The number of people with unwanted body weight has reached to an unprecedented rate among the western population, with about 65% people overweight and about 33% clinically obese. Extra body weight has been correlated with numerous nutritional disorders, such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart related problems. In this era of high protein and/or low-carb foods, there seems to be a great deal of confusion among the consumers as to what would be the ideal diet for losing and maintaining weight. The popular diet plans in the market have contributed to the confusion among the consumers when it comes to including carbohydrates in the diet. The lack of knowledge on the consumers’ side in terms of selection of healthy foods often leads their buying decisions to be influenced by these marketing nudges.
So can cutting down on carbohydrate intake help to lose weight? This post sheds some light on this aspect and educates the readers on the selection of good carbohydrate foods and how to avoid bad carbohydrate foods.
Carbohydrates (carbs) have been providing energy to the human body since the beginning of evolution. Therefore, avoiding carbohydrates from our diet would not be wise.
The bad carbs are mainly derived from processed foods and sweet snacks and desserts, such as, candies, cookies, chips, doughnuts, brownies, danish, etc. Some of these foods may be high in fat, salt and overall calories. Unfortunately, the foods available in the western world are abundant in bad carbs. For example, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners would not be complete without pies and cakes, the spirit of the month of Christmas is incomplete if homemade cookies are missing, and taking candies out of Halloween and Easter is like taking a fish out of water. A big part of this trend is contributed by the processed food industry, which is also advancing in other parts of the world.
The sources of good carbs are whole grains like rice, wheat, oat, barley, whole grain cereals, whole grain breads, fruits, vegetables, etc. The good carb foods like fruits contain a complex form of sugar that is not so readily absorbed in the human body and thereby keeps your blood sugar levels low. Therefore, replacing the bad carbohydrate portion of your daily diet with these good carbs would be a step towards better health.
The main sources of calories for the human body are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In general, less than 30% of total calories consumed per day should be provided by fat, and proteins and carbohydrates may each contribute about 30-40% of your daily calorie intake. These carbohydrates should be good carbs as mentioned above.
Now the question is how to avoid eating bad carbs? Read the list of bad carb foods listed above and then go through your refrigerator and kitchen cabinets and look for the matches. Also, add the good carb foods listed above and others similar in your grocery-shopping list.
Below are the general guidelines for weight regulation and optimum health:
1. Cut down on overall salt, sugar and fat intake.
2. Substitute the intake of bad carbs with good carbs; animal proteins with plant protein foods; saturated oils with vegetable oils.
3. Increase the intake of water and fiber.
4. Consume 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
4. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, at least 3 times a week.
5. Consistency of all above.
