Good or Bad Carb/Choices

 I posted some of the following information on carbs awhile back and wanted to bring it back to your attention.  It seems we are eating more and more carbs and most of them are not in the good carb category.  Please note the following information when you are choosing your foods. 

Read the food labels carefully and make the best choice.  My nine year old daughter is already reading labels and helps me shop.  It is important for children to learn early what foods and ingredients to avoid and how to make healthier choices.  If the label says enriched or has hydrogenated oil, added sugar, or high fructose corn syrup it is better  to make another choice.  Reading labels can be a challenge however once you get use to it you will just do it without thinking.  It is important to know what you are putting into your body.  Once again, as the saying goes "you are what you eat". 

 There are both good and bad carbohydrates or "carbs".  It is important to understand the difference and choose good carbohydrates that are full of fiber.  These good carbs get absorbed slowly into your system avoiding spikes in blood sugar levels.  Examples of good carbs include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans like tomatoes, carrots, kidney beans just to name a few.   "Bad" carbs include ice cream, candy bars, soft drinks, donuts, milk chocolate, and sugary cereals.  This list usually is tasty and for many people addictive.  Bad carbs contain added sugar and refined "white" grains.  Minimize the bad unhealthy carbs such as the ones with refined and processed that delete the beneficial fiber.  If the food label says enriched or added sugar these are not in the good carb category.  Better carbs are unprocessed or minimally processed whole foods.

To get the healthy fiber you need eat plant foods.  Plants like fruits and vegetables are beneficial carbohydrates loaded with fiber.  According to WebMD, "Studies have shown an increased risk for heart disease with low-fiber diets.  There is also some evidence that fiber in the diet may also help to prevent colon cancer and promote weight control."  Fiber helps you feel full so you will eat less.

You can make some changes in your food choices that will have a great effect on your health and weight control by including good carbs in your diet.  When you go into the grocery story and start searching for healthy bread you will be surprised how hard it is to find.  The first ingredient needs to be whole wheat and not enriched whole wheat.  Some breads look really good and appear to be whole wheat however many times they are made from enriched flour.  Be careful and check the first ingredient listed on the bread to ensure you are getting 100% whole wheat.  Keep in mind that the more the product is refined or "whiter" like bread and rice the lower the fiber.  We eat so much white bread and other white foods to include bagels, English muffins, rice, hamburger/hotdog buns, rolls, etc. that this simple adjustment in your diet can have a great impact on your health and weight loss.  You can make an easy change by switching from white products to whole grain.  You can switch your bread, buns, rice, rolls, tortillas, pasta, and crackers from white to whole grain.

Avoid "added" sugars that are listed on the ingredients label as (high fructose corn syrup).  Added sugar supplies calories but few nutrients according to Dr. Christine Gerbstadt of the American Dietetic Association.  

The Nutrition Facts section on food labels can help you sort the good carbs from the bad carbs. Here’s what to look for on the Nutrition Facts label. This information concerning food labels was obtained from WebMD.

Total Carbohydrate. For tracking the total amount of carbohydrate in the food, per serving, look for the line that says “Total Carbohydrate.” You’ll find that often the grams of “fiber,” grams of “sugars” and grams of “other carbohydrate” will add up to the grams of “total carbohydrate” on the label.
Dietary Fiber. The line that says Dietary Fiber tells you the total amount of fiber in the food, per serving. Dietary fiber is the amount of carbohydrate that is indigestible and will likely pass through the intestinal tract without being absorbed.
Sugars. “Sugars” tells you the total amount of carbohydrate from sugar in the food, from all sources -- natural sources like lactose and fructose as well as added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup. It’s important to distinguish between natural sugars and added sugars. For example, the average 1% low-fat milk label will list 15 grams of “sugar” per cup. Those grams come from the lactose (milk sugars) not from added sweeteners.
To get an idea of how many grams of sugar on the label come from added sugars – such as high fructose corn syrup or white or brown sugar -- check the list of ingredients on the label. See if any of those sweeteners are in the top three or four ingredients. Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so the bulk of most food is made up of the first few ingredients.

It is important to eat as many single ingredient foods as possible to avoid processing and removing healthy nutrients such as fiber.  The more single ingredient foods you eat the better.  I also suggest making as much of your food from scratch or homemade as possible.  I know this can be difficult for many of us who are working however it just requires a little more planning ahead.  A crock pot is wonderful and you can create many great healthy meals that are ready when you return home from work. Take fruits and vegetables in your lunch and avoid sweets as your in-between snack foods  Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to include some form of beans and bean products in your diet.  Kidney beans or black beans are great.  Include them in a recipe such as chili or soup with tomatoes, onions, and lean meat.  Choose cereals for breakfast that are whole grain and include oatmeal.  The best oatmeal is whole grain oats that cook in 5 minutes.   Search the store and include whole grain bread products instead of white in your diet.  When you limit white products you will see almost instant weight loss results. 

 
References
Dr. Christina Gerbstadt, The American Dietetic Association, 2012.
WebMD.com 2012.