Are carbohydrates really bad for you? Is it healthy to avoid them completely? I will discuss the answers to those questions, along with talking about what purpose carbohydrates serve in our body, and what types of carbohydrates you should pick up the next time you head out to the grocery store.

Why you need Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are good for your body, but most people are eating the wrong type of carbohydrates (which I will go into detail below). Your body benefits from Carbohydrates when they are broken down into glucose, which fuels the body with needed energy. Anyone who exercises probably knows how important carbohydrates are in their diet.

Simple Carbohydrates

When you eat simple carbohydrates, such as processed flours and sugar, you will get a quick but short boost of energy. Our cells only need a certain amount of gluose at a time, so all of the extra “instant” glucose that is created by these simple carbohydrates turns into either stored glycogen (in the liver) or converted into fat.

An example of simple carbohydrates would be white bread, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, etc. They are packed with calories but depleted of nutrients. Basically, if you want to maintain or lose weight, stay away from the simple carbohydrates, because they become converted into fat soon after eating them.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are typically low in calories, high in fiber, and are full of nutrients that are very beneficial for your body. These types of carbohydrates are digested slowly, which allows for a gradual release of energy. Since your body isn’t overloaded with glucose at one instance, your body’s cells use what it needs and leaves a much smaller amount to be stored or converted into fat. Because of this slower digestion process, you end up being full for longer, which usually helps prevent people from overeating.

An example of complex carbohydrates would be vegetables, grains, and rice.

Healthy Carbohydrates

•Quinoa – This tasty seed (not actually a grain!)  is very high in protein and also considered what’s called a “complete protein”,  since it contains all of the amino acids, including lysine. Quinoa is also high in fiber, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Quinoa is a gluten free grain, which means those with Celiac disease can enjoy the many health benefits of Quinoa.

•Farro – This grain, similar to the taste of barley, is rich in Magnesium and contains, protein, fiber, and Vitamins B and E. This is an ancient grain used for thousands of years in Egypt and Italy. Not only is Farro very healthy for you, but it has a delicious nut flavor to it and great in recipes. It’s a grain that is growing back in popularity, especially amongst chefs in Europe.

•Brown Rice – This rice is full of nutrients that are very beneficial for your body! Brown rice is full of Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, iron, manganese, magnesium, iron, fiber, and protein. Brown rice oil, which is only present in brown rice (not white rice), has been proven to help lower cholesterol levels. Brown rice may help reduce cardiovascular disease as well as help prevent cancer.

•Freekeh – This grain is becoming increasingly popular, known as a “super grain” amongst celebrities such as Doctor Oz and Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. It’s no wonder that Freekeh is getting a lot of attention lately, since it is full of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium, B Vitamins, Vitamin E, and this grain is very high in fiber (four times the amount of brown rice), and also high in protein. In addition to that, Freekeh also acts as a prebiotic, which helps aide digestion.

•Amaranth – Known as a “Natural Weight Loss Food”, Amaranth is high in Calcium, fiber, iron, magnesium, and protein. Amaranth even contains Lysine, which is an amino acid that helps growth and tissue repair. Amaranth is another great source for those who are looking for something that is Gluten Free.

•Chia – This is one of the richest plant sources of Omega 3 fatty acids, which boosts the metabolism and promotes lean muscle mass. Chia seeds are very high fiber, protein, antioxidants, and helps support heart health and stabilizes blood sugar levels.

•Beans – Beans are full of fiber, helps improves digestion, stabilize sugar levels, and maintain energy levels.

•Vegetables – Vegetables are low in calories, very filling and very healthy for you. Just try to eat a variety of different vegetables so you can get a variety of different nutrients.

Carbohydrates to Avoid

• Bleached/Processed Flour – During the refining process, the nutrients are completely lost and destroyed. What does this mean? Half of the calcium and beneficial unsaturated fatty acids, 80% of the iron, 70% of the phosphorus, over 90% of the magnesium, up to 80% of the B Vitamins, and just about all of the Vitamin E is completely gone. So when I say that White flour is “empty calories” or “nutritionally depleted”, you now know what I am talking about. There is just no health benefit to eating bleached and/or processed flour, a.k.a “White Bread”.

