How To Stay Skinny Eating Carbs? Good Vs. Bad Carbs

How To Stay Skinny Eating Carbs

Good vs. bad carbs for weight loss

Carbs have a bit of a bad rap when it comes to dieting. In the early 2000’s, the wisdom of the day was ‘carbs=fat’. Because of this, carbs got a ton of bad media coverage and still haven’t quite bounced back from it. This is unfortunate, and is definitely not true! The truth is, your body NEEDS good carbs in order to function well, and consuming good carbs are KEY to losing weight in a healthy way.

This post is an adaptation from my Ebook, The Beautiful Body Guide.

Staying skinny while eating carbs?

What you need to know

While carbs are essential and are needed by the body, it’s important to remember that there are good carbs and bad carbs. It’s best to stay away from carbs like refined flours and refined grains such as white breads, pasta, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, etc (anything made with white refined flours) as well as refined sugars and high sugar foods (soda, sweets, candy, chocolate, fruit juice, etc.) – these are basically all just pure refined sugar. These food examples give us what we call “empty calories” because they give us calories without nutrients. These kinds of carbs cause “sugar highs” and often result in sugar crashes. They are like the Regina George of all carbs: They look good and taste good, but they have no substance and in the end will stab you in the back.

If bad carbs are the Regina George of carbs, then whole carbs are the Oprah of carbs: Really good for your heart, mind, body and soul. Eating good whole carbs is so important! The truth is that carbohydrates in their whole form cannot be compared to highly processed, refined carbohydrates. Healthy carbs include sweet potatoes, potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, bulgar, millet, whole rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking), steel cut oats, millet and any other grain in it’s whole form as well as all legumes, fruits and vegetables (people often forget that fruit and veggies are carbs too). These carbs give us healthy and sustained energy. All of these examples of carbs are healthy and so we should be eating them every day!

You can also buy wholewheat pasta’s and breads if you like to eat them. It’s best to purchase those that contain no white flour and only whole grains or whole grain flours. These kinds of carbs will give you better energy, keep you fuller for longer and make you feel better in the long run.

Carbs are not evil, in fact they give life and energy to the body – they just need to be eaten in moderation. Remember that including carbohydrates in our diets is very important because carbs provide us with glucose.

Glucose is vital for energy that keeps our bodies functioning normally, including normal brain functioning. Eating good, whole carbs everyday is so important for our health! Healthy carbs give us sustained energy and keep us fuller for longer. Good sources of carbohydrates are vital for healthy weight-loss, fat-loss and sustainable weight maintenance.

Eating good, whole carbs everyday is vital for healthy weight- loss, fat-loss and sustainable weight maintenance.

WHAT ARE THE BEST CARBS?

Choose whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, rolled oats, steel cut oats, bulgar, millet and buckwheat – instead of grains like couscous, instant oats, quick cooking oats, cereals, breads and other processed grain products.

Whole rolled oats or steel cut oats combined with a teaspoon of coconut oil, cinnamon and nut butter make a delicious and nutritious breakfast. It’s always a good idea to eat healthy fats and protein with carbs.

You can sweeten your oats with natural sweeteners such as 100% pure maple syrup, raw honey or pure coconut sugar if you like – or try sweetening it with fruit such as berries, banana or fresh figs. Then add some raw nuts, nut butter or seeds for protein!

THE HEALTHY CARBS LIST

These healthy carbs can not only help you to achieve and maintain optimal health, but they can also aid in healthy weight loss! Not all carbs are high in calories. In fact, many are very low in calories There are essentially two types: Moderate calorie carbs and low calorie carbs…

Moderate calorie carbs list

-Quinoa
-Rolled oats
-Steel cut oats
-Brown rice
-Wild rice
-Millet
-Bulgar
-Buckwheat
-Whole rye
-Potatoes
-Sweet potatoes
-Butternut Squash
-100% Wholegrain gluten-free breads
-100% Wholegrain breads
-Ezekiel bread
-Legumes
-Beans
-100% Whole wheat or brown rice pasta
-Fresh fruit such as apples, bananas, grapes and other high sugar fruits

(These are whole grains and starchy vegetables that contain roughly between 50-150 calories per 100g serving.)

Low calorie carbs list

-Pumpkin
-Green vegetables
-Carrots
-Beetroot
-Squash
-All fresh vegetables
-Leafy greens
-Fresh fruit such as plums, peaches and lower sugar fruits
-Berries

(These are less than 50 cal per 100g serving, and so you can eat a lot of them and not pick up weight! Hooray!)

Love carbs?

Healthy carbs assist in keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure levels stable, while keeping you fuller for longer. This actually HELPS you with weight control! In addition to this, healthy carbs help keep your heart and mind healthy, keep your cholesterol in check and provide the necessary fibre to keep your insides happy. See…. ? Oprah!

CARBS TO AVOID?

Yes, they look good, but beneath the surface these carbs are no better than poison… just like Regina George. These carbs will not only assist in weight gain, creating cellulite and deteriorate your general health, but these little temptations can actually create major health complications and have been linked as aggravators and causes to diseases such as Crohn’s disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, dementia and ADHD to name a few.

In addition to this, if you suffer from yeast infections, then these Regina George minions might just be the ones creating your problem…

-White breads
-Brown breads
-White refined flours
-White sugar
-Brown sugars
-Molasses
-Syrups
-All purpose flours
-Baking flours
-Instant oats
-Regular store bought cereals
-White wheat pastas
-Cakes and cupcakes
-Regular muffins
-Donuts
-Cookies
-Pastries
-Potato crisps
-French fries
-Bagels and rolls
-White flour pizza bases
-Sweets and candy
-Regular store bought chocolates
-Couscous
-Processed grains
-Canned vegetables
-Canned fruit (canned in syrup)

To make things worse, these foods are usually extremely high in calories, but have next to no nutritional value. This means that they are helping your body to store fat, but aren’t feeding your body what it needs to function. They are essentially a pretty face, with no substance.

So, are carbs “the devill”?

So, the bottom line is: Don’t be afraid of carbs. Carbs can be GOOD! Avoid refined flours, candies and fast foods because they will cause you more harm than good, but DO get your fill of GOOD carbs because, like Oprah, they will change your life!

Liezl Jayne XO

For liezljayne.com – Some photos may be selected from Unsplashed