the reps.
Move beyond modifications. Pick 1 exercise that you do a modification for and try to complete the exercise as it is stated, without the modification. If it is a squat jump, try to add the jump into the exercise instead of just doing a regular squat.
