We have all heard stories of the devilish carbs that weasel their way into your diet… singing their siren song, driving you mad with the temptation to eat their sugary, chocolate coated, iced, buttered, toasted, baked, fried or jam coated goodness only to make you feel oh so sorry & bloated later… once on the lips forever on the hips, right? That’s a carb, huh?
Let’s rewind and keep it simple. Carbohydrates… there are two types
- complex
- refined
Now let’s do some word association…
- complex … starches & fibers, unprocessed or minimally processed, a food in it’s natural state
- refined … processed food, skeletons of what they use to be as found in nature, broken down then rebuilt
- complex … legumes, seeds, nuts, vegetables, vegetables & tubulars
- refined … white bread, cupcakes, cereals, potato chips, pretzels
So, are we getting the picture? Carbs are everywhere. We need carbs as the most important energy source for our daily activities (activities = how we MOVE our bodies).
When a carb food source is processed it is broken down and stripped of the natural layers/shells (wheat or rice as an example). It is put back together with missing parts “enriched” with, most often, synthetic vitamins or fillers.
Think if it this way… would you add water to the gas you put into your car to bulk the volume of fuel & save money? It may save $ for a while and your car may run for a bit but it is not how the car was designed to get you from home to that hot pair of boots at Marshalls.
lower miles per gallon – clogged fuel pump – broken alternator = HUGE repair bills. Why do we show our bodies less respect than we give our car? Is it because a marketing genius created a creative jingle, put a pretty wrapper on it and paid a seductive spokesperson to tell you you need to eat it? Or we do we grab that ***insert your tasty weakness here*** because it really does the body good?
- obesity
- diabetes
- inflammation
- heart disease
- hypertension/high blood pressure
Why is it so hard to choose the complex carbs? What makes it so hard to put the spoon to the applesauce vs. ice cream…. It’s the taste of sweet? The comforting crunch? That familiar salty snack? You can find all those things in a complex carb and it is less costly per serving than the refined carbs…especially in terms of quality of life. If you want a little indulgence it is about balance not over indulgence. More than anything it seems the choice between complex or refined is about self control. What do you think?
this entry is maybe more of a personal journal entry as a reminder for me to clean it up! I’d love to hear what you do to make better food choices.
** disclaimer: I suffer from a sweet tooth…yup. I am not a nutritionist but like to read, learn and ask questions. I don’t have it all exactly right just trying to make small changes. I also try to hug my cat too often…he’s not a hugger**