CARBOHYDRATES; friend or foe?
Much has been written against carbs, from the best-selling "Letter on Corpulence" from the 1800's which detailed a low carb approach to weight loss to the modern day Paleo people (modern and Paleo - how paradoxical) who poo-pooh all grains and even some starchy vegetables. The KETO craze is another low carb re-incarnation. I don't have a problem with ketogenic diets from a health perspective, but I think they are pointless, since they are an intervention based approach, and tend to result in yo-yo weight fluctuations. I advocate life-long diet design. Liveable, doable, sustainable long term action. Not heroic, stressful short term and totally reverseable dieting.
Personally, I follow a high carb high fat and high protein diet. Except for my one to two days a week of fasting, I eat it all, but of course only the highest quality carbs, fats and proteins. Feed the machine, right?
Much has been written against carbs, from the best-selling "Letter on Corpulence" from the 1800's which detailed a low carb approach to weight loss to the modern day Paleo people (modern and Paleo - how paradoxical) who poo-pooh all grains and even some starchy vegetables. The KETO craze is another low carb re-incarnation. I don't have a problem with ketogenic diets from a health perspective, but I think they are pointless, since they are an intervention based approach, and tend to result in yo-yo weight fluctuations. I advocate life-long diet design. Liveable, doable, sustainable long term action. Not heroic, stressful short term and totally reverseable dieting.
Personally, I follow a high carb high fat and high protein diet. Except for my one to two days a week of fasting, I eat it all, but of course only the highest quality carbs, fats and proteins. Feed the machine, right?
|
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel for high intensity activity. (fats are preferred for lower intensity energy needs; ie; 23 hours of your day probably). The world of carbohydrates is made of sugars; single sugars, double sugars, and chains of sugars. Molecularly, they are made from a combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. If they are not needed immediately carbohydrates can be stored by your body in the form of glycogen or transformed into body fat. We can live without carbs if we have fats. We cannot live without fats, even if we have carbs. There ARE essential fats, but there are NO essential carbs. |
What are good carbs, and what are bad carbs?
|
GOOD CARBS
When choosing carbohydrates there are a number of desirables qualities to look for; - a whole food, natural unprocessed - high fibre - high in vitamins and or minerals Yams Squash fresh Fruits small amounts of pure Juices (especially dark ones like pomegranate, cherry, blueberry, grape) whole Grains, like brown rice, millet, buckwheat, barley, and the over priced over rated quinoa (lol) blackstrap Molasses raw natural high quality honey starchy Vegetables like potatoes, breadfruit, cassava/ yucca/ manioc **Improve the healthy effects of carbs by combining them with healthy fats and proteins.
|
BAD CARBS
sugar, brown sugar, fancy molasses pure fructose corn syrup all cold cereals, including the so-called healthy ones pop (pop is correlated with diabetes as an independent proven contributor) most fast foods, drinks, and even prepared vegetables and dressings contain added sugar large amounts of juice, including any from over hyped over processed orange juice brands like Tropicana fancy or cooking molasses 
|
(why I hate) the Glycemic Index
The Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food carbohydrate ends up raising your blood sugar, when you eat it. One little known or mentioned fact is that consuming a fat, a protein or a fibre with a carbohydrate drastically lowers the glycemic index.
So why bother with the glycemic index at all? Eat your carbs with both protein and fat and voila! Low glycemic index.
Exapmple; potatoes with gfravy, butter and roast beef. The gravy provides fat and some protein, and the roast beef provides protein and some fat. And the butter of course provides more fat (and deliciousness).
Pita with hummous. The pita (carb) has it's glycemic index lowered by the hummous which provides tasty fat protein and plenty of fibre as well, from it's constituent chick peas and tahini.
The Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food carbohydrate ends up raising your blood sugar, when you eat it. One little known or mentioned fact is that consuming a fat, a protein or a fibre with a carbohydrate drastically lowers the glycemic index.
So why bother with the glycemic index at all? Eat your carbs with both protein and fat and voila! Low glycemic index.
Exapmple; potatoes with gfravy, butter and roast beef. The gravy provides fat and some protein, and the roast beef provides protein and some fat. And the butter of course provides more fat (and deliciousness).
Pita with hummous. The pita (carb) has it's glycemic index lowered by the hummous which provides tasty fat protein and plenty of fibre as well, from it's constituent chick peas and tahini.
