What are good carbs and bad carbs, How bad are refined carbs and sugar?
What are good carbs and bad carbs, How bad are refined carbs and sugar?
Selecting Good Carbs for Your Waistline and Health
Pasta, cookies, cakes, white bread and more. These are only a few examples of the foods we crave. Do you like ice cream and pastries? Well, for sure, you like It. Despite the yummy tastes it has, it can raise your blood sugar. It can also cause fat and fluctuations in your mood.
In time, you see your waistline increase in size. But, don’t worry. You don’t have to abstain from carbs. You need to pick the healthy carbs for your diet. You can eat foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. These foods don’t affect the rise in your sugar. Also, it can unleash a healthier version of you.
Why are refined carbs and sugar so bad for your health?
You’re familiar with white flour, bread, pizza dough and white rice. These are examples of simple or refined sugar. Yes, it’s delicious, but it can lead to huge blood sugar in your body. It’s best to take note of the foods you eat to avoid diabetes
High simple carbs on your system produce huge sugar on your bloodstream. Then, the insulin gets out to get rid of the blood sugar. A high amount of insulin makes you hungry. The effect is you would eat more foods. In a long time, this can lead to insulin resistance that results in diabetes. High sugar also results in obesity, mood disorders and more.
Turning your back from the sweet treats is a sure way to live healthily. But, some us find it difficult to cut the carbs. Most of you love pasta and cakes. You drink sodas during work or have sugary desserts during occasions. Your blood sugar needs to be stable to avoid complications. So, you need to take small servings of sugar daily.
There’s no sweet link between belly fat and sugar
Belly fat in your abdominal organs results in diabetes and insulin resistance. If you like to drink sodas and coffee, you can expect a big belly. The calories from these foods show a high fructose content. Some people forget that eating too much sweet is harmful. But, they still indulge in the bad eating habits.
One of the best ways you can do is to stick with fruits and vegetables. For sure, your waistline would be on its right shape in the weeks to come. The good carbs you eat offers you the best solution to health problems.
Good carbs and bad carbs
Carbohydrates are your main source of energy. In the United States, the health department gives a recommendation. There should be 45 – 65% of calories that are from carbs. But, there are instances the complex carbs enter your diet. Hence, your health goals are no successful when it happens.
Digestion of the complex carbs takes on a slow process. It results in a high formation of sugar in the bloodstream. So, you need to check the carbs content of the foods you’re eating. It gives you a sure win in fighting diabetes.
Good carbs have the following:
Unrefined whole grains
Do you like to eat oatmeal, multigrain bread, and barley? Well, you are on the right track to being healthy. These foods have low carbs in it. Don’t worry about your blood sugar.
Non-starchy vegetables
You have a good selection of veggies to include in your diet. A few examples of these are celery, green beans, tomatoes, spinach and more.
Legumes
When it comes to legumes, you have lentils, peas, kidney beans and baked beans to choose for your cooking. It gives you healthy lifestyle.
Nuts
You can try eating cashews, walnuts, and peanuts during snacks. It offers you a yummy treat that leads to a happy life.
Fruit
The great fruits you can eat are citrus fruits, berries, apples and many more. These are rich in vitamin C, vitamins and minerals.
What is the glycemic index? What does glycemic load mean?
The GI or glycemic index measures the amount of blood sugar in your body. Meanwhile, the glycemic load is a measurement of carbs you have. It might include the fibers in the food you eat. Using these tools have a positive effect on your diet. But, you still need to take note of the foods you eat. In looking at the sugar content, there is a chance to achieve the right food servings.
Switching to good carbs
You can’t completely avoid eating a cake or French fries. All you need to do is to eat these once or twice a month. It’s a good idea on turning to the good carbs. You make it an integral part of your diet and see good results. If you crave complex carbs, seek good carbs to have a healthy life.
Eating harmful foods on an occasional lessens your interest to eat more of these foods.
Additional Sugars Gives You Empty Calories
Your body gets the sugar it needs. You have fructose that comes from fruits. Meanwhile, lactose is from milk. The extra sugar on some unhealthy foods offers no value. There are times that these can affect your diet plan. Hence, you have to select the right foods to include in your diet preparation.
There’s no point in avoiding sugar on your diet. But, you have the edge in limiting its content on the foods. The American Heart Association states your sugar should be less than 100 calories. It amounts to 6 teaspoons or 24g of sugar for women. Men you need to have 150 calories each day. It means you must take nine teaspoons or 36g.
If you’re drinking sodas, you take ten teaspoons of sugar per day. It’s more than the amount of sugar that’s right for you. So, you need to take note of the sugar content on your beverages. The recommendation serves as a guide to achieve a happy life. Chances are low for you to have diabetes.
How to cut down on sugar
Slowly reduce the sugar in your diet a little at a time
Eating doesn’t need to be rush. You have to take it once at a time. You let your taste buds rest for a few minutes. Then, you can start eating again. People who eat slowly have a big chance of fighting diabetes. The process prevents you from taking too much craving for sweets. You also need the right amount of foods on your plate.
