When it comes to food groups, the humble carbohydrate has been much maligned over the past couple of years.
With the advent of high protein, low carbohydrate diets, eating carbs while trying to lose weight became a huge no no.
Including lean protein in your diet is very important for healthy weight loss but the right type of carbohydrate plays just as significant a role.
Carbohydrates provide our bodies with the energy it needs to function. Without some form of carbohydrate, our blood sugar levels dip, causing our bodies to struggle to produce the energy they need to perform.
This makes things like exercise almost impossible and will also mean that the body struggles to lose weight due to a decreased metabolism.
Carbs also work together with protein to make sure our bodies are in optimal working order. Without carbs, protein is diverted away from its primary jobs; building muscle, hormones and enzymes, to provide the body with with the energy it’s lacking (and needs to get stuff done!)
Eating the right kind of carbs means that protein can do its job while the carbs supply the body with the energy it needs.
Not all carbs are created equally though. Broadly speaking, carbs are often divided into two groups;
Simple carbs or sugars and complex carbs or starches. Within those groups however, we have refined and unrefined carbs and those which are low GI and high GI.
When trying to lose weight and eat healthily, unrefined, low GI carbs are the best type to include in our diet as they provide our bodies with sustained energy and prevent the see-sawing of our blood sugar. These types of carbs are often of the complex variety and usually from the wholegrain/whole food families.
The best carbs for your plate
- Wholegrain bread (stick to grainy varieties like soy, sourdough and linseed or even rye)
- Brown or basmati rice
- Bananas
- Oats
- Sweet potato
- Whole wheat pasta
- Polenta
And with regards to portion size, for each meal aim for half of your plate being salad/veggies, 1/4 being lean protein and 1/4 low GI & wholegrain carbs – plus some good fats like a drizzle of olive oil.
If you are ready to lose weight then the Lose Baby Weight plans offer a healthy and safe exercise and diet routine.
And don’t forget to check out our current promotions and discounts page to see what specials we have on this week on our Healthy Mummy product range
