Good Carbs, Bad Carbs

Winter is soon approaching.  The slowing down of summer activities and the fear of craving hot high-calorie foods to fight the cold is now on our minds.  Don’t think that giving up carbohydrates is the way to go to  maintain or lose weight.  There is a huge carbohydrate myth out there that people must eliminate carbohydrates to lose weight.  Carbohydrate reduction in some cases can help you lose water weight and can also assist your body in drawing from fat stores for energy.  Short term these appear to most people as being positive results.  Beware, eliminating carbohydrates for an extended period of time can have adverse health effects and could ultimately compromise your health and energy level.  Here are some reasons not to jump on the no carbohydrate train.

• Constipation:  Low carbohydrate and low fiber diets can lead to constipation.  Many carbohydrate foods provide bulk and fiber.  Those include grains and fruits and vegetables, which not only provide essential vitamins but also help keep you regular.  The rule of thumb is the average adult should have one to two bowel movements per day for optimal health.
• Colon cancer risk: Many carbohydrates come with fiber.  A decreased amount of fiber and an increased amount of protein can increase your risk ofcolorectal cancer.  These fibrous grains, fruits and vegetables add bulk to the intestines and serve as a scrubbing brush so to speak, keeping the intestinal wall strong and free from deposits.  The lack of this fiber can cause the muscle of the intestinal wall to weaken and form pockets known as diverticulitis.  Simply put, food particles can get caught in these pockets and cause infection and pain.
• Higher risk of osteoporosis: Improper protein intake can increase calcium excretion in the urine and could have a long-term risk of osteoporosis.
• Breath and Body odors: A low carbohydrate or no carbohydrate diet creates ketoacidosis where your body burns protein for fuel instead of carbohydrates.  This ketosis can cause ammonia-like odor while sweating and a sour breath smell if allowed to continue.
• Gout and or kidney stones can form with an over consumption of protein.  the high level of proteins can prompt an over  production of uric acid and if allowed to continue for an extended period of time can result in kidney stones or gout.
• Eliminating carbohydrates impairs muscle strength and endurance and will result in poor athletic performance.
• Aside from all the nutrients provided from carbohydrate sources, carbohydrates provide energy; therefore an individual on a low or no carbohydrate diet will be more prone to energy and mood swings.

Basically maintaining a good weight is all about balance.  The average female needs 46 grams of protein and the average male needs about 56 grams of protein per day.  That’s about 6 to 8 servings of meat, fish, or poultry, tofu soy or low fat dairy products.  Carbohydrates should be about 50% of your total calories throughout the day.  Fat should be 3 servings of poly or mono-saturated fats.  Eliminating any one of these nutrients is not a good practice of optimal health.
Good carbohydrates are high in nutrients, low in calories, high in fiber and digest and break down slower, leaving a feeling of fullness.

For more information on staying healthy visit my web site at familymatters2me.net

Article by Jodi Cornelio, Nutritionist, PT, MBA