Healthy Living for Every Body
FILL’R UP!
Carbs are your body’s preferred source for fuel, not to mention the best food for your brain. With a steady stream of carbs throughout the day, you won’t feel as sluggish and you may do better on that calculus test! Because carbs are so important, they should make up approximately 50-60% of your daily food intake.
AREN’T CARBS FATTENING?
Eating carbs won’t make you fat. Eating too many calories, regardless of whether they come from fat, carbohydrate, or protein, will cause you to gain weight. Carbs get a bad reputation because we tend to eat more of them than we realize. A serving size of cereal may be a ½ cup, but in the morning we fill our bowl twice that amount. We eat a “grab bag” of pretzels from the Falcon at one sitting, not realizing there are 2 ½ servings in each bag. (Check out our article on Portion vs. Servicing Size.)
A SIMPLE, YET COMPLEX, MATTER
Carbs can be put into two categories: simple and complex.
SIMPLE CARBS
Not all simple carbs are created equal. Foods that NATURALLY  contain simple carbs (or sugars) such as milk, yogurt, and fruits are beneficial to your diet. These foods which contain simple sugars include essential vitamins and minerals and shouldn’t be limited. The key is limiting those foods with ADDED sugar. Foods that contain added sugar contain fewer essential vitamins and minerals. You know when a food is high in added sugar when the food label lists such items as sugar, sucrose, fructose, or corn syrup as some of the first ingredients. It’s easy to grab highly processed foods when you’re on the go, but it comes with a price. Carbs in the form of refined flour or added sugar are digested rather quickly, and won’t give you energy in the long-run. These foods provide a lot of calories without giving a lot of benefits. Your best bet is to try and limit these foods.
 COMPLEX CARBS
On the other hand, complex carbs are made with whole grains. These carbs are a better choice because they are digested in your system slowly, giving you more consistent energy for a longer period of time. Plus, they give you more bang for your buck by providing fiber and other nutrients as well. Look for foods that list whole grain ingredients at the top of the ingredient list as good complex carb sources. Be aware that a label that lists “wheat flour” or “white flour” are more processed and provide less nutrients than ingredients such as “whole wheat” or “whole grain.” Other good whole grain sources are oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and popcorn. Shoot for eating at least 3 servings of whole grain foods each day.
BUT IT’S HARD TO STOP…
If you find that it’s tough to stop eating carbs once you start, take a moment to ask yourself a few questions:
- What else are you eating? If you’re eating a meals or snack that’s heavy on carbs but light on protein or fat, you may end up eating a whole lot of carbs before you feel full, as protein and fat help to satisfy your hunger.
- What have I eaten today? If you tend to skip meals or eat minimally through the day, you may find it more difficult to resist carbs later on. People who don’t eat enough during the day tend to binge on food, especially carbs, at night.
- How is my day going? Feeling stressed or anxious, bored or sad? When you turn to carbs to ease your emotions, it’s more difficult to know when to stop.
- What kind of carbs am I eating? Carbs that are more processed (higher glycemic index) digest more quickly and won’t fill you up the way whole grains do. Try switching to whole grain cereals and snacks, along with fresh fruits and vegetables.
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