Nutrition Basics: Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
The have been called the devil while in the same bite are heaven on earth. We fear them and the coma they induce. So lets start with some basics for getting started with incorporating them from the stand point of health. We will go over several scenarios/starting points that apply differently to individuals and how carbs can be utilized as well as possible.
LEVEL 1: Start with Fruit and Veggies. Mostly having them coming from berries and green veggies like spinach, arugula, or broccoli. These will help by giving us many of the micronutrients we need to survive and thrive.
LEVEL 2: Where is the sugar? The carbs that we actually might want to fear as a healthy person would be the ultra processed ones that have added sugar in them. This could range from cereal, pastry, cake, and other candy. Figuring out what has lots of added sugar and eliminating them from our diet is helpful on gastrointestinal, cognitive, and overall levels of health.
LEVEL 3: Fill me up Fiber. and they can be in the forms of soluble and non soluble. Seeds, nut, greens, berries, beans, and high fiber breads and tortillas can contain these. They are helpful for digestion because they will help pull more water into our GI which can regulate digestion and keep us feeling fuller longer. Drink your water with this. You don’t want to clog the dam
LEVEL 4: Give me the energy . Start with the faster absorbing whole food source. Rice, potatoes, some breads and grains. If we have high level goals that need hours of exercise to achieve that might be too hard. Then you can consider the breakfast cereals and more sugary snacks. Keep in mind this is more for performance versus health here.
LEVEL 5: Carb Coma. Sleep is the recovery mechanism for our muscles and we can use carbs to help that. If we have the majority of our carbs with dinner this can help get deeper, more restful sleep. Our body’s temperature tends to ramp up a bit at night with a lot of carbs so have the A/C bumped down an extra couple degrees to compensate.
Carbohydrates are very misunderstood. Keep in mind the recommendation vary extremely from person to person. At the top end most people should not eat over 1000 grams in a day and less than 0.
