Do You Suffer From

Carb Confusion??

 

 

 

 

Picture this.....you are sitting in one of your favorite Italian restaurants and there is a delicious basket of bread in front of you and then you're given a menu and you instantly begin to salivate over the ocean of pasta dishes before you!  Decisions, decisions.......and then this terrible, haunting voice in your head says....."You can't eat CARBS!!!!!"   But is this voice correct????  I think not!!!

 

One of the most frequently boasted statements I hear from people as a Registered Dietitian and dare I say...they even wear it as a badge of honor..."Oh, I don't eat Carbs."   But, is this the right way......I think not again!!

 

I am happily here to tell you, "Of course you can eat Carbs!!   Don't get me wrong, the kinds of carbohydrates you eat are important and even the timing of when you consume them is important too.  Here's the skinny on this subject...the bulk of Carbs you eat should come from the slower digesting group such as whole wheat pasta, whole wheat cereals/breads, brown rice, legumes, and various fruits.  Here is a little tip just to give you an idea as to how much is enough in one day...1 gram of carbs per pound of bodyweight for a woman on days that you workout....on "no workout" days, cut it down to .5 gram of carbs per pound of bodyweight...so a 130 pound woman can have 130 gram of carbs on workout days and 65 grams on days with no exercise. 

 

Fast-digesting Carbs such as white rice, regular pasta, white bread, sports drinks, and potatoes leave your stomach and are absorbed in your intestines faster resulting in an insulin surge (a hormone in your body), which may make you hungry again faster, but should they be eliminated.....absolutely not!!!  All foods have a place in our lives.....you just need to eat them in MODERATION and know when the best times are!!!  Some studies have suggested that after you workout, your muscles benefit from a surge in insulin to help fuel muscle growth and to help recover...so this may be a better time to consume fast-digesting Carbs.

 

The bottom line...the more you know about what you are fueling your body with, the better you will know how to do it and you won't have to ban any food!!  Now imagine this....you are sitting in the same Italian restaurant.....and now the voice in your head says, "order whatever you want because you know what your doing!!!"   Much better!!