A new Reuters story tells us that whole grains will help you to lose weight. This is interesting news but really in line with what we would expect as whole grains are high in fiber and also are a great source for micronutrients. Whole grains are a great example of a good carbohydrate.
Often people talk about how we should reduce the amount of carbohydrates in our diet. Over the last 50 years or so we may be taking in more carbohydrates then we should be but one of the problems really is not always the carbohydrates but instead are the types of carbohydrates that we eat.
So what is a good carbohydrate? Well we know that whole grains are great. We also know that fresh fruits and vegetables are great carbs.
More importantly for most people is that they are taking in too many bad carbs. I am as bad as anyone I worry for the eating of bad carbohydrates. So a bad carb is something that will either punch up your blood sugar or give you nothing at all.
Why is blood sugar important? Well if you bring your blood sugar up too quickly as sugar will do to you then you will get urges for more sugar when the sugar crash happens. The other bad carbs, the refined foods that you eat like crackers, bread and white rice, all contain wheat that has been bleached and therefore devoid of any nutritional value.
When you are thinking about the snacks that you eat are they usually sugar based or are they refined carbs? Usually people have their favorite poison and it is one of the two above. I for one don’t really care about breads and cookies but chocolate, pop, and sugar are my mortal diet enemies.