What is it? Carbohydrate
The Carbohydrate or “Carb”
This can be such a confusing thing when it comes to how much to consume and what type. There’s “low carb”, “no carb”, “clean” carbs, “complex” carbs, “simple” carbs, and on and on.
So, what is this thing that has so much attention on it?
Well, by Webster’s definition:
Carbohydrate: car-bo-hy-drate
Function: noun
Date: circa 1869
: any of various neutral compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (as sugars, starches, and celluloses) most of which are formed by green plants and which constitute a major class of animal foods.
Okay…
That’s pretty broad. Carbs are our main source of energy, so they are a pretty important element in our daily nutrition. Without them, our body doesn’t function properly, and we can feel sluggish.
Basically, carbs can be divided into two categories: Simple and Complex
Simple: All carbs are made up of units of sugar. Those that contain only one sugar unit (monosaccharides) or two sugar units (disaccharides) are referred to as simple sugars. Simple sugars are sweet in taste and are broken down quickly in the body to release energy. Two of the most common monosaccharides are glucose and fructose. Glucose is the primary form of sugar stored in the human body for energy. Fructose is the main sugar found in most fruits.
Complex: Complex carbohydrates are long chains of simple sugar units bonded together (for this reason the complex carbohydrates are often referred to as polysaccharides).
When you look at your nutrition and where and how to fit carbs into your diet, a good rule of thumb is the less processing that’s put into the item, the better it is going to be for you.
Items that can easily be classified as “simple” carbs to avoid such as cookies, chips, crackers, candy, white bread, rice and pasta, etc. should be included on ocassion.
“But my snack pack only contains 100 calories…it’s good for my diet” you may say. Well, yes if you’re looking at your quantity, and not your quality. This again brings me to my argument that the quality of your nutrition overrides the quantity almost every time.
Simple carbs, even though they’re fat free, and low in calories only give you a temporary energy boost and feeling of satisfaction. What’s worse is when your body realizes that it didn’t recieve anything in the way of nutrition (vitamins, minerals, etc.) and starts to send an even stronger signal that it still needs something.
Add to your new, stronger sensation of hunger the craving that your body addapts for these simple sugars, and you are setting yourself up for a rough ride.
Surround yourself with simple carbs, and you will most likely find yourself being controlled by your food. What you “can” and “can’t” resist, the inner struggle of how much you want something, but shouldn’t…
Complex carbs present a different scenario. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber, and provide a great source of energy and satisfaction, and are a key part of any successful nutrition plan.
Make sure to include a variety of whole grains (such as quinoa, bulgar wheat, wild rice, etc.), fruits (nature’s perfect sweet snack, usually in a convenient easy to carry “package”) and veggies in your daily nutrition, and you will have the energy and mental clarity to successfully achieve your goals!
We ask our clients to completely cut out simple carbs from their diet, with the exception of an ocassional “cheat” meal. Everything is fine in moderation. Shilo and I shared some organic ice cream last night. It was delicious and satisfying.
When you can cut out the processed, nutritionally void foods 90% of the time, you can indulge the other 10% on just about anything you’d like without skippng a beat on your journey to your ideal body!
