Carbs the Body Needs

Posted by in Featured, Health, Nutrition | 429 comments

A new low carbohydrate diet plan enters the marketplace every now and then mostly in the form of a new book from a well established brand.  Last year, Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. set out to remarket the low-carb approach first introduced by the late Dr. Robert Atkins in 1972.  The book, called “The New Atkins for a New You,” was written to reintroduce a diet once devoid of all fruits and lots of vegetables.  It was reliant on the consumption of fatty meats, full fat cheese, and lots of pure butter.  In it’s revived form, the Atkins Diet now buddies up to vegetables and has even included some (limited) fruits to later phases of the diet.  Most doctors and nutritionists concur that reducing consumption of overly processed carbs can be good for you, as long as they are replaced by healthy, naturally occurring carbohydrates. But a diet high in red meat and fats and short of healthy fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is not recommended.

Here are some of the healthiest carbs no one’s diet should be without:

1. Whole grains.   A whole grain contains all its original parts:  cereal germ, endosperm, and bran.  The most nutritious whole grain foods are quinoa, brown rice, oats and barley.  Eat these liberally instead of white rice and processed grains to maximize your nutrition.
2. Beans and legumes.  These are low-glycemic  goodies that pack a powerful  punch for numerous reasons:  they leave you feeling full longer because they rate low on the glycemic index, provide  great sources of protein, and can be conveniently tossed into salads and other recipes for extra flavor.
3. Whole wheat pasta.  Since the beginning of whole wheat pasta, its makers have made strides in the texture and taste of their products.  With many brands now easily available in grocery stores, one can find a whole variety of whole wheat pastas to serve in place of refined, white pasta varieties.
4. Potatoes.  Yep, potatoes.  ”But, they are white! Isn’t that bad?”  Yes, they are very starchy – but potatoes are one of the healthiest foods on earth.  It’s what we add to them that can turn these gifts of the ground into nutrition nightmares.  To be healthier, have  them baked, and season them with herbs instead of mounds of butter and cheese.  Instead of frying your french fries, just bake them.  And when you serve a nice roasted or stewed potato entree, resist the urge to pile on butter and heavily saturated fats.  Find healthier toppings.
5. Bananas are another white, starchy food forbidden by most low-carb diets,   but bananas contain what is known as a resistant starch – which means it takes much longer for the body to digest, so it provides energy longer than simpler starches.

Cutting back on refined carbohydrates doesn’t have to mean drastically increasing your consumption of meat, eggs, and unhealthy fats.  Since animal products are the only foods that contain artery clogging cholesterol, it makes sense that limiting these might not be a bad idea.  Carbs are not our enemy, as long as we eat the right ones.