Carbohydrates are the foundation of diets world wide. Most of your calories come from carbohydrates. Some nutrition plans "demonize" carbohydrates. They blame carbs for the obesity epidemic. Carbs have been falsely accused. While some carbs are "bad" for you, there are just as many that are good for you. To lose weight and keep it off you should eat more good carbs than bad. The good carbohydrates are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes.
Vegetables
Vegetables are my favorite carbohydrates. They are filled with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Most have a high water and fiber content, so they fill you up without adding many calories. Most also have low glycemic loads.
Fruits
Fruits are my second favorite carbs. They are also filled with nutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals. They also fill you up without adding many calories. Their glycemic loads are not as low as most vegetables, but they are low enough. Fruits are an excellent way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Most fruits are very portable and do not require lots of preparation.
Whole Grains
Minimally processed whole grains are an excellent addition to any nutrition plan. These are you stone-ground whole wheat breads, whole wheat pastas, brown rice, sweet potatoes,oats, and whole grain cereals. These carbs also have nutrients, vitamin, minerals, and phytochemicals. They are also very filling. They typically have the highest glycemic loads of all of the "good" carbs. However, if you eat them as part of a well balanced meal, there will be no insulin spike.
Legumes
Legumes are your beans, peas, and lentils. Most nutritionists will place legumes in the protein category. However, legumes provide a substantial amount of carbohydrates, so I will place them in both. They could be placed in fats also because peanuts, which are actually legumes, are filled with healthy fats.
Legumes are filled with nutrients, minerals and antioxidants. They are low in fat and high in protein. They are a good source of fiber and they are very filling. They also have a low glycemic load.
There are good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates. However, in order to lose weight and keep it off, stick with the good ones. These are your vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes.
