High Carb, No Carb, Low Carb, Good Carb, Bad Carb.  This has been the dietary jingle rotating through our media the last decade.  It’s run its course and I’m tired of hearing it.  Here’s the facts:

There are good carbs and there are bad carbs.  It is very important to distinguish between the two as they act very differently in your body.  The good ones are high in fiber (think 100% whole grains, beans, and fruits).  They have not been broken down and are not refined (think white grains, sugar, and fruit juice).  There are two primary reasons to choose the high fiber ones:

1) Fiber is super important for overall health.  Fiber is digested and absorbed very slowly – this helps your body have slow, consistent, energy rather than blood sugar peaks and valleys.  It provides many health benefits and I consider it to be the foundation of preventative nutrition.  It keeps your gut healthy, which keeps your whole body healthy.  It also helps improve metabolism and reduce weight gain, cholesterol, and spikes in blood sugar.

2) Minimizing your intake of refined starches and sugar is important for weight/fat loss because you reduce the need for extra insulin in your body.  Extra insulin causes your body to store excess fat and inhibits fat breakdown.  So that package of “white” spaghetti noodles will act very differently than a pack of 100% whole wheat ones.  When you eat high fiber carbs, you do not need this insulin burst, but instead you get steady, consistent energy that is used for fuel rather than stored.
Furthermore, studies have not been able to show long-term weight benefits from No Carb or Very Low Carb Diets.  In fact, they almost always show regain of weight and fat.  Take home message: Include healthy carbs in your diet (whole grains, fruits, beans) and avoid the white stuff like the plague (white starch and sugar).

Written by: admin on March 28, 2011.