Carbs: Good V. Bad

by Marci Barker / October 8th, 2018

If you missed last week's post, we're spending 4 weeks covering the good and bad of 4 different food topics. If you're not sure how to get started with healthy changes, I have a FREE challenge for you! Healthy Jump Start is a free 7 day challenge designed to help you get started with fun and sustainable change in a VERY realistic and easy to understand way. Simply enter your information below and the challenge will come straight to your inbox.

Last week we talked about sugar, today we're attacking a somewhat controversial subject: CARBS! Specifically, grains.

When someone says "carbs," do you get the same shivering feeling you get when someone tells you that you have to do keto to get the weight off or have mental clarity?

Contrary to what many fad diets would have you believe, YOUR BODY NEEDS CARBS!! They just need to be healthy carbs.

Food companies do a good job of fooling innocent people into eating food they think is healthy when it really isn't. If you’ve fallen into this trap, know that it’s not your fault!

For example - although words like “enriched,” “refined” or even "gluten-free" might sound positive, it’s actually a sign that nutrients have been removed and that you are eating a product which is no longer a whole food AND many times with added sugar. Remember last week's post on sugar? Let's keep talking.

We concentrate on all different kinds of grains in our Healthy Eating Challenge and learn how to identify whether they are good, better, or the best option for you and your goals at this time. Yes that's right! No need to cut them out completely!

To make this easier for you, let me give you a quick list of highly processed foods (eat sparingly or on occasion) and nutrient rich grains (that improve gut health and help you reach your goals).

Keep in mind this is a quick list. You'll get more info in the free Healthy Jumpstart and the FULL education piece I like to give my clients is an entire weekly focus in our Healthy Eating Challenge.

Alrigth here's the bad and the good options we get to choose from.

The BAD - highly processed grains that have a large portion of nutrients removed.

Here are some examples:

Bagels
Crackers
Donuts
Muffins

Pasta
White Bread
Tortillas
Wheat Bread

The GOOD - nutrient rich grains that are conducive to your health and help you progress.

Here are some examples:

Brown Rice
Oats
Barley
Quinoa

Basmati Rice
Wild Rice
Triscuits
100% Whole Grain Bread

There you have it; a short list to help you start improving what you are eating.

I encourage you to take a look at what you are normally eating and decide what servings of grains you could improve.

Be sure to enter your information below to start the FREE 7 day challenge: Healthy Jump Start. You'll get the course directly in your inbox.

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