Are
Carbs Getting A Bum Rap?
It
seems like dieting has gotten really complicated with the advent of
Low Carb, High Protein, Low Fat, High Carb, and all the popular diets
in-between.
Some
of the most popular diets today, most notably the Atkins Diet, suggest
that you eliminate carbohydrates from their diets. The truth is, when
you eliminate any group of food from your diet, you eliminate the important
nutrients that they contribute to the diet. And unless you have a way
of replacing those nutrients, you could be doing your body more harm
than good in the long run.
Take
the B-vitamins, for example. B-vitamins
are found primarily in grains.
Your body depends on these vitamins to burn energy. You could call B-vitamins
the match that lights your metabolic fire. You don't want to miss out
on these essentials.
Carbs
are everwhere, almost
Some
root vegetables, such as sweet or white potatoes and other tubers, and
dried beans and peas also contribute significant amounts of carbs. Leafy
and succulent vegetables contribute lesser amounts. These foods also
provide non-digestible carbohydrates as dietary fiber.
Nuts
have little or no digestible carbs, but may provide some dietary fiber.
Fruits
and vegetables are also sources of carbs, mostly in the form of sugars
rather than starches. Fruits are also important contributors of dietary
fiber.
You
are not likely to find carbs in meat, poultry, fish or eggs, but you
will find some in milk and yogurt.
To
carb or not to carb
The secret to successful dieting is not to eliminate grains or any other
group of food completely, but to limit the amounts that you eat and
to be vigilant about hidden sources of calories from excess sugars
and fats.
As
with most things in life, finding the proper balance is the key.
The
United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recommends that you
eat 6 to 11 servings of grains (breads and cereals, now popularly referred
to as CARBS) per day.
If
you limit your intake grains to six (6) servings, you will be getting
between 410 and 660 calories from this group. If you plan to consume
a diet of 1200 to 1500 calories, you would be getting 50 to 60 percent
of your calories from carbs. That is in line with current dietary guidelines.
What
goes wrong is that for most people, portion sizes are greater than the
standard portions on which the guidelines are based, and to make matters
worst, carbs are usually loaded with excessive amounts of cream, butter,
oil, and other fats or sugars.
Here
are some of the culprits that give carbs the bum rap:
Now,
take a closer look at how you chose your carbs. Then decide,
are carbs really bad, or is it just bad to eat carbs the way you do?
For some people, extreme dieting is the only solution to uncontrollable
eating and unwanted weight gain.
Avoiding
carbs has been shown to work for many people, but it is not the only
diet game in town. Chances are, it may not even the best. But, in the
final analysis, the successful diet is the one that works best for you.
And this should be measured both in terms of absolute and permanent
weight loss an improved health.
Find
a plan that works for you and stick to it. Just remember, in your zeal
to lose weight, do no harm.
Want
to learn more about grains? Visit the Mayo
Clinic web site.
Weight
Control Topics
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