| With all the news about low carb diets out today you | | | | have no more stored glycogen your body begins |
| may be wondering are carbs really that bad? It can | | | | cannibalizing muscle tissue or organs as well as dietary |
| be confusing for those who aren't really familiar with | | | | protein and fat to provide the blood glucose for |
| nutrition. The truth is carbohydrates are essential to a | | | | energy. This is undesirable because it causes your |
| healthy diet. | | | | metabolism to drop due to the decreased muscle |
| You can't just say that carbohydrates aren't all good | | | | mass. |
| or all bad. Some carbs are good for your health while | | | | The best practice is to eat a variety of healthy |
| others, when eaten often and in large quantities, can | | | | carbohydrates trying to choose the ones that are |
| often increase the risk for diabetes and coronary | | | | the healthiest. These should be the most natural |
| heart disease. | | | | possible, meaning not in a package or can. Try to eat |
| Carbohydrates come from a wide variety of foods - | | | | as many fresh vegetables and fruits as possible. |
| bread, fruit, vegetables, rice, beans, milk, popcorn, | | | | Bad carbohydrates that you want to stay away |
| potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie. | | | | from include processed foods such as soda pop or |
| They also come in a variety of forms. The most | | | | soft drinks, snacks such as cookies and chips, and |
| common and abundant ones are sugars, fibers, and | | | | alcohol. These have all been though a highly refined |
| starches. The basic building blocks of all | | | | process and as such are not a good choice for a |
| carbohydrates are sugar molecules. | | | | healthy diet. They don't satisfy your hunger and give |
| All carbohydrates are handled much in pretty much | | | | you nothing but calories. |
| the same way by our digestive system by breaking | | | | Instead, replace highly processed grains, cereals, and |
| them down into single sugar molecules so they are | | | | sugars with minimally processed whole-grain products |
| small enough to absorb into the bloodstream. It also | | | | and ensure you have at least five serves of fruit and |
| converts most of them into glucose or blood sugar | | | | vegetables daily. Rather than cut out carbs |
| as an energy source. This why you can feel tired if | | | | completely for a very short-term gain (usually weight |
| you are lacking carbs. | | | | loss), there are greater long-term health benefits in |
| Our body uses carbohydrates as the most efficient | | | | learning how to differentiate good carbs over bad |
| energy source and if we don not have enough | | | | carbs and implementing healthy carbohydrates into |
| carbohydrates it may go to protein or fat to create | | | | your weight loss program. |
| glucose. The problem this creates is that once you | | | | |