Summer and Good Carbs

Hey everybody

Carbohydrates are the most efficient for energy production when compared to fats and proteins. So there really isn’t any real reason to avoid eating carbs, even if you’re trying to lose weight. However, there is a BIG difference between the natural and wholesome ‘good’ carbs that our bodies are designed to eat and those highly-processed, unnatural ‘refined’ carbs found in many foods out there such as white bread and cookies. These carbs are quickly digested when we eat them and they cause our blood sugar to rise rapidly. This sugar spike, in turn, causes our body to increase its production of insulin which then tells our body to store the extra sugar as fat. The bottom line is eating too much ‘refined’ carbs makes us likely to gain fat.

I know it’s summer and you probably feel like eating some carbs like fruit and maybe a nice cone of ice cream. So what do you do if you want all that but still want to keep your 6 or 8-packs? This is what I do and it may help you too. If you want fruits, I would go with the different kinds of berries, like strawberries and blueberries. You can also have green apples or peaches. Try to avoid grapes and bananas. You can also have dry nuts. These go very well with berries.

How about at mealtime? For breakfast, a good carb is oatmeal or farina. Or if you are down south, grits…just kidding. For lunch and dinner, I would go with sweet potato, cabbage or broccoli and cauliflower. These can be very refreshing with your protein. I would also recommend salads although I don’t really count them for calories. Now, for dessert, instead of ice-cream, you could have a nice protein smoothie or shake. These days, they can be pretty tasty and may help satisfy your sweet cravings.

Well, summer is upon us, especially after this past weekend’s heat wave. So while you’re out having some fun in the sun, remember, you can enjoy eating this season while keeping up your appearances.

Have a great start to the summer and thanks for stopping by again.

Alejandro