Fueling Your Body… The “Skinny? on Carbohydrates
By Margaret Furtado MS, RD, LDN, RYT and Chef Joseph Ewing AS Culinary Arts, BS Culinary Nutrition
Good Carbs: “Good? carbs are complex carbohydrates, found in plant-based foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains (e.g. old-fashioned oatmeal, whole-grain breads, cereals, pastas, and brown rice), skim and/or low-fat, plain dairy products (e.g. fat-free, plain Greek-style yogurt, low-fat cottage or ricotta cheese, skim or 1% milk, part-skim milk cheeses). Complex carbohydrates are healthy because they typically provide a good amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Good carbs can help you feel full and also lower your risk of constipation. Certain kinds of carbs (e.g. oatmeal, applesauce), may even help wit h diarrhea. Also, fiber, in general, is believed to lower your risk of certain kinds of cancer, such as colon cancer.
Bad Carbs: “Bad? carbs are simple or processed carbs, including most packaged desserts, and even including the 100-calorie snack packs (no real nutritional value, including fiber or protein, and they leave you hungry shortly after eating them); sugary-snacks, some protein bars; white breads (in general), high-fat crackers, regular chips or nacho chips and generally any starch that has a huge list of ingredients you can’t recognize or pronounce! Simple sugars include sucrose (table sugar), dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, and even honey. (Honey has some nutrients, but is essentially two sugar molecules stuck together.) You should avoid simple sugars in the first three ingredients and I generally suggest no more than 15 grams of “sugars? at one sitting. This is just a general suggestion to not only lower risk of the “dumping syndrome? after gastric bypass, but in general, after all weight loss surgery procedures, to just keep simple sugars, and therefore “empty calories? low in the diet, especially if you’re dealing with high blood sugars and/or weight regain issues.
Choose Your Carbs Wisely
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/food/pdfs/hhs_facts_carbohydrates.pdf
Information on Whole Grains
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whole-grains/NU00204/METHOD=print
The Glycemic Index
Not all carbs are created equally and eating lower Glycemic Index (GI) foods can cause you to feel less hungry, help manage diabetes and help lower the risk of heart disease and assist in weight loss. That’s where the GI comes into play.
The idea behind the GI is that foods that break down slowly, release glucose slowly into the blood stream and have a smaller insulin response and are considered low GI foods such as: whole grain foods, some low fat yogurts and apples. Foods that break down faster have a high GI response such as: sucrose (regular table sugar), white breads and high-fructose corn syrup.
The bottom line about low GI foods: they may help you with your blood sugars, especially if they’re high, they may also help you to feel less hungry, so they could be an important part of your weight loss and/or weight maintenance plan! However, don’t swear off healthy foods, like tomatoes, just because they may not be the lowest GI, since they have health benefits, including lots of vitamins and minerals. Also, the blood sugar response is lower if eaten with a meal, since fiber and fats decrease the Glycemic Index.
List of Foods & Glycemic Loads:
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/glycemic_index.php
About the Glycemic Index & some foods:
http://www.diabetes.org.au/gi.pdf
Carbs: How Much Is Ideal in Your Diet After Weight Loss Surgery:
In my 20 years as a clinical dietitian, I can’t tell you how often patients tell me they’re afraid to eat carbs, especially after weight loss surgery. There might be surgeons and other professionals out there advising patients to only consume say, 20 grams of carbs a day. This may be helpful for some people to help shrink their liver before surgery, but I don’t advise it, in general, especially not long-term post-op's and here’s why:
- Energy: Carbohydrates are the chief source of energy in the body, and a low-carb diet can really zap your energy, especially long-term. Ketosis, or your body’s making of energy from fat stores, is typically what your body resorts to if it isn’t getting enough carbohydrate in the diet. Some studies suggest if you’re taking in less than 100 grams of carbs, and certainly if less than 70 gms per day, that your body is in ketosis, which may leave you feeling sluggish on a regular basis.
- Muscle mass: If you’re not getting enough carbs for your body, the result could be significant loss of muscle and that could be dangerous for your health. It could also throw off your weight loss efforts since muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. Your heart is a muscle as well, so you could put your health in jeopardy by not getting enough carbohydrates to help spare protein and decrease muscle mass breakdown. I tend to have my own goal for my patients: 70 grams of carbs by three months post-op. I know that sounds overwhelming, but that’s about the same as two fruits, two vegetables, and two starches (or one starch and a dairy). You can get there if you set small carb goals each week. Check with your team’s dietitian for your own personal carb goals and to learn` how you can get there.
- Bone issues: If your body is in a constant state of ketosis due to not getting enough carbs, it leaves your body in an acidic state, which, among other things, your bones don’t like. That could up your chances of getting bone issues, even scary things like higher risk for bone fractures, like a broken hip!
- “Foggy? Thinking: Some people who are on low-carb diets for an extended period of time complain of foggy thinking. This may be related to the fact the brain isn’t getting all of the glucose it needs. Yet another reason to get some healthy carbs in your diet!
- Weight loss issues: There have been research studies suggesting that even elite athletes are unable to lose weight as easily if they don’t get enough carbs in their diet. Carbs, the healthy kind, in an appropriate amount, together with protein and a small amount of healthy fat, help your body to use fat for energy and can help you not only lose weight, but keep it off.
Joe and I know it’s a leap of faith to re-introduce carbs back in your diet (the good carbs, of course), but it really IS important to get enough healthy carbs in your diet and it can really help you lose the weight, keep it off and have optimal energy and vitality in the process!
To your health, dear readers!
Grilled Salmon Fillet with lemon and Chive Crème Fraiche
This is a great dish to serve AT parties, for your family or even with that special someone on Valentine’s Day. This recipe shown is served over creamy polenta and mixed field greens.
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Grilled Salmon Fillet with lemon and Chive Crème Fraiche
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Servings
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1 |
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Calories
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200 |
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Carbohydrates
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3 |
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Sugar
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1g |
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Protein
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19 |
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Fat
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12g |
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Saturated Fat
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2g |
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Cholesterol
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47g |
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Sodium
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246mg |
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Fiber
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.3g |
1 TB. Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 tsp. light miso
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup plus 1/2 tsp. water
2 TB. chopped fresh chives
8 (3-oz.) fillets fresh Atlantic Salmon
2 TB. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the grill to medium.
2. In a blender, combine Mrs. Dash Lemon pepper, cashews, light miso, lemon juice, nutmeg and water. Blend on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth and the consistency of sour cream.
3. Transfer mixture into a bowl and stir in chopped chives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Cut salmon fillets into 8 (3 oz.) portions (about the size of a deck of cards). Brush with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Grill salmon for about 3 minutes on each side or until salmon reaches an internal temperature of 140º F.
6. Serve topped with crème fraiche.
Also, be sure to check out the recipe section of the newsletter for a special dessert favorite of ours!
