To put it very simply -- carbohydrates are what the body needs for energy. They come in the form of calories. One gram of carbohydrates contains four calories. Carbohydrates are converted into fuel or glucose, burnt up for energy or stored in the body, if in excess. And that is the issue. If they are in excess, they will be converted into fat and make one -- obese and lethargic.
Despite that, carbohydrates are not all bad. There are some to be added to your diet and others to be avoided. To begin with, there are complex carbohydrates such as starches and simple carbohydrates such as sugars.
And there are the good and the bad ones. For instance, the good ones are those that are found in nature and are unprocessed. And the bad ones are refined and processed and in the process, lose their basic nutrition value and serve only as calories for fat, not energy.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unprocessed foods are the do-gooders. All highly processed and refined grains are the culprits.
So, include apples, bananas, artichokes, avocados, beets, blackberries, French beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mangos, peaches, plums, turnips, tangerines, oats, pearled barley, plain whole yoghurt, brown rice and whole bread into your diet. Avoid flour, milled corn, white rice, fruit juices, sugared soft drinks, white bread, table sugar, cornmeal and all other extracted sugars.
That should solve your initial carb-troubles and set you on a healthier path. Get off the ``low carb’’ wagon. Just pick and choose the right from the wrong and you’ll be fine
Comments
- KiranB, Jun 22, 2008 at 07:06 PM PDT said:
Good article...the bottom line is to make sure your intake is mostly low glycemic index carb foods.