Cook more at home
Cooking at home gives you the benefits you need. One of these is you select the foods you eat. You can measure the sugar content on a dessert. Another advantage, you have full control of the foods you’re preparing. Thus, you can easily plan your diet. It gives you the best way to live healthy by eating healthy foods.
Give recipes a makeover
Put some creativeness in cooking your recipes. You can make these tasteful by putting less sugar. You seek yummy alternative ingredients for the food. Who knows, your discovery might lead to future health benefits. You can share your work with your family. For sure, healthy life would be yours.
Avoid sugary drinks—even “diet” versions
You refrain from drinking sodas. Now is the time to drink healthy beverages. You prepare a fruit juice and put ice on it. Take your blender out from the cabinets and make a smoothie. You’re free to blend berries and banana. It’s going to be a delicious treat for you and the family.
Avoid processed or packaged foods
The packed foods in the US are 75%. People who order from fast food chains have tendencies to gain poor health. It’s best to cook your meals at home. Here, you’re sure of the safe preparation of the foods you eat.
Also, you try eating veggies during lunch and supper. It’s a good source of vitamins and nutrients you need. You have the chance to feel healthy all the time. You add the right veggies such as carrots and broccoli. For sure, healthy and happy life is yours.
You quit on the bad stuff and start living a good life.
Be careful when eating out
You need to be cautious of the sauces and gravy on your take-out meals. It’s best to order chicken without gravy. You can also make your gravy recipe that has nutrients you need. You can seek other flavors of the gravy that applies to the dish. You can add peppers or celery if you like. If you need some sugar, you put small amounts.
Eating out is great for the family bonding. But, you have to consider the safety and health of your family. Thus, you make a move to go healthy by cooking at home. It proves a healthy action for you to live a healthy life.
Eat healthier snacks
You cross out junk foods from the list of your favorite snacks. It’s harmful to your health due to the high carbs and calories it has. It’s a wise move to indulge yourself to fruits and peanut butter. It’s delicious and offers you a sure way to lessen complex carbs and fats. You can also influence others to love the healthy snacks.
Create your frozen treats
Preparing your healthy diet gives you the chance to make your frozen treats. It’s simple. You can freeze the fruit juice or shake in the fridge. The nutrients of bananas, apples, and berries add to make your body healthy. Also, you can have a creative alternative to the soda you like. Take fruits and veggies to the kitchen and see the big difference it can give you.
Check labels
When you’re shopping, don’t forget to check the labels. Choosing the lo sugar foods is important. Carefully read the contents of the labels to ensure you have the right nutrition info. If you make this a habit, there is a sure way of the healthy result on your diet. It’s the best way to take care of your health.
How to Find the Sugar in Your Food
You have to play smart about sweets prevent the signs of high sugar in your body. One of the best ways to do this is by checking the food labels. Don’t believe the information on some labels. There are sugars in low-fat meals, ketchup, cereals, bread and more. If you eat in fast food chains, you need to keep in mind of the gravy and the sauce.
Engage in Detective Work
Food manufacturers need to state sugar in the food labels they make. But, they don’t give the amount of sugar ingredient in the foods. You be careful of the foods you purchase during groceries or takeouts. You must decipher the sugar in the foods to lessen the high blood sugar on your body. Aside from honey, sugar, and molasses, you can find extra sugars on other ingredients.
These ingredients are corn sweeter, cane crystals, agave nectar, and crystalline fructose. You can also notice sugar on evaporated cane juice, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup. Some companies also add invert sugar, maltose, lactose, malt syrup, etc.
As a wise buyer, you need to avoid products that have the following sugars. You need to be mindful of the sugars from the bottom of the label. These might on the 4th or 5th on the list. Some food manufacturers add sweeteners on the list. They term it as sugar, but these are not sugars. The trick is for you to look on the bottom of the list. Now, you look for the sugar content and put it on the top of the list.
Thus, you would arrive at a surprising fact of finding much sugar than you believe. The extra sugar could give a harmful effect on your blood sugar. As a buyer, you need to avoid it.
Now let’s take a look on a popular cereal. The package reads as heart-healthy, great tasting and more. You also have a guarantee on the whole grain. The following are the list of ingredients:
The important ingredients are whole grain wheat, oats, brown sugar, oats and more. The tasty contents are corn syrup, potassium citrate, and barley. So, for the additional flavor, you have wheat bits, malt syrup, and salt. It captures your taste due to the cinnamon and honey it has. The mixture of ingredients is perfect for the yummy cereal.
Now, we go to the other ingredients such as the fructose corn syrup, and molasses. The addition of honey makes this sweeter than the usual oats.
Next, we go to the preparation. First, you mix the sugar, brown sugar, malt extract, barley and other ingredients. You can include the honey, the syrup, fructose and malt syrup. In doing this, you are sure to have a healthy dose of calories on your diet. If you notice, the list contains a high amount of sugar. You might not notice it from the beginning. But, it’s there if you observe the other ingredients.
The percentage falls to 27% and is high for you. When you purchase a product, you need to take good consideration of each of the ingredients. It’s best to scan the list to ensure you have the right sugar intake on your body.
Adapted with permission from Reducing Sugar and Salt, a special health report published by Harvard Health Publications.
Photo sources: pixabay.com
