The carbohydrate debate

Lately it seems that there is a ton of information floating around in our culture about what we should eat. In particular carbohydrates have received a lot of bad press. As an exercise science student and an avid runner I have decided to offer my opinion on the subject. Specifically, I will attempt to address the myth that eating carbs is bad for you and that cutting carbs out of your diet is the best way to loose weight.

For those of you who are wondering here is what you need to know about carbohydrates before cutting them out of your diet:

1. All of your major body systems require carbohydrates to function. Your muscles, your cardiovascular system, you name it they all use energy from carbohydrates to keep ticking. Most importantly glucose is the primary fuel for brain tissue. The quickest easiest way to access this glucose is to break down carbohydrates. Long term deprivation of sufficient glucose results in impaired memory and concentration.

2. Nutrition experts maintain that at least half of your daily caloric intake come from carbohydrates. This is validated by #1.

3. If you're remotely active you need to have carbohydrates daily to fuel your workouts and to help your body recover after work. If you are exercising as part of your weight loss program loosing carbohydrates is not an option.

Now if you're sitting there thinking "but all the stuff about carbs can't be wrong" just keep reading. I'm going to now give you the formula for doing carbs the right way.

1.The golden rule of carb consumption (or any food) is to make healthy choices. This is really easy. Choose complex carbohydrates. What are those? Start by choosing breads, cereals etc. that are whole grain & whole wheat. Foods that are made with whole grain flours are healthier because they are less refined and high in fibre. You can substitute whole wheat flour in almost all of your baking.

2. Up your fruit & veggie consumption. These are an excellent source of easily digestible & tastey carbohydrates. Additionally you get all of the fibre and nutrients you need. Fun anti -carcinogens such as lycopene & carotonoids are part of the package.

3.Have more fun with fibre. Choosing food with a high fiber content is a really good way to aid in weight loss. Fibre packed foods make you feel full for longer and fill you up faster. Ultimately you will eat less. Another bonus of fibre? It helps clean and detoxify your digestive system which can help prevent colon cancer and other digestive problems.

4. Mix your carbohydrates with low fat protein choices for the ultimate impact. These make the best meals. Why? You feel full for longer and you get tons of great nutrients. Eating foods that are"nutrient dense" will ultimately give you more energy and what you need to get through your day. Again this means you will eat less.

5. One last tip..... water it down! Drinking lots of water with your healthy carb choices will aid in absorption & filtration of everything you do & don't need.

So that's it, my take on eating carbohydrates. Don't pass on that plate of pasta if you want to stay healthy. In my opinion a whole grain slice of bread is a lot less harmful than a piece of bacon (can we say Atkins?)!!

Cheers!