Carbs... The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Most people think of carbohydrates with a good deal of fondness, but often times it is a mixed emotion of guilt and pleasure. Pasta, cupcakes, baked potatoes, bagels, pancakes, apple pie, that sort of thing. Some of it seems like a perfectly normal and essential part of everyday eating and of course much of it does not. The truth is carbohydrates are a main dietary component consisting of sugar, starches and fiber. The problem is that too many people in the United States today consume way too much of the sugar and starch variety and not enough of the fiber carbs. It all comes down to balance - there are good carbs and there are bad carbs. But beneath the surface what is a carbohydrate anyway and why should we care so much about them? Simply put, carbohydrates equal energy - or better still, carbohydrates break down inside our bodies into glucose (blood sugar) that provide our body with energy, mainly the brain and nervous system. The liver breaks down glucose into the energy our body needs.

Good carbohydrates are unprocessed foods - fruits, vegetables, whole grains, that sort of thing. Good carbs are usually natural, unaltered in any way. They are nutritious foods high in fiber and rich in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients that help contribute to one’s energy level over long periods of time. In addition, these high fiber foods also help lower cholesterol and of course help us rid our bodies of waste and toxins that could later lead to a variety of health problems from cardiovascular to various cancers.

Examples of good carbs can be found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes, apples, berries, avocados and spinach. Other food examples of good carbs include beans, nuts, seeds, legumes (lentils, dried peas) whole grains (found in certain cereals, pastas and breads) and some dairy products such as organic yogurt and cottage cheese. With a little imagination you can easily mix and match most of these choices together into recipes that will make for a perfectly satisfying diet.

Now for the bad carbs. No surprise, these include the foods that have been refined and processed. Think about all of those fast food restaurants, frozen pizzas, salty bags of crunchy things, candy, soda and most other super popular American diet staples. Of course the problem with these “foods” is that they offer little in the way of nutrition and can lead, over time, to serious illnesses like diabetes and cancer and heart disease - and because of the high calorie content, dangerous obesity. In other words, nothing natural here. Such foods are low in nutrition and contain a multitude of additives like artificial flavorings, colorings, preservatives and excess fat. Bad carbs often cause a spike in one’s blood glucose level, resulting in a short lived rise in energy levels followed by a sharp decline or crash. This is most defiantly not the diet for anyone involved in a fitness program, whether seeking to build muscle mass or tone down.

Now certainly everyone slips into the temptation of a bad carb now and then - a slice of birthday cake, a bag of fast food fries late at night, Sunday morning pancakes - so don’t let guilt get the best of you. The main thing is to be well aware that better choices exist for the next time and the time after that and so on. Keep in mind that that all carbohydrates end up contributing to our energy level in one way or another. But obviously it is the good carbs listed here that will sustain you in the long haul, providing better and longer stamina, essential fiber and other key nutrients that will help keep you energized and healthy and happy throughout your lifetime. For more carbo-charged information join BodyBlast's member list at http://bodyblastrequestform.zreply.com/