Many dieters believe that to stay slim, you need to eat fewer foods rich in carbohydrates. As a result, various low carb recipes have been created and have been around for some time.
In fact, many people in today’s society don’t realize that there are different types of carbohydrates, and their roles and functions can be very different. Some are “good carbs” and some are “bad carbs”.
The key lies in the color of the carbohydrates you eat, you have to pay special attention to those beige carbohydrates, because it is people usually consume the most of a kind of carbohydrates.
What kinds of carbohydrates are there?
Let’s start by looking at what carbohydrates are and what they do. We get our nutrients from food, and carbohydrates give us energy, or calories to enable our bodies to function properly. For example, the staple foods we eat such as rice, bread, pasta, tortillas, crackers, and cereal are all common carbohydrates.
However, carbohydrates can be divided into 3 types, namely starch, sugar and fiber.
How to recognize the “good” from the “bad”?
According to the latest research, starchy carbohydrates are the most familiar and directly associated with carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice, as mentioned earlier. These “beige” carbohydrates are not good for you, so be careful!
Sugars are known as “white” carbohydrates and include carbonated beverages, sweets, and processed and refined foods such as cakes and cookies. When digested by the body, these starchy and sugary carbohydrates are converted into glucose, which provides the body with energy. If you consume too much of these types of carbohydrates, the excess glucose will be converted into fat, leading to weight gain.
Another type of carbohydrate is dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables, which we can call “green” carbohydrates. Green carbohydrates make you feel full and slow down the time it takes for your stomach to empty. They provide your body with vitamins and minerals. Green carbohydrates can also make your teeth and periodontals healthier, as well as being good for your intestines.
There are also resistant starches, also known as resistant starch carbohydrates, such as lentils, beans, and some unprocessed whole grains. These foods are relatively difficult to digest, allowing them to make their way into the colon. Their main task is to provide nutrients to the bacteria in your gut, in other words their main task is to provide nutrients to your gut microbes, not to provide you with energy. Because healthy gut bacteria (microbes) are so important to the health of the human body, they are essential to both a person’s mental health and physical health.
Can carbohydrates be turned from bad to good?
If beige and white carbohydrates are “bad carbohydrates” that make you gain weight, they can be turned into “good carbohydrates” by heating them. For example, put pasta or bread in the freezer and then reheat it. This way the food molecules will recombine and become closer to resistant starch. This allows them to travel farther in the digestive system and reach the lower digestive tract.
Therefore, we can achieve weight loss by eating less beige and white carbohydrates, or use alternative products. For example, use tubers of celery, sweet potatoes, rye bread, rye flour pumpernickel instead of rice, flour, potatoes, pasta, breakfast cereals, etc.
Also eat eggs, meat, fish, nuts and beans. Half of each plate should be green or brightly colored foods, including fresh vegetables, green salads, tomatoes and eggplant.
How can carbohydrates improve our health?
Dr. Faisal Maassarani of Merseyside, in the north of England, conducted an experiment in which he asked overweight or diabetic patients to reduce their intake of beige and white carbohydrates in the hope of improving their health. The experiment involved seven people, all of whom were overweight or obese and had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
First, the doctor gave them a few basic tests. Then, Dr. Masrani invited a chef to prepare rich dishes for these people using healthy ingredients, trying to prove that healthy food can also make people full and well-fed, as well as affordable. The result was that after 2 weeks, each person lost an average of more than 3 kilograms of weight, and the most amazing thing was that a person who had suffered from diabetes for 17 years now had his diabetes “almost disappear”. This is because, of all the foods, carbohydrates have the greatest effect on blood sugar.
This experiment shows that to lose weight and improve health there is no need to avoid carbohydrates, the key is to eat which kind of carbohydrates, how to eat? The volunteers who took part in the trial followed their doctor’s advice and made adjustments to their diet over a 2-week period. They increased their intake of green carbohydrates and decreased white and beige carbohydrates with significant results.
To summarize, a correct intake of good carbohydrates can not only control your weight, but also make you healthier and reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer and other diseases.
On the contrary, if you consume too much “bad carbs”, not only will it bring you a series of health problems, but it can also change your genes so that you can pass it on to your next generation.
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