• White Bread – Made with Bleached and Processed flour, it holds no nutritional value. I am surprised people are still buying this stuff.

• White Rice – When you take brown rice and process it by removing it’s bran, minerals, vitamins, and strip off the essential nutrients, it then becomes white rice. Why do we as a society strip a perfectly healthy brown rice and make it white? Because once it is white rice, it becomes easier and faster to cook, and it now has a longer shelf life (great for food storage -not necessarily our health). Most people who aren’t used to brown rice, think that white rice tastes better. Now that you know that white rice has nothing left in it after being processed, and how it is now a simple carbohydrate (read: helps you gain fat), I hope you will be more willing to try brown rice next time.

What’s your Daily Carb Fix?

In the past, we were told that our main diet should consist of carbohydrates. Now, every diet seems to tell you to completely eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. So which one is it? Well, we know that carbohydrates are essential for optimal health, as long as you are eating the healthy kinds of carbohydrates. There are a lot of factors that determine how many grams of carbohydrates you should be eating a day, such as weight, fat vs. lean muscle mass ratio, and the amount of exercise you are doing. Because there are so many factors involved, they best I can tell you to do is to start with 100-150 grams of carbohydrates per day. If you are feeling like you aren’t getting enough, slowly adjust the amount of carbohydrates you are eating and add some more to your diet. If you are feeling too full and sluggish all of the time (even with exercise), you should start to lower the amount of carbohydrates you are taking in each day. Be sure that you are only eating healthy forms of carbohydrates, since this will effect your energy levels and determine how many grams of carbohydrates you really need.

Now that you know which carbohydrates are good for you and which ones you should avoid, you can start by making adjustments to your grocery list. Try to remember that eating healthier doesn’t happen overnight. Start by incorporating these healthy grains- one step at a time!

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Nutrition and Health Benefits

The American Heart Association recommends at least 2 servings of fish per week. Now, I know why… This fish is packed with a lot of healthy and beneficial nutrients! Salmon is not only low in calories, but it is also a great source of  important and healthy Omega-3 fatty acids (helps with the immune system,circulatory systems, and helps prevent unwanted inflammation) , B6,  B12, Niacin (processes fats in the body and lowers cholesterol), tryptophan (an amino acid which helps reduce headaches and even help stop cravings for unecessary amounts of carbohydrates and sweets),  Selenium, High in Vitamin D (an entire day’s worth!), Magnesium, and of course…protein!

Wild or Farmed Salmon?

Many don’t even bother to ask this question or understand the difference between the two, so I have to bring this up! Defintely go for the Wild Salmon. Farmed Salmon has been tested with much higher (up to 10 times the amount compared to Wild Salmon) amounts of toxins, including dioxin, toxaphen, dieldrin, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s). These toxins are found to increase the risk of all cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and can even surpress your immune system – just to name a few things. To keep it short and simple; you don’t want these toxins in your body, and if it is Farmed Salmon, the dangers outweigh the benefits and it is best to avoid them.

Food Preparation

You can buy Salmon in many different ways; fresh, frozen, canned, and raw (sushi). This is great because that means there are many ways to prepare this wonderful and healthy fish without ever getting bored!

Fresh Salmon is great as long as you are planning on preparing your meal same day, or at least in the next short while (usually there will be a “best before” date on the package). Frozen Salmon is convenient if you want to buy Salmon in bulk, without having to deal with your fish going bad. Both Fresh and Frozen salmon can be baked, steamed, and the Fresh can also be grilled.  Canned is not necessarily my first choice, but if you want it, I personally recommend choosing the canned Salmon with the bones and skin included, which gives you a higher amount of Calcium in it- perfect for Salmon sandwiches which can replace your Tuna sandwiches. Salmon Sushi rolls is another great way to enjoy Salmon! When I first tried raw Salmon, I was nervous that it might taste “fishy”, but if you go to a reputable Sushi Restraunt, it shouldn’t taste “fishy” at all, and you will enjoy it if you already enjoy sushi.

Serving: 4 oz

Calories: 261 (plain, nothing added)

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