The following is from the excerpt from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation information articles brought to you from the readings of our Chief Medical Officer. Not all carbs are created equal, and cutting them out altogether means you’re losing an opportunity to improve your health and your weight. Many studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and other leading journals in health and nutrition for last 10-20 years have found that diets like the Mediterranean diet (a diet high in complex carbohydrates), or others that replace refined grains with whole-grain and minimally processed grain products, along with eating more fruits and vegetables, may help to reduce the risk of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease while helping with weight loss.
On the flipside, the same studies have found that a diet high in refined carbs (white bread, pasta and rice, for example) contributes to increasing your risk of atherosclerosis and other conditions — yet another reason to stay away from simple carbohydrates. The list goes on: studies have found that refined grains in the diet — defined as white breads (lavash, baguettes), noodles, pasta, rice, toasted bread, milled barley, sweet bread, white flour, starch and biscuits — were associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. The consensus is that the combination of the obesity epidemic and growing intake of refined carbohydrates have created a ‘‘perfect storm’’ for the development of cardio-metabolic disorders.
With this laundry list of evidence, it’s easy to be scared of carbs. But instead of elimination, consider replacement. You can keep complex carbohydrates in your diet if you aim only for ones that are 100 percent whole grains, or are contained in fruits, vegetables and legumes.
CARBS TO KEEP
As a few examples, make the replacements below for a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates.
- Eat brown rice instead of white rice.
- Opt for a 100 percent whole grain English muffin instead of a white English muffin.
- Try whole wheat pita bread instead of plain old white bread.
- Eat an orange and skip the glass of processed orange juice.
- If you need a snack, choose popcorn over potato chips.
Make an appointment at Venture Weight Loss today to help weed out the good carbs from bad carbs.
