They are our best source of energy. There are three categories and like good fats/bad fats there are bad, good and better carbs. The first category is monosaccharides which are simple sugars which are found in honey and fruits (good). The second is disaccharides which are found in table sugar (bad). The third and "better" is polysaccharides which are also known as "complex carbohydrates". These are the carbs found in whole grains, vegetables, nuts, fruits and legumes.
Ideally, we are better off eliminating disaccharides or table sugar and products made with table sugar and replacing with monosaccharides which are the simple sugars found in honey and fruits. That leaves polysaccharides or the "better" complex carbohydrates. Staying true to the ISSA 1-2-3 nutritional rule of thumb our diet program should be as much as 50 percent of caloric intake from carbs. That is, the "good" and "better" carbs.
Another measurement for carbs is the glycemic index. This is the measure of the degree to which blood sugar increases after the consumption of food. The lower the glycemic index the better. An example would be white bread with a glycemic index of 100 compared to mixed grain bread with a glycemic index of 28. Or, baked white potato at 85 glycemic index compared to a sweet potato at 54. These are the kinds of substitutions that equal baby steps which lead to weight loss.
To help summarize the many, many choices of carbohydrate food, here is a bullet point list to help identify the low-glycemic food items.
- Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
- Use breads with wholegrains, stone-ground flour, sour dough
- Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
- Enjoy all other types of fruit and vegetables
- Use Basmati or Doongara rice
- Enjoy pasta***, noodles, quinoa
- Eat plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing
*** Too often pasta is the "main" dish. Enjoying a pasta "main" dish meal once a week is perfectly wonderful. More than that however, probably means you are getting more carbs that you need and less lean protein. Balance is the key.
why is basmati so good for us?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. Mainly it is low glycemic compared to other rices (which means it doesn't cause a boost in blood sugar) It's pretty low calorie (200 for 1 cup cooked) and virtually no fat and has a few grams of protein.
ReplyDeletewould you choose basmati over brown rice? how do the two compare?
ReplyDeleteBrown is optimal because it hasn't been overly processed or milled so that the rice kernel loses many of its nutrients and fiber. I personally prefer the taste and convenience of pure (no enriching or converting) white basmati and feel overall that it offers a healthier alternative to many starches.
ReplyDeleteBasmati is available in brown btw