Why are carbs good for you is what we will talk about today, many of us might think of carbs as being a bad thing. Let us just see why we need them as part of our diets to stay healthy, and there will be some recipes included in this guide.
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What Are Carbs
Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches, and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables, and milk products, as many of you health-conscious folks know there are what is referred to as good and bad carbs. Eliminating carbs completely from your diet is not healthy, so let us find out why this is true.
Why We Need Carbs
- Some carbs are what our brain uses for energy
- The fiber in them is important for digestive health
- The brain is part of the control system for the gut and our brains require carbs for proper functioning.
- Complex carbohydrates are important for our digestive system.
- Carbohydrates are essential for the production of serotonin which contributes to our mood and mental health.
- The lack of healthy carbohydrates can increase cortisol levels.
- Without carbohydrates, your blood sugar can drop too low.
We now understand why are carbs good for you, what is the most important thing to know are the good carbs and the bad carbs which is coming next. Remember there will be healthy recipes included later in this guide, so please stick around.
Healthy Carb Recipes
What Are Good Carbs
We are going to educate ourselves on this to make better food choices, you never want to totally eliminate carbs from your diet. In this paragraph, we are going to provide you with a wealth of information. Even if you are working toward losing weight, you really need to learn more about them.
Health Benefits
The very first thing is to be aware of the health benefits, you will not be nearly as healthy if you are not including these in your daily diet plan.
- Important to provide you with enough energy to do the things you need and want to do each day.
- Aids in protecting you from many chronic health diseases and disorders, so the lack of these could actually cause you to become unhealthy.
- Managing our weight includes healthy carbohydrates included in our daily meal plans, so actually, you might be sabotaging your weight loss goals without even realizing it.
What Should We Be Eating
By knowing which foods to be putting into our bodies, we are doing our part to stay healthier. Way too often people are misled about carbohydrates being bad, and the cause we are overweight. The key is to know which ones to be eating, so below is a list to get you on your way.
- Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits.
- Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables.
- Whole grains are another healthy choice instead of refined grains.
- Low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt provide you with many health benefits.
- Beans, peas, and lentils are some of the most nutritious carbohydrates on this list.
The Mayo Clinic provided us with this information, and they recommend choosing your carbohydrates carefully. Limit foods with added sugars and refined grains, Instead, select fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Counting Calories Guide
We all hear all the time we need to count our calorie intake to lose weight and stay healthy, now that got me thinking this might be helpful to include in this guide as well. It seems such a pain to me to do this, so let us see if there is an easy way.
Weight Management Calorie Intake
First, multiply your current weight by 15 — that’s roughly the number of calories per pound of body weight needed to maintain your current weight if you are moderately active. This formula was provided by Health Harvard, one of my favorite resources for reliable information. This means you need to be sure to receive at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day, which is really not so hard to do if you put your mind to it.
- Walking
- Using the steps instead of the elevator
- Gardening
- Riding a bicycle
- Stationary bike
- Elliptical
- Weight training
- Swimming
- Softball
- Basketball
However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional. When you add fun activities that you enjoy, you are going to experience it so much easier to get your exercise in each and every day.
Counting Calories
Adding up the number of calories per serving of all the foods that you eat, and then planning your menus accordingly is the easiest way to count your calories. You can buy books that list calories per serving for many foods, and reading the nutrition labels on your foods makes this even easier for you to do.
- The Complete Book of Food Counts
- The Calorie Counter
- The Everything Calorie Counting Cookbook
- Calorie Counting Journal
- The Complete Fat and Carb Counter
The books listed above are examples of what you can find by using the link provided, so if this interests you to start counting your calories feel free to browse the books by clicking on the link provided above.
What About Beverages
Many people struggling with their weight loss goals become overwhelmed, and what many of us forget about is the carbohydrates included in our beverages. These often sabotage our goals more than the food, we are going to learn better choices of beverages below.
- Tea
- Coffee
- Sparkling Water
- Sports Drinks
- Smoothies
- Kombucha
- Coconut Water
- Kefir
According to nutritionists flavored sparkling water is your best choice of them all, so now you have healthier beverage choices that you might not have been aware of. If this information is worthy, please consider sharing it on your social media pages. Gizmo would greatly appreciate you spreading the word, now we are ready for the recipes that I promised you.
Is The Vegan Life Healthy
Healthy Carb Recipes
Now that we know carbohydrates are an important part of our healthy diet plan, we need some inspiration with some healthy recipes. The ones I have found for you below are from the Eating Well website, another good resource I recommend.
- Chickpea Quinoa Bowl
- Quick Shrimp Puttanesca
- Vegan Shepherd Pie
- Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Chicken and Potato Curry
- Cheesy Cauliflower Mac
- Crispy Chicken Grain Bowl
- Potato and Spinach Stew
- Bacon, Tomato, and Farro Salad
- Creamy Chicken, Brussel Sprouts, and Mushroom Pot
- Shrimp Poke
- Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken and Veggies
- Smoked Turkey and Farro Salad
- Black Bean Quinoa Bowl
- Lemon-Herb Salmon with Caponata and Farro
- Stuffed Potatoes with Salsa and Beans
- Tomato and Artichoke Gnocchi
- Skilled Chili Mac
- Quinoa Deli Salad
- Vegetarian Quinoa and Squash Casserole
With this variety of recipes you are on your way to healthy carbs, we still have a few more paragraphs to go. Please stick with me just a little longer to see what I have for you in the remainder of “Why are Carbs Good for You”.
Calorie Counter Apps
Possibly you would be interested in some apps that help you count calories, Gizmo knows how you love your apps. I have included a few of them that you might wish to check out, so let us see what I have found for you.
- The Smartest Diet App
- Track Your Calories
- My Fitness Pal
- Chronometer
- My Plate Calorie Tracker
- Fat Secret
- Simple Calorie Counter
- EZ Calorie Counter
- Calorie and Food Tracker
How does this please you app lovers, I would love to hear from you in my comments section if this guide was helpful. There is a free email publication available that will be published once I receive enough subscribers, If this interests you feel free to sign up, and if not, that is quite alright with Gizmo.
Browse Calorie Counter Apps
Recommended Resources
Gizmo always ends his self-help guides with a few resources, we can never have access to too many websites online to gain information. This is just my way of thanking you for reading “Why are Carbs Good for You”, so let us see what you have access to today.
If counting calories is not your thing, I totally understand. Gizmo doesn’t count calories as well, so what I do is eat smaller meals more often throughout my day. I do choose healthy carbs when going grocery shopping. I use these as my snacks, and by doing this I am getting enough of them without overconsuming them at the same time.