Ah, the dreaded "c" word. Of all of the fad diets out there, I personally believe the low-carb diets to be some of the most destructive as far as nutrition goes. That being said, there are carbohydrates that you should avoid such as refined carbs, but there are many healthy carbohydrate food choices out there and our bodies need carbohydrates. The healthier choices such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains provide fiber (a type of carbohydrate) which is necessary for intestinal health. Carbohydrates help to regulate glucose in the body which helps to keep you from feeling sluggish as well as helps to keep your appetite under control if you are eating regularly. Carbs also help to prevent your body from breaking down your muscle for energy. What's the point of working out if your body is eating away at that sexy muscle tone that you are working so hard for?
If you do some research on the amount of carbohydrates that an active person should be eating, the recommendations are not very consistent. The reason for this inconsistency is that the amount of carbs you eat depend on the type of carbs you are eating, how active you are, body type, your health goals, etc. I'm going to give you more of a visual example instead of a number which should help. Approximately half of your meal should be high fiber carbs, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods. If you are trying to lose weight, most of those carbs should be coming from vegetables, but you don't have to eliminate whole grains and fruit from your diet. Eating whole grains and fruits post workout can actually be beneficial.
Below are some healthy carb choices. This is not an all-inclusive list. There are too many healthy carb choices to mention them all, so this is just to give you a few ideas. If you aren't certain about a food, feel free to ask me. Please note that if you look at the ingredient list of any food that has the words whole grain on the packaging and the first ingredient on that list does not say whole grain or whole wheat, it is not whole grain. Wheat flour or enriched wheat flour are just alternative terms for white flour. It's an advertising gimmick that a lot of food manufacturers use to trick the consumer into thinking they are buying something healthy, so beware!
Whole Grains
Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals (Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Total, Grape Nuts, Wheaties, etc. - of course the less expensive store brands of these products are fine too), whole wheat bagels, whole wheat English muffins, quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta (Ronzoni's SmartTaste pasta is whole wheat, but doesn't have the chewy consistency), corn, bulgur, barley
Beans (high in protein and fiber)
Black-eyed peas, green peas, kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, pinto beans, lima beans, soy beans (edamame)
Vegetables
Broccoli, green beans, beets, avocado, cauliflower, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, spinach, kale, mustard greens, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, asparagus, brusselsprouts
Fruits
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, bananas, grapes, cantaloupe, tomatoes, watermelon, pineapple, oranges, honeydew, pears
About this Author
Shellie Wingate is a certified personal trainer, is owner and instructor of Body Boot Camp, and has a health and fitness blog at http://www.coachshellie.com. Visit the blog to subscribe to her free Coach Shellie Health and Fitness Magazine. You can also find articles written by Shellie in Kentucky Monthly Magazine.
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