What Are “Good” Carbs?
If you thought all foods containing carbs were bad, think again. You need carbohydrates in your diet and many of those are good carbs, ones that provide both energy and the nutrition your body requires. Low carb diets don’t cut out all carbs, just carbohydrates that are in highly processed foods, starchy foods, those high in sugar and additives. There are three categories of carbohydrates, fiber, sugar and starches. You need carbohydrates to fuel the body, by being broken down for energy.
What is a low carbohydrate diet?
Low carbohydrate doesn’t mean NO carbohydrates. Keto or low carb diets limit the number of calories from carbohydrates. That means you have to choose food more carefully. If you choose a sugary treat, like a candy bar, it is high in calories, but doesn’t contain nutrients, like a tomato, which is lower in calories, but still has fewer carbs than a candy bar and has far more nutrition. Studies show there are benefits from low carb diets, like weight loss, improvements in HDL cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
It’s all about the type of carb you eliminate from your diet.
What’s the difference between a good and bad carb? It’s about the nutrition per gram. Some high carbohydrate foods, like sugar and highly processed white flour have few benefits and not only pack on the pounds contribute to the potential for heart disease. Food high in sugar and white flour are classed as bad carbs, while whole foods, like carrots, celery, red pepper and other vegetables are mostly on the good carb side. Some vegetables that are starchy, like potatoes, peas, corn and squash, fall in between the two.
Good carbs are healthy foods that provide more than just energy.
Man has always had carbs in their diet, but not the processed types we see today. Carbohydrates provide easy access to energy. Protein is processed slowly and takes time to get into the blood stream. Fats slow the digestive process. Bad carbs provide quick energy that can spike blood sugar levels. Fiber-rich carbs like fruits and vegetables, which contain other nutrients, still provide the energy, but the glucose is released at a slower rate, so you don’t have blood sugar spikes.
- If you go on a low carb diet or cutting out carbs, focus on junk foods that contain high amounts of additives, refined flour and sugar. Pile your plate with colorful vegetables and fruit. The more colors, the more variety of nutrients you get.
- Always go by net carbs. Some foods that are high in fiber that isn’t digested are actually low in net carbs, when you identify just how many carbs your body can use as a source of energy.
- If you eat a cup of green beans, it contains 8 grams of carbs, but only 4 net grams that your body can use. A cup of sugar contains 199.96 grams of carbs and all of them are available for use since there’s no fiber.
- Not all grain products are bad. Whole grain products offer many nutrients and benefits the same products made from processed refined flour doesn’t offer.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym
Clean eating means eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, particularly those high in sugar and refined flour. Some people have tried clean eating and focused on how difficult it was and maybe you were one of those people. It doesn’t have to be, although if you eat in restaurants frequently, it is a little harder. It can be an inexpensive, simple method of losing weight forever. At Rising Fitness, we’ve made it easier with a personalized dietary plan to help you learn how to cook healthier to develop healthy habits. If you’re eating in a restaurant, you’ll learn ways to choose healthier foods.
It doesn’t matter what you do, everything has a sweet spot. You know when it’s just the right amount. Goldilocks knew it when she sat on the chair, tasted the porridge and slept in the bed. There’s also a sweet spot when it comes to how long and how often you workout. It’s one reason we recommend that you time your workouts. Timing can tell you a lot.
I firmly believe that Rising Fitness in Houston, Texas, provides the best program to get clients fit faster. However, once people start here, they often want to live a fitness lifestyle that goes beyond the walls of the gym. That includes having fun with the family hiking, biking and even running. We help clients get into shape to run and guide them on getting started. Each new physical undertaking requires knowledge to stay safe and injury free.
Recent studies have shown that some people benefit from having some caffeine before a workout, but how much caffeine should they take and in what form? Caffeine occurs naturally in a lot of forms that are quite popular. That cup of coffee, tea or cola soft drink contain caffeine, so does that bar of chocolate. Caffeine acts as a stimulant in the body, which is one reason people use coffee to help stay awake. It does have some drawbacks, including the potential to increase both blood pressure and heart rate.
If you want a longer life, keep your body healthier. Your heart plays an important role in your overall health and ability to function. Making small changes for a healthier heart also improves other areas of your body and allows you to be more active, which improves your heart health even more. It’s all connected and continuous. It’s never too late to get started, but the older you are, the slower the changes will occur. It’s all about living healthy every day.
We provide nutritional guidance at Rising Fitness in Houston, TX. When people see fats in their nutritional plan, they are often surprised. In fact, many have been consuming low fat or no fat foods, which actually sabotages their weight loss. There are three main categories for fat, saturated, unsaturated and trans fats. Unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature, while saturated fat is solid. Saturated and unsaturated fat are easily found in nature, but most trans fats are man-made with just a small amount naturally occurring.
As a society, we’re addicted to sugar. It seems like extra sugar is added to all processed foods. Approximately 80% of all food on the grocery shelf contains it. As a result, sugar related illnesses like type2 diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease have increased. Obesity has become the leading cause of preventable deaths. To combat that, artificial sweeteners have flooded the market and become almost as prevalent in diets as sugar. There is a problem. We may be replacing one health enemy for a new one. Could sugar actually be healthier?
Sometimes when you’re done with your daily responsibilities, you may feel totally stressed out and just want to watch TV or videos. While it might feel good to engulf yourself in the story, it won’t help you relieve the stress you feel. What should you do instead to relieve stress? The answer is simple, just workout. Try it sometime and you’ll see. It doesn’t have to be a traditional workout, just running up and down stairs or going for a brisk walk can help lower stress levels and make you feel great.
While it’s normal for children to run like wild animals when playing and be active, it’s not necessarily how it is today. We are a nation of screens and video games and kids are caught up in the technology. Today, we have to take an active role to ensure that our kids get the activity they need. We have to do the same as adults, since manual labor has been replaced by modern machinery. How do you teach kids to be healthy? It starts by being a good role model.