Comfort Foods…AKA…Carbohydrates!!!

It’s that time of year again!  Soon we’ll be in hibernation and craving comfort foods…A LOT!  Carbohydrates are necessary for us to function because it is our source of energy.  To be specific it aids in the function of the brain and central nervous system.  Stimulants are great for a quick burst of energy but carbs provide you with longer sustainable energy!  Clearly the downside to carbs is eating too much.  Whatever our bodies do not use as energy will be stored away as FAT!

The two types of carbs we consume are complex carbs and simple carbs.  Complex carbs are more slowly digested and almost always found in more healthful foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains.  Simple carbs, aka simple sugars are quickly converted to glucose in your body .  Simple carbs include naturally occurring sugars and are most usually found in refined, processed foods with fewer nutrients, and tend to be less satisfying and more fattening.

The best time to consume simple carbs is right before a workout.  The best time to eat complex carbs is 45min after your workout with 20-40 grams of protein.  In general, no more than 50% of your meal should be carbs and of those carbs you want to focus on consuming fruits, veggies and whole grains.  Refer to the following lists for examples of complex and simple carbohydrates:

Complex Carbohydrates:

Spinach	Whole Barley	Grapefruit
Turnip Greens	Buckwheat	Apples
Lettuce	Buckwheat bread	Prunes
Water Cress	Oat bran bread	Apricots, Dried
Zucchini	Oatmeal	Pears
Asparagus	Oat bran cereal	Plums
Artichokes	Museli	Strawberries
Okra	Wild rice	Oranges
Cabbage	Brown rice	Yams
Celery	Multi-grain bread	Carrots
Cucumbers	Pinto beans	Potatoes
Dill Pickles	Yogurt, low fat	Soybeans
Radishes	Skim milk	Lentils
Broccoli	Navy beans	Garbanzo beans
Brussels Sprouts	Cauliflower	Kidney beans
Eggplant	Soy milk	Lentils
Onions	Whole meal spelt bread	Split peas

Simple Carbohydrates:

Table sugar

Corn syrup

Fruit juice

Candy

Cake

Bread made with white flour

Pasta made with white flour

Soda pop, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.

Candy

All baked goods made with white flour

Most packaged cereals