Carbs Explained - Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

Sure our socitey has become and continues to grow fatter and fatter. So much so that there has also been an increase in the cases of diabetes, especially in children, which is a new phenomenon all together and is directly attributed to obesity level in younger and younger age groups. But can this all be blamed on carbohydrates or is there more to it than that? Unfortunately, most of us want simple answers that we do not have to take much time to think about. And so the target has been place squarely on carbohydrates. But, this answer is far too simplistic and has actually given rise to more problems.

Yes, Virginia, There are Good Carbohydrates

Many of us got the simple answer we were looking for and rode with it by zealously following the most popular low carbohydrate diets at the time. The biggest problem here is that these diets only concentrate on losing weight quickly through sometimes extreme limitations on the intake of carbohydrates. But, as many of you know, the diets in question did not limit portion size, the amount of fat in the diet (saturated or unsaturated) or caloric intake. And the fat issue is the scariest--the advice given by the proponents of these diets resulted in many people literally gorging on things like bacon and processed meats!

The tide is now turning towards diet more focused on overall health. The fact is that we do need carbohydrates for proper body functioning, but we need to concentrate solely on good carbohydrates, and not processed and empty carbohydrates such as those found in white bread and white rice. And there will be more of a focus on eating these complex carbohydrates, or good carbohydrates, based on your own personal level of physical activity. A diet focusing on low carbohydrates is fine as long as you don't go below 130 grams a day.

It would benefit us all to realize that there is not a quick fix for many of the more serious problems that we face, neither is the answer to our collective weight problem black or white. In order to get our health back on track, we might need a fair amount of retraining as far as our diets are concerned as well as a strong commitment to a lifestyle change altogether.