Carbohydrates : Friend Or Foe!

Some scientist believe that the incidence of high blood pressure is higher in the African community and one of the main factors that is supposed to put us more at risk is our high carbohydrate diet. (yeah they are putting your rice and pounded yam on trial)

So is the solution to cut out all carbs, give up my jollof and fried rice and poundo?  I don’t believe so, besides I don’t think you can actually have a completely carb free diet because many foods including fruits and veg fall under the carbohydrates umbrella. But if you are really desperate, perhaps you need to fit into your wedding dress, and you decide to play safe and eat just meat, which we know is just protein, then you will not be able to function as you will have no energy because you only get energy release from carbs and you will have a very bad breadth. So what’s the way round it? Well read on.
Carbohydrates are divided into
1.    Good or complex carbs which are great for you. They are also good because their chemical structure is so complex that the body has to work hard to digest them when they are ingested and energy released from their breakdown is released over a longer period of time. These types of carbs also contain high fibre to maintain a health digest system, stimulate metabolism and make you feel fuller with fewer calories. Examples of good carbs include whole grain or whole wheat bread, bran cereals, green vegetables such as spinach and kale and fresh fruits.

2.    Bad or simple carbs, which are very bad for you. These have smaller molecules which are more easily broken down, stored as glycogen in the cells and if not utilised immediately turned into fat. They are processed carbs which have been stripped of their natural nutrients and fibre. They have high glucose (sugar) levels which leads to fatigue. Examples include sweets and desserts, white bread, cakes, fizzy drinks and sugared cereals like frosties.

My conclusion is this, carbohydrates are both friend and foe, eat them in moderation and take small portion sizes, stay away from simple carbs, you can start by swapping a bad carb with a good one like swapping your agege or sweet bread with wholegrain bread and your puff puff for fruit.

Copyright June's Secrets 2015