Blog #259
What Carb Cravings?
I mean, who doesn’t have Carb cravings like all the time? Am I right?
Breads, Cookies, Potatoes, Fries, Hamburgers? The list goes on and on and on…
So many choices! Good choices (is there such a thing?) and Bad choices (there is definitely such a thing.)
So how do we combat this craving, without starving to death?
The answer is all in the type of carbs we are consuming!
So just what are the good carbs?
Here are just a few of many good carb choices you can make:
· Sweet potatoes - have tons of health benefits. Not only does one medium sweet potato contain just 100 calories and roughly 25 grams of healthy carbs, but it’s also packed with eye-protecting vitamin A (up to 6 times your daily value!) and heart-healthy fiber.
· Rice - has a terrible reputation, but brown rice is actually a really healthy whole grain option because it contains satiating protein and fiber. A 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice has just 120 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, and 26 grams of healthy carbs.
· Mangoes -This tropical fruit not only tastes like dessert, but 1 cup has over 100 percent of your daily vitamin C, 25 grams of carbs, and more than 1/3 of your daily vitamin A for just 100 calories.
· Quinoa - This gluten-free grain—is actually a seed. Quinoa has a nutrient profile of 20 grams of healthy carbs, 4 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fiber and 150 milligrams of potassium in just ½ cup cooked.
· Carrots - Three large carrots offer about 20 grams of carbohydrates, plus more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin A and 15 percent of your daily potassium needs. They are also great for your eyes, skin, and immune system.
And.. just what are bad carbs?
Many carbs contain excess calories and sugar. Desserts, white bread, rice and pasta, and snack foods like chips, crackers and pretzels are just a few! These refined carbs are stripped of the outside grain, which contains fiber and some protein, making glucose (sugar) levels spike quickly.
Here are just a few of unhealthy carb choices to avoid or limit:
White bread (1 slice): 13 grams
Whole wheat bread (1 slice): 14 grams
Flour tortilla (large): 35 grams
Bagel (regular): 55 grams
Apple (1 small): 23 grams
Banana (1 medium): 27 grams
Raisins (1 ounce/28 grams): 23 grams
Dates (2 large): 36 grams
Corn (1 cup/165 grams): 24 grams
Potato (1 medium): 34 grams
Beets, cooked (1 cup/170 grams): 17 grams
And last, but not at all least – Pasta and Cereal! A bowl of cereal can easily put you over your total carb limit — even before you add milk.
Just 1 cup of cooked spaghetti packs 46 grams of carbs, while the same amount of whole wheat pasta provides 45 grams.
If you want to have pasta without all those nasty carbs try making spiralized vegetables or shirataki noodles instead. I love spiralized zucchini and butternut squash! Yum!
Counting carbs on a daily basis is so beneficial to losing weight and staying on your health happiness journey!
Carb cravings? What carb cravings?