As with most people my age, we’re either paying the price of a misspent youth or for the genes handed to us in the womb. In my case a little of both, but, in this post I’m only going to focus on one of those, my genes. Being of Eastern European decent, cholesterol and triglycerides are my kryptonite. I watch what I eat, and monitor my blood levels on a regular basis. But a lot of my meals have high carb ingredients like pasta, rice and potatoes, and, that, it appears, is a problem. So when my doctor said to lower my carbohydrates intake, it looked like I was going back to the drawing board, or, am I? Maybe some research first, remember, knowledge is power.
So, what are carbohydrates? Carbs (starches, fiber and sugar) are essential to the body. They are converted into glucose that gives you energy to function. Not just the muscles, but many other parts of the body too. The brain needs carbs to work properly, a carb deficiency can affect mental capacity and mood (think “Hangry”). However, carbs that are consumed, but not used, get converted into fat for long term storage. And that’s where the problems begin. Turns out, there are some helpful guidelines to follow. First is the type of carb being eaten, and second, is when you eat them.
Complex Carbs
There are two types of carbs, simple and complex. Complex carbs are the good kind. They are found in beans, whole grains, some fruits for example. They are called complex because they come with starches and fiber. This slows down the digestive process, preventing sugar spikes, and the fiber works through the gut promoting regularity. Because they breakdown slower in the body you don’t get hungry too soon, this helps promote controlling your intake and in turn weight
Simple Carbs
Simple carbs are not so good, they are more processed, the starches and fiber have been removed. Bleached flour found in pasta and bread, processed foods like baked goods at the convenience store for example. Any food with added sugars, like soda and breakfast cereal. These are the foods that give you a “sugar rush” but leave you hungry quickly, so you eat more. A simple rule of thumb is that the more something is processed the worse it is for you.
What and When
There’s an old expression “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and, dine like a pauper”. The theory behind it is a good one. Eat your carbs at the beginning of the day, I have porridge. It’s like fueling up the car before a trip, most of the fuel will get used. Come lunchtime, you don’t need as much and by dinner time, well, you don’t need any fuel. The evening is to relax, you don’t need carbs for that. Portion control is import, but any carbs consumed during an evening meal are probably not going to get used. Carbs, however, are an essential part of a balanced diet. So, it turns out, I don’t need to eliminate carbs, just monitor what and when I eat.
Alternatives
Well it’s great to discuss good carbs and bad carbs and when to eat them, but, if you’re like me, you want alternatives. Eliminating carbs is not the object of this post, more refining what and when is consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet. Creating a balanced diet means looking at carb consumption during the day. When trying to make a change, little steps are the key, trying to change too much at one time will usually fail. So, I’m looking for minimal change with maximum effect. Here’s my daily intake as an example. I eat porridge for breakfast, that is a good start to the day. That’s one serving of complex carbs to fuel my morning. I’m pretty active in my job, and, beans are part of my lunch, giving me fuel for my afternoon. I think I’m going to focus on dinner.
Dinner for me is a large meal. Like most guys, I have a problem with portion control. I enjoy to cooking, and usually end up with a full plate. So here my goal is to minimize the carbs on my dinner plate. Most of my dinners contain either rice, potatoes or pasta, I need alternatives. Turns out, there are quite a lot.
Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato has about half the carbs of regular potatoes. It’s versatile and easy to cook. It can be boiled, baked, either whole or as fries, cut into medallions and cooked on the griddle. Cook them with a protein as part of a one pot meal like skillet chicken and sweet potatoes.
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti Squash. About 1/5 the carbs of regular spaghetti. Slice it open and bake in the oven, when cooked the flesh becomes stringy with a pasta consistency. You can either serve is as is, or sauté the strings to make them a little crispy
Root Vegetables
Beets, carrots, parsnips and many more. Because of root vegetables consistency they can be cut into thin strands and sautéed in a little olive oil. They add a crunch to any plate. A spiralizer works great for this, but can be cut with a sharp knife too. Or, just roasted, They are loaded with vitamins and minerals and are low in carbs. Although not a root vegetable, hearts of palm are available in noodle form, they’re sold in a can in the pasta aisle.
Shiritaki
Available as rice and noodles. They are gelatinous and translucent, processed from the Konjac plant, a yam which is native to China. Low in carbs and dietary fiber Available at most stores in the rice aisle. They are tasteless, and will absorb any of the flavors around them. I prefer the rice style. Because they are tasteless I like to cook them with vegetables in a pan. But they are pretty versatile, just add them to something that will give them some flavor.
So there you have it, a little bit about carbohydrates and some alternatives that can be easily included in your healthy balanced diet. I hope this information was helpful and thank you for reading.