Hi everyone! It has been so long. I have gotten so caught up with my summer and our camp that I had to put this on the side for a while.
I have some really nice, interesting information coming up....
Today I wanted to talk about all of us out there that are carbo-phobic! So many people think that in order to lose weight they need to cut carbs, count calories and really watch themselves. When I hear people saying things like "I don't eat any carbs, it helps me lose weight", I get super frustrated. I feel like saying "oh poor thing, you must be starving yourself!"
A few months back a lady I met at the market asked me how I lost so much weight. She continued on saying its probably because I don't eat ANY carbs, and I watch what I eat really carefully. I just gave her a polite smile, and on the inside I was thinking "NO! That's not how I lost weight!"
Now, lets get clear on what no carbs, low carbs, and which carbs we are really actually talking about.
We all need carbohydrates in our body. They fuel us and give us essential energy.
Carbohydrates are in practically everything we eat. And of course there are good ones and very evil ones. The good carbs that we need come from whole grains found in fruits, vegetables, and other grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole grain sprouted breads, etc...
Evil carbs, which we should all avoid, (except on special occasions) are found in foods like cereal, cookies, cake, sugary drinks, white grains such as bread, white rice, etc...
Again, as always, the key here is to know your foods! For example, a sweet potato might have a high carb content but it is also packed with vitamins, nutrients and is a great energy souce! While, the regular white potato, is basically a starchy carb (sugar) without much nutritional value. And yes, brown rice is high in carbs too, and might also have a high glycemic load (more on that later), but its got fiber, protein and essential oils and fatty acids that we need as part of a healthy diet.
So when we think of losing weight and illuminating all carbs from the diet, lets think again. Think about what a carb really is, how it gives us our energy and how it is essential to us. Make a list of all the carbs you eat in a day, and figure out which ones you should take off that list, and possibly what you can add on instead.
I would like to add a very important point here. Although whole grains are important, portion control is the main key. Like I mentioned earlier, brown rice is good for you, but its still high in carbs. This means that you should have a very small portion, not fill up your plate with it. piling your plate up even with the good carbs will be a sure way to make you gain weight! If you fill up your plate with salad and veggies, then add a small piece of protein (fat) and a small portion of whole grains, you have got yourself a nutritious, filling meal!
You can apply this same concept to fat, which is essential to all of us. Go through the same process and think about the fats you are eating. Are you eating lots of fatty dairy products and heavy, fatty meats? Or are you getting your healthy fats from fish, high quality eggs and avocados, etc?
If we can all get ourselves to think in terms of healthy fats, small amounts of healthy carbs, and shift our mindset away from counting calories and fat free, sugar free, we will all be on our way to healthy, sustainable, maintainable weight loss!
If you would like more details on good grains and carbs, please contact me on facebook or through email at mishiharari@gmail.com
I find that I have no control if I eat any carb. I find I get triggered eating a fruit. It makes me want more sugar/carbs and not the healthy carb.
ReplyDeleteI find it really hard to portion control with carbs. With protein and vegetables I eat until I'm full and rarely overeat.
Hi Feigie,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, in terms portion control and carbs, try filling up your plate half way with salad and/or cooked veggies. Then use a 1/4 for protein and a 1/4 for carbs. Eat the veggies first. That way you'll be full by the time you get to the grain and will not need or want that much of it.
In terms of not having control over eating any carbs, are you speaking about whole grains such as brown rice or carbs like cookies and bread? In general, this is one of the things that carbs does to us. They make us feel energetic and like we are filling up on good food, while we are really only consuming large amounts of starches which turn into sugar. This makes our blood sugar go way up and then way down to a crash, which makes us just craving more of the carbs (sugar.)
If you are getting triggered even by eating a fruit, which you say makes you want unhealthy carbs, it is very possible that your body is missing something essential, such as a vitamin or nutrient, or very possibly that your whole diet is off balance so you get triggered by different things. Try writing down everything you eat and drink and snack on for a few days and then evaluate. I can help you out with this if you would like, its quite enlightening and interesting stuff!