In Parts 1 and 2 of “Don’t Carbs Make Me Fat?” We talk about carbohydrates: the good and the bad. Missed those Lifelines? I would be happy to email them to you.
Let’s review:
=> Where do you get your energy from? Good carbs.
=> Where do you get the most nutrition for the calorie money? Good carbs.
=> What foods satisfy your hunger drive? Good carbs.
=> What foods should you fill up on first to lose weight consistently? Good carbs.
=> What foods crush cravings? good boy carbs
Will the good carbs get up? Oh yeah, there you have it: whole fruits, vegetables, unrefined grains, and legumes. Applause please for our heroes of health and warriors of disease and weight. Applause for eating them!
Now for the bad boys. Refined Sugar (Part 2) for One – Not to be confused with the natural sugars in whole fruits and vegetables that are critical for energy and health.
And refined sugars love to hang out with other bad carbs: refined flours and grains:
White flour, breads, boxed dry cereals, cakes, bagels, muffins, pastas, tortillas, white rice, instant oats, cream of wheat, desserts, baked goodies – you get it.
The bad in grains and refined flours:
=> leave you overfed and undernourished => increase appetite and cravings for more nutrients
=> resulting in eating more food, more bad carbs, more calories, more fat, more weight, and more negative self-talk
=> trigger blood sugar spikes, hypoglycemia and diabetes
=> raise triglycerides (fats in the blood), increase risk of heart disease, increase risk of some cancers (stomach, colorectal, pancreatic, breast) and gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome
=> contribute to osteoporosis, leaching hard minerals, such as calcium, from the bones (yes, white flour dissolves bones)
White sugars and white flours love to hang out together. Worse yet, they get together with other bad guys like salt, oils, fats, chemicals, preservatives, and who knows what else artificial to make processed and packaged food favorites.
Be careful with the breads. “Wheat flour” is synonymous with white flour, not whole wheat flour. Ninety-nine percent of all breads contain white flour. If the bread is not labeled 100% whole wheat, 100% whole grain, or 100% sprouted grain, then there is white flour inside. And, even with that 100% on the packaging, he is wary. Taggers are expert tricksters! Read the label carefully, not just for the bad carbs, but the other bad ones as well: salt, sugar, oil, additives, preservatives, etc.
If a label has a lot of ingredients, watch out! And take a look: most bread products have at least 30 ingredients.
Note: Even if the bread is 100% whole wheat or sprouted, the bread is not a “whole grain” like brown rice, whole barley, millet, or whole oats are. No matter how you slice it, bread is a highly processed food.
The breads are made from altered bits of whole grains or sprouts from nature, removing vital nutrients and leaving a very dense and compromised food that is addictive and does not aid weight loss or health.
Welcome to ClubCarb!
You are now an official member of the Carbohydrate Experts Club.
Now you know:
1. Your energy today comes from the good carbohydrates you ate yesterday.
2. Good carbohydrates come from whole plant foods: fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
3. Bad carbs, empty of nutrition and high in calories, come from refined and processed plant foods, like white sugar and white flour.
4. Read your labels!
And after putting your carb knowledge to work for a while and losing those pounds, when someone comments, “Wow! You look great. How did you lose the weight?” your automatic response will be:
“I’ve said goodbye to bad carbs, no more sweets or white flour treats for me. I’m filling up on the good carbs found in fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. This works for me.”
And remember: it’s not about being right, it’s about doing what’s right for you.
“Losing weight is a process of elimination, from the inside out.”
– Dr. Leslie
