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By Valerie Berkowitz
eDiets Contributor
Eating the right food isn’t always easy, especially when there’s so much controversy amongst the experts on which foods are actually better choices. All carbs are not created equal and all fats are not created equal. This article will focus on carbs, so that you can make “smart-carb” choices.
Good carbs, bad carbs, blah, blah, blah. What you should know is that just because something is low in fat and high in carbohydrates, it doesn’t mean that it’s good for you. Smart-carb eating choices include carbohydrates that contain fiber.
What’s important to know about fiber? Well, it’s the portion of a plant that can’t be digested by humans. Just like cholesterol is only found in animal products, fiber is only found in plant products. So fiber is found in the skins, seeds, and pulp of fruit and vegetables and in the bran and germ of grains and legumes. It’s what makes food chewy, crunchy and good for you (in most cases).
Fiber has been found to have a positive effect on the following:
- Weight loss because it can fill you up.
- Heart health by lowering cholesterol.
- Diabetes management by slowing the absorption of glucose.
- Gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation and hemorrhoids by adding bulk to your bowel movements.
Despite its significance for good health, fiber has been found to be a very small part of the foods we choose. Why? It may be in part that nearly all of the grain we consume comes from refined (due to processing it contains little to no fiber) wheat flour. You may think you’re getting enough fiber because you choose whole-wheat bread products just like many commercials claim, but here’s something to chew on… Americans today are eating more grains than they were in the 1900’s. You might think this is a good thing. Yet back in the earlier part of the 1900’s, the average American consumed more than 30 percent of daily calories from fiber-rich whole-grain foods. Today, because of refined foods, that number has dropped to fewer than 1 percent.
Another reason fiber consumption has dropped may be our misconception that fiber has to taste like cardboard. This isn’t true. Did you know that the following foods contain high amounts of fiber and they neither look nor taste like wood?
- Fruits and vegetables such as avocados, artichokes, pears, raisins, berries and unsweetened coconut
- Legumes such as peanut butter and peas
- Cooked lentils, kidney beans and chick peas
- Flax and chia seed
- Spices such as cinnamon, oregano, basil and curry
Whatever the reason is, going back to the food basics of the 1900’s and increasing fiber intake will only prove to be a positive step forward for losing weight and maintaining good health.
Be smart, eat foods that taste good and help facilitate your weight and health goals. You cannot go wrong with eating carbohydrates that contain fiber and that provide lots of nutrients to support health. So eat up!
Valerie Berkowitz, MS, RD, CDE, CDN is co-author of “The Stubborn Fat Fix” and Nutrition Director for The Center for Balanced Health. She is certified as a lifestyle counselor and certified by the American Dietetic Association in adult weight management. Valerie has been practicing for over 20 years and for a few of those years moderated eDiets online communities. Her specialty is helping people recognize underlying reasons that weight loss may be more difficult than it has to be. Valerie is the mother of three children, soon to be four, and strives to make eating a balanced and fun experience for everyone.
Check out Valerie’s book, The Stubborn Fat Fix, for even more help on getting rid of excess weight! To find out more, click here.
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