How to Choose the Right Carbs for You

Here are some rules to follow:

1. Limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat at one time. Your body can process only so much.
2. The best time to eat a high carb food is right after working out. Combine your carbohydrate snack with some protein to rebuild muscle. At that time, the carbs can be used to replace your muscle glycogen instead of manufacturing more fat.
3. Balance the carbohydrate food with lean protein and a smattering of healthy fat.
4. Stick to carbohydrate foods which are:
• Nutrient dense. Choose carb foods that provide plenty of valuable vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Colorful vegetables and fruits are the highest on this list.
• High in fiber and as unprocessed as possible
• Low on the glycemix index

Carbs to Enjoy

Say Yes to non-starchy fruits and vegetables. These foods provide limited amounts of carbohydrates in a serving and are fairly low in calories. They provide fiber, essential vitamins and minerals, and marvelous phytochemicals that can keep us healthier as we get older.

For best results, go for fresh or frozen fruits, and avoid canned, especially when sugar is added. Minimize butter, oil, and high-fat sauces on the vegetables, and think of new ways to add flavor. Low fat and skim dairy products are in this category as well. Dairy has a low glycemic index.

Carbs to Avoid

Say No to refined carbohydrates such as sugar, syrups and honey, white flour, white rice, white pasta.

Above all, avoid those processed foods made with high fructose corn syrup, a synthetic sweetener guaranteed to pack on the fat, raise your triglycerides, and increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. High fructose corn syrup is used in soft drinks and other beverages, baked goods, puddings, even salad dressings, and almost any food manufactured by man.

Maybe Carbs

I say Maybe for the unrefined starchy foods. This category includes whole grains, such as whole wheat flour, brown rice, old-fashioned oats, as well as root vegetables like potatoes. Even sweet potatoes, bananas, and moderately starchy vegetables like squash, beets, beans, and peas may need to be restricted if you are limiting carbs.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the foods in the Maybe category unless you are allergic. Unrefined starchy foods provide necessary fiber, and are good sources of many vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients which may not be available from other plant foods. However, they are calorie dense. Eating too many foods in this category can halt weight loss.

Eat unrefined starches and grains regularly if you are thin, have no family history of diabetes, and are very active. If you are trying to lose weight, don’t eat too many calories at one sitting. And if you are insulin resistant or have significant abdominal obesity, you may need to cut back on grains and potatoes in order to improve your metabolic imbalance. The large amount of fiber present in beans seems to make them less likely to increase your blood sugar and insulin levels compared to grains.

Remember this: The more you exercise, the more carbohydrates you can eat.

Menu for a Day

A balanced carb meal for someone who has insulin resistance, needs to lose weight, and is limiting grains:

Breakfast

1 egg, 1 slice whole grain toast, ½ grapefruit

Snack

Low fat cheese

Lunch

Grilled chicken salad, low-cal dressing, tomato soup

Snack

Fat-free Latte, a few almonds

Dinner

Grilled fish, sautéed spinach, tossed lettuce salad with tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, oil and vinegar dressing

Snack

Peach with fat-free yogurt

For an active adult who is happy with his or her weight (the additions are in bold):

Breakfast

1 egg, 1 or 2 slices whole grain toast, ½ grapefruit or orange

Snack

Apple or yogurt

Lunch

Grilled chicken sandwich, tomato soup

Snack

Fat free latte, a few almonds or an oatmeal cookie

Dinner

Grilled fish, sweet potato, sautéed spinach, tossed lettuce salad with tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, oil and vinegar dressing

Snack

Peach with fat-free yogurt