Bad carbs will make you gain weight, while good carbs CAN help you lose weight!

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Bad carbs will make you gain weight, while good carbs CAN help you lose weight!

November 29, 2008 - Follow me on Twitter

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I know this statement will send many women running to their nearest bakery to finally break their abstinence from carbs.

I’m always amazed at how many North American and British women will NOT eat carbs because they fear the potential weight gain. I’m equally amazed when I speak to some women at the gym who never touch carbs after 5 p.m. at night.

I think I’d shock a lot of people if I told them that I had my dinner European style (at around 9 p.m.) and I pretty much always eat carbs at dinner time, but I also eat carbs during the day to properly fuel my body. I know it might seem like I’m living on the edge by eating and openly admitting that I in fact eat carbs, but I’m willing to take that extreme measure if it means that more women will listen and stop depriving their bodies of carbs.

I remember once a woman I worked with who was in her late 50s (she must be in her late 60s now) and she was determined to lose weight and she decided that the Atkins Diet was the way to go. She came to the office and declared that she was going to drop the pounds. I remember questioning her about the Atkins Diet (which I knew nothing about at the time) and I wanted to find out more about what she could and could not eat. When she told me she couldn’t eat carbs, I said, “well at least you can eat loads of fruits, veggies and yogurt“. She corrected me by letting me know that there were a long list of fruits and veggies that were off limits because they contained carbs. I wished her luck and walked back to my cubicle quite saddened for her because I’d be a crabby individual if I had to give up all those carbs.

When North Americans go on-and-on-and-on-and-on about the evils that are carbs, I always ask them to remember that if the French and the Italians stopped eating carbs that would have a huge impact on the economy of those two countries because in France and in Italy they EAT quite a lot of carbs and yet they remain thin!

Carbs are NOT evil, but the quality of the carbs you choose to eat has a serious impact on your weight. The same goes with women who cut out carbs all together from their diet. The day they eat a sliver of cake or bread, they balloon like little beluga whales.

The body needs a variety of foods to keep it running properly and when you eliminate an entire food group … you’re just toying with long term disaster. You always have to keep in mind that your body can sustain more abuse when you are younger, but it will get even as you age and that’s just something you don’t want to see happen. If you treat your body with kindness and respect at a younger age, you will considerably diminish a lot of the negative physical issues related to aging.

Why are carbs good for you?

1. Good carbs will fuel your body.

2. Good carbs are an excellent source of fibre (soluble fibre that can lower “bad” cholesterol). Remember: fibre is essential to eliminating toxins and trapped foods.

3. Good carbs can lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

4. Good carbs contain loads of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are really good for your skin and that will help maintain the youthfulness of your skin.

5. Good carbs will help you digest better.

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Carbs to avoid like the plague

The rule is simple: if it’s super white, sugary or deep fried … put it down and step away from the plate. Most bad carbs usually start with the same diet-busting ingredient: white refined flour.

To be sure the message is clear, I’ll list a few no-no carbs:

White refined bread: There is a rule … if you can squeeze your bread easily, chances are it’s full of fillers and doesn’t contain much nutrition. Good bread is very dense and it’s harder to squeeze flat … even when it’s made with white flour.

Doughnuts: There’s really not more I can add other than doughnuts are truly empty calories.

White pasta that contains a really long list of ingredient you cannot pronounce: White pasta imported from Italy only contains a very short list of pronounceable ingredients that will not harm your body when consumed in moderation. When you start seeing words that you cannot pronounce on the package it means that your body will not be able to metabolize certain ingredients and they will end up being trapped inside your body and preventing your body from functioning properly. Pasta is not bad … if it were, Italians would have to burn all their cookbooks and an entire industry would put millions of people out of work.

Instant white rice or white rice mixes: Good quality white rice is really healthy (in moderation) and will not make you fat or else there would be a LOT of really fat Chinese people walking around the planet and as we all know, most Chinese people are quite slim and they eat long grain white rice at least twice a day. Nothing beats freshly cooked jasmine scented long grain rice in my book. When you eat rice, you want to make sure the quality is there and you also want to make sure you eat one portion NOT two or three.

Most desserts are made with refined white flour: A little dessert here and there is good for the soul, but no one should have dessert on a daily basis because there is no need for it and it’s really not something your body needs. I’ve tried “healthy” desserts made with whole wheat flour, but in many cases it’s just not the same. When I want or crave a dessert I’m happy to indulge in the original instead of a substitute and that’s why I really curb how many desserts I eat per month to only three.

Battered foods: All batter starts with white refined flour … by the time you fry it, it simply turns into a weight gain oasis once it reaches your body … just like desserts. A treat here or there is great, but eating food coated with batter daily or weekly is just not a good idea if your objective is to keep a healthy body and weight. I can assure you that if you sit me in front of a plate of deep fried coconut shrimp, I will inhale it in two minutes flat … and that’s why I only indulge in them a few times per year!

Breakfast cereal: You really want to choose wisely. There are many healthy options on the market now and you no longer have to run to a health food store because conventional grocery stores are carrying far better brands of healthy cereals these days. There are many cereals that are made with whole wheat and many ancient grains such as kamut and spelt. That said, cereals are still heavy on carbs and you might want to vary your breakfast and not eat them every morning. You also want to make sure that you eat a normal portion and not take out the big salad bowl and fill it up with cereal and call it breakfast!

White potatoes: I’m sorry to all those readers who love potatoes. I can empathize and I will tell you that this was the hardest carb for me to give up. I still will eat garlic roasted potatoes (yum!) once in a while and I will still eat mashed potatoes with cream, but it’s really on rare occasions. I’ve replaced my potatoes with sweet potatoes, squash or whole grain breads.

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Carbs to enjoy and savour

A great way to keep your carb ratio in check is to vary the type of grains you eat. White flour should be consumed in really small portions, but you don’t only have to really on whole wheat options, there are many grains that you can use in your recipes. You’ll also notice that more and more breads made with other grains such as spelt, kamut, bran and rye.

Good quality carbs will in fact help your body digest food and that will obviously help you eliminate toxins more effectively and eliminating toxin will help you avoid having food trapped in your body festering and making you feel bloated.

I’m on a roll with this post and I’ll have to cut it in two. You can read part 2 of this post to find out which grains (carbs) are actually good for you!

>>>> part 2 of 2: 12 grains (carbs) that are actually good for you!

Photo of French Toast by bcmom

Photo of toast by yomi955

Photo of Swedish buns by Per Ola Wiberg