Now it’s time to talk to you about carbs.
With the Keto Diet being so popular right now there are a lot of misconceptions out there about carbs being bad.
I’ll share some useful information to help you better understand carbohydrates and how to moderate how much of them you’re eating.
Why do Carbs do for Your Body?
Carbohydrates play a few different vital roles in the body.
However, carbs in comparison to protein and fats don’t actually have nearly as many different roles.
Carbohydrates main functions are:
- Provide energy for the body
- Spare protein and fats from being used as energy so that protein and fat can be used for other functions
- Maintain a healthy digestive tract (this is from the fiber, a lot of people don’t realize that fiber is a form of carbohydrates).
What Types of Carbohydrates are There?
We will keep thing super simple, there are three categories of carbs
- Fiber
- Sugar
- Starch
Often, people look at carbs in simple terms of being “bad.” Or some people simply look at some as good and others as bad.
We find it a lot more effective to look at carbohydrates as a spectrum.
Similar to healthy fats compared to other fats with carbs we have what we call “smart carbs.”
What Type of Carbs are the Healthiest?
Ideally, you want to get more of your carbohydrates on the “smart carb” end of the spectrum.
However, if you are eating sources of carbohydrates that are on the more processed end of the spectrum such as white pasta, crackers, cereal or other sources you should still aim to get a proper serving size.
What is a Serving Size of Carbohydrates?
We use 1 scooped out handful as a serving size of carbohydrates.
Most females will do best starting with 3-6 servings of carbohydrates per day.
Most males will do best starting with 6-12 servings of carbohydrates per day.
How to Make it Easier to Get Proper Servings of Carbs
- Have fruit cut up ahead of time in serving sizes
- Cook whole grains and starches ahead of time so they’re ready to be served
- Looking for carbs on the go pick up some fruit at a grocery store
- Have quick smart carb options available such as apples or oranges
- Look at your current meals can you integrate in more options from the smart carb end of the spectrum (ie. Replace white pasta with whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread with sprouted whole grain bread)
- Get as much of your carbohydrate foods from whole foods
