There is so much confusion on nutrition and it’s costing you your health.

I get asked questions like “Is spinach or cauliflower a carb?”

There is more to this story but before I dive is…

The food industry has programmed our brains with info that causes even more confusion. Example
?Milk has a lot of calcium, but the truth is 1 cup of kale has as much calcium as milk
?Orange juice has vitamin C…so do lemons minus calories
?Carbs are bad or make you fat

Ever wondered why there are barely any broccoli or kale ads on TV?? Because the ads are paid for by the people looking to benefit from your lack of knowledge. Farmers don’t have advertising budgets…corporations do.

Back to spinach + cauliflower…Yes, they are carbs…how so?
Let’s go over the basics

Macronutrients are nutrients our bodies need in large amounts. They are only 3
1. Protein?
2. Fats?
2. Carbohydrates?

Protein + Fats are not the focus today

Carbohydrates are further divided into 3 groups and to illustrate this, the easiest way possible,  I’ll use a dating analogy.

1. Simple carbs – Easy Esther is down for whatever. Not much effort needed to make her acquiesce to a guy’s demands. Simple carbohydrates do not require much effort when it comes to the body getting its primary fuel, glucose. This is because they have a very simple molecular structure. Simple carbs, alo known as processed carbs, are usually processed in a mill (wheat), sweet items such as cake, cookies, sodas, ice-cream, and although unprocessed, fruits fall under this category because of sugar/sweetness. This is why kids bounce off the walls 20 mins after eating a lot of candy. THINK SWEET ITEMS. Simple carbs should be consumed minimally.

3. Starchy carbs/Complex carbs – Hard to get Helen as the name suggests is complex. She needs a lot of energy, effort to date, and doesn’t make anything easy. The body requires a lot of energy and time to digest and absorb complex carbs because they have complex molecular chains and a lot of energy/calories. These include sweet potatoes, quinoa, couscous, buckwheat, oats, beans, lentils…and more. Yes, beans &lentils have more carbs than protein. THINK WHITE. THINK HEALTHY.

 

3. Fibrous carbohydrates – Gracious Grace is pleasant, good for you, but also complex. Just like complex carbohydrates, fibrous carbs require effort because they have fiber/roughage (thanks to cellulose) and lots of Vitamins + trace minerals but low in energy and calories. These are vegetables such as cauliflower, kale, broccoli, spinach. THINK GREEN. Understand that the type of carbohydrates in veggies ? is NOT the same type in starchy carbs?

Peas + carrots + beans (any kind) + lentils (any kind) are NOT real fibrous carbs or real vegetables. They are starchy carbohydrates and have a lot of energy and calories.

Not all carbs are created equal.

Was this post helpful? Share in the comments what you learned. Click this link to read PART 2 – what carbohydrates you should eat fro weight loss -> https://iamjanemukami.com/carbs-weight-loss-part-2/

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