“Which ones are good carbs and which are bad?” Good question because somewhere along the way, somehow we have been led to believe CARBS are the enemy. Let’s get one thing straight.

Carbs are not the enemy!! not all of them anyway. There are basically two types we need to be on the look out for: Simple and Complex. Otherwise known as Fast carbs and Slow carbs. And it all relates to the speed at which it is absorbed from your stomach into your bloodstream. The fastest of all carbs is PURE. REFINED. SUGAR and here’s how your body deals with it.

Imagine I eat this sugar cube, within seconds it gets absorbed from my gut into my blood stream causing a SUGAR SPIKE. Now. The problem is that unless my body needs all of this at once (which, most of the time, it doesn’t) I’ll release a hormone called insulin – that tells my body to convert sugar into fat. Another problem is, that this conversion is SO effective that it actually knocks your sugar levels to rock bottom leaving you exhausted….

And this is a sugar CRASH…So what does your brain tell you to do? HAVE MORE SUGAR! because you’ve taught your body that’s what it needs to get going… And herein the cycle starts SPIKE AND CRASH all the while your adding extra FAT to your waistline and never have any energy…. sound familiar?!?

USUAL SUSPECTS TO AVOID?

Obviously white sugar and any foods and drinks it’s contained in: Cakes, Chocolate bars, Fizzy drinks even diet ones. White bread, dried fruit, Pasta sauces in jars, Cereals with tigers on the box, the list is almost endless…

But before you despair, let me explain more about slow carbs and how they can help you look great and lose weight.

SLOW RELEASE – or COMPLEX

Lets take for example one of the most common slow release carbs – porridge.

Instead of getting into my bloodstream in a matter of seconds like sugar – which would have given me THE SPIKE – its drip fed into my system slowly over several hours. Meaning I stay fuller for longer and more energetic!! And therefore it’s a lot less likely to get converted into fat because my body can use the energy all day.

Simple (well complex really!)

Other examples of slow release carbs are:
Quinoa
SWEET potato
oatcakes
Brown breads the darker the better RYE bread/pumpernickel /
Wholemeal pasta
Brown rice

So you see you only have to make small changes in your diet to get huge results – not just with how you look but also how you feel.

Think of them like the Hare and the Tortoise… Slow and steady always wins the race!