WebMD Health Tuesday, April 12, 2022 4:01 PM When it comes to food safety and your pets, there's a lot to learn. |
WebMD Health Tuesday, April 12, 2022 2:18 PM What's the difference between being sensual or sexual? Can you be both? Find out what these terms have in common and how they differ. |
WebMD Health Tuesday, April 12, 2022 1:42 PM Early research suggests a type of RA drug known as TNF inhibitors may lower dementia risk in people who have RA and heart disease. |
WebMD Health Tuesday, April 12, 2022 1:39 PM New York City Mayor Eric Adams has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating while continuing to work. |
WebMD Health Tuesday, April 12, 2022 12:12 PM Battered woman syndrome is a form of trauma. The psychological effects of living with constant abuse and control make it almost impossible for some women to leave their partners. |
Mark's Daily Apple Tuesday, April 12, 2022 12:00 PM I've long espoused a fairly low-carb lifestyle for optimal health, but "low-carb" means different things to different people. For some, it means eating the fewest carbs possible, as in a strict carnivore diet or something more like carniflex, a meat-centric approach that strategically includes some plants. For others, it means a keto or Atkins-style diet that restricts carb intake. Some people don't count carbs at all but still consider themselves "low-carb" because they eat mostly meat, eggs, and vegetables, and they limit things like grains, fruit, legumes, and added sugars. Sound familiar? That's the classic Primal or paleo approach. What all these low-carb folks have in common is that they need to decide what to eat day in and day out. Thinking about food all the time can become tedious, especially when you're trying out a new way of eating and don't know what's "allowed." It's tempting to sort foods into discrete categories based on macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) and quality ("good" versus "bad" foods) to reduce decision fatigue. Ultimately, though, that approach is too simplistic. There are always going to be gray areas when it comes to food. But the human brain does love to put things in categories, so let's talk about this idea of "good carbs" versus "bad carbs." Not All Carbs Are Created Equal: "Good Carbs" Versus "Bad Carbs" First, let's be clear: carbohydrates are a component of food, not a food group unto themselves. When people refer to "carbs," as in "I don't eat carbs," they really mean that they avoid certain foods (bread and pasta, for example) or they limit their daily carb intake. Now that that's out of the way, some sources of carbohydrates are better than others. It's not just about how much carbohydrate a given food contains. You can't judge a food purely by its macronutrient content. I love protein, but I'm not going to knowingly consume chicken raised in a dirty cage and fed nothing but pesticide-ridden corn, even though it's "high-protein." You have to look at the bigger picture. Rather than trying to sort foods into "good" and "bad" categories, consider the following questions: Does this food offer something else my body needs besides carbs—protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals? Are there downsides to eating this? Do these carbs come packaged with other compounds that will detract from my health (like gluten if you're gluten-sensitive, as I believe many or most people are)? Are there better sources of the good stuff that don't have the potential downsides? With those questions as a starting point, we can make some generalizations. Don't Get Your Carbs from Grains Yes, grains provide some nutrients (and they're often fortified during processing). But they aren't the best source of those nutrients, and they come with significant health concerns. I've covered those concerns extensively in the past, so I won't rehash them here. If you're new to these parts, start with this post and this post. Vegetables Are A Superior Source of Carbohydrates The benefits of eating … Continue reading "Are There Any Good Carbs?" The post Are There Any Good Carbs? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. |
