Eat Your Carbs, They're Good for You!
You may think after all of the talk lately about carb reduction
that you need to avoid eating carbohydrates. But the exact
opposite is the case. The kinds of carbohydrates you get from
fruits and vegetables are a necessary basis of your daily diet.
Instead of helping you "pack on the pounds," they actually help
you to burn fat. They are also a major source of fuel for your
body, especially your muscles, brain and nervous system.
Carbs occur in two types: simple and complex. They are broken
down into glucose, or blood sugar, which is metabolized by your
body for energy. Glucose not immediately used by you is stored
in your muscles as glycogen, but if your body has an excess of
glycogen, it is converted into fat. However, because carbs prime
your metabolism, you need them in order to burn fat. This is one
of the major reasons you must not starve yourself and eat too
few carbs. You must eat a good intake of complex carbs, such as
those found in fruits and veggies.
Simple carbs, such as those found in candies and sweets, and
also fruit, are turned into glucose quickly. These are the kind
which can add to your weight problem. Complex carbs, such as
those found in brown rice, veggies, legumes (peas, beans and
lentils), and whole grains breads and cereals are digested and
thus used at a much slower rate, giving your body time to prime
its metabolism.
There are four calories in each and every gram of carbohydrate.
Nutritionists say that 50% of your diet should consist of
complex carbs. Simple carbs are high in calories but low in
vitamins and minerals. These are the so-called "empty calories"
that you find in sodas, deserts and other such sweets, and to
some extent in fruits -- especially fruit juices and fruit juice
drinks. You should be getting your major carb intake from whole
fruits, whole grains and vegetables.
Good high carb veggies are peas, peppers, pumpkin, radishes,
spinach, squash, succotash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and
turnips. Succotash, sweet potatoes and green cooked peas are the
highest in carbs. You need several servings per day of complex
carb foods such as these to maintain your energy levels and keep
you from getting those "sluggish" feelings that make you feel
sick and tired.
By eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every
day, you will be boosting your health through better carb
consumption. The National Cancer Institute recommends that you
have fruit juice -- or better yet fresh fruit - every day for
breakfast. You should have a fresh fruit or vegetable snack
every day. You need to stock up on dried, frozen and canned
fruits and veggies. You must make these foods visible and easy
to access throughout your daily routine. And you have to "sample
the delicious spectrum" when it comes to the many different
colors and varieties of fruits and vegetables.
You will get your "five a day" if you eat one cup of dark, leafy
greens, one half cup of red tomatoes, one half cup of yellow
peppers, six ounces of orange juice and one half cup of
blueberries. This is only one example of how you can consume
"five a day" of fruits and vegetables to keep your complex carb
ratio up. Please notice this includes only one serving of fruit
juice. Various nutrition experts state that you should eat
whole, fresh fruits more often than drinking fruit juice, which
keeps those simple sugars from adding to your weight problem.
This is because simple sugars are more concentrated in fruit
juices than in whole fruits. You should eat at least two cups of
fruit a day, in a variety of fresh choices, such as one small
banana, one large orange and one quarter cup of fresh or canned
apricots or peaches. Also, eating fresh fruit adds more fiber to
your diet and helps flush toxins from your system better than
only drinking fruit juice does.
You should also eat plenty of dark, leafy green veggies, which
are among the best foods for you. Eat broccoli and kale, as well
as mustard greens and spinach. Also, you should eat "orange"
veggies such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and winter
squash. For peas and beans, among the best are pinto beans,
kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas and
lentils. Foods such as these are extremely healthy, low in fat,
and terrific for raising your energy levels.
Eating fruits and veggies will also greater lower your risk for
cancer. Researchers at the Human Nutrition Research Center on
Aging at Tufts University have made "top ten" lists of the best
antioxidant (anti-cancer) fruits and vegetables. Here are some
of the most antioxidant members of the fruit and vegetable
families of foods:
1) Fruits: prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries,
strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes and
cherries 2) Veggies: kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, alfalfa
sprouts, broccoli, beets, red bell peppers, onions, corn and
eggplant
While the average American seldom gets as much as two servings
of these good foods per day, nutrition experts say that five to
seven servings a day need to become a staple of the ordinary
American diet. You can easily sneak these into your family's
eating patterns. Try serving raw veggies at every meal, and take
advantage of packaged, prepared veggies. Put veggies into your
breakfast and lunch, and start each family dinner with a mixed
green salad. Serve a salad entr