Eat this, not that!
The biggest danger sign you are eating too many carbohydrates, say dietitians
Carbohydrates are a big part of our everyday life. We have cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, a bag of french fries for a snack and pasta for dinner. Needless to say, it is entirely possible that we can overdo it with carbohydrates. And most of us are. Americans eat lots of bad carbohydrates, mostly from refined grains and added sugars. According to a 2019 study by the Journal of American Medical Association, an average of 42 percent of daily calories come from low-quality carbohydrates. As a result, we can suffer from the consequences: high blood sugar, fatigue, skin problems, weight gain and more. Note, however, the emphasis on “bad” carbohydrates. Carbohydrates aren’t inherently bad; They are actually an important part of your diet. “Carbohydrates are important because they are the body’s main fuel source for energy and daily functions,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, a nutritionist registered with Balance One Supplements. There are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex, and Best says us that you need to watch out for the simple carbohydrates “Simple carbohydrates come from processed and refined foods such as ready-made meals. This form of carbohydrate is broken down quickly and used by the body immediately for energy production,” explains Best. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are considered “good” and relate to whole grain products such as oats, quinoa or brown rice and more. “They’re more nutritious and provide the body with more than a quick spike in glucose and stored fat,” says Best. Complex carbohydrates typically have a low glycemic index (GI) – a measure of how quickly your blood sugar spikes after you’ve eaten a food and falls – while simple carbohydrates are high. Studies show that diets that contain moderate amounts of good quality complex carbohydrates are more effective than high GI diets in reducing body weight and controlling glucose and insulin metabolism. In other words, to be healthy you can eat carbohydrates, not too much and most of the time the complex type. Before you can make changes or corrections to your diet, the first thing you need to do is determine whether you are eating too many carbohydrates. This is why we asked registered dietitians to share the hazard sign to look out for to assess your carbohydrate intake, and they agreed on this one thing. There is one warning sign that stands out among all the signs that you eat too many carbohydrates: you feel bloated and heavy. “When you eat too many processed carbohydrates, you experience abdominal distension because your body needs to store more water to store the energy from the carbohydrates,” says Megan Byrd, RD, a nutritionist with the food blog The Dietitian at Oregon. “If you’ve ever had a high-carb day and gained 4 to 5 pounds afterwards, that’s water retention.” When you eat too many carbohydrates, your body cannot use all of that energy at once. The solution? Save it. “When you eat carbohydrates, the muscles store extra carbohydrates that you don’t immediately use for energy as glycogen, which contains water and which adds to that heavy feeling you will feel shortly after you eat carbohydrates,” says Lyssie Lakatos, RDN , CDN, CFT & Tammy Lakatos Shames, RDN, CDN, CFT, from The Nutrition Twins. Another reason carbohydrates can lead to gas is the type of ultra-processed foods that you can find refined carbohydrates in. sugary and / or salty. Sugar and salt hold water in the body to dilute it and restore fluid balance to the body, which helps make them feel uncomfortably puffy, “says The Nutrition Twins. Some of the gas also occurs when eating, and many carbohydrates are temporary But you may also find that if you’ve been eating too many carbohydrates for an extended period of time, that bloating and water weight can lead to fat gain. “Refined carbohydrates are more likely to be high in calories because they are typically fat and fat Load sugar, and this contributes to weight gain. Overeating leads to weight gain over time. If you consistently feel a little puffy from overeating on carbohydrates, it is most likely resulting in more than temporary weight gain. “Explain The Nutrition Twins. How can you say that?” Do you feel bloated from eating too many carbohydrates or when it is something else? Excessive abdominal distension can result from many things, from food intolerances to excessive salt intake. There are several ways to tell if this bloating is due to too many carbohydrates One is to identify the location of your gas: “You can tell if you had too much salt compared to carbohydrates because salt tends to cause water retention in your extremities like your feet, ankles, and fingers. Carbohydrates cause gas in your abdominal region, “explains Byrd. Another is a small dietary intervention: “A great way to test if it’s carbohydrates or some other factor is to eat only half a cup of a healthy, high-fiber serving of carbohydrates (like oatmeal and / or sweet potatoes ) while you eat and see if fatigue, heaviness, and weight gain resolve on their own, ”recommend The Nutrition Twins. How to include carbohydrates in a healthy diet. Carbohydrates can be part of a healthy diet – as long as you choose healthy carbohydrates. “The healthiest way to eat carbohydrates is to choose complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans and lentils, berries, whole grains, and pumpkin. By avoiding these simple, refined carbohydrates, you are helping combat bloating,” says Byrd. Complex carbohydrates contain more fiber than simple carbohydrates. “The fiber slows the rate of absorption and lowers blood sugar levels,” explains Alicia Galvin, RD, a nutritionist based at Sovereign Laboratories. There are also ways to combine carbohydrates with other macronutrients so that the other foods can slow down your body’s digestion of the carbohydrate. “I tell people to never eat bare carbohydrates. Always combine a fat (olives, avocado, olive oil, nuts / seeds / nut butter) and, if possible, a protein (egg, jerk, beans, dairy products) with a carbohydrate, with that You have a balance of energy and the carbohydrate doesn’t spike blood sugar as much, “recommends Galvin. (Related: 15 Best Snack Combinations That Will Double Losing Weight) If you are feeling like you are having trouble determining whether you are eating too many carbs, you can always seek expert help. meet with a registered nutritionist. KIND is currently running 3,000 free registered nutritionist sessions that allow staff to learn more about their individual nutritional needs. This is ideal for people facing such physical challenges, “recommend The Nutrition Twins. You can register for the program here. For more news on healthy eating, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!
