Carbs. The Good, The Bad and The Tasty.

Any one who knows me will know that I love a carbohydrate. And carbs are a necessary part of any balanced diet but they are quite often overindulged in! I am the worst one for this. My fat girl diet used to include mash or bread or pasta. Every meal had to have one of these elements in abundance. 

The Good: 
The right carbs are essential for your health and wellness. Cutting them out completely is not a good idea. There is a massive different between wholesome 'good' carbs that our bodies are designed to eat and the refined, mega processed ones we eat every day! So, here is a list of what you should be eating to help you feel fuller for longer with out the bloat that bread can bring. If you do need to have bread or pasta, make it whole grain!

• whole vegetables
• whole fruits
• beans
• legumes
• nuts
• seeds
• whole cereal grains

The Bad: 
Bad carbs are those which are refined and processed and have usually had all of their nutrients and fiber removed. This is done basically to make them taste better and be more consumer friendly.  Most baked goods, white breads, pastas, snack foods, candies, and non-diet soft drinks fit into this category. Bleached, enriched ‘white’ flour and white sugar – along with an array of artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives – are the most common ingredients used to make ‘bad carb’ foods. The human body simply can't process them! While the human body has evolved over millions of years, refined carbs have only been on the menu for about 100. Our bodies just can't cope. Our hormone levels go through the roof, insulin and blood sugar are all over the place. This is why we feel tired after eating an unhealthy meal. And for those who calorie count, bad carbs are 'empty' calories. They have little or no nutritional value. Lots of these and you get fat. Simple. Then, on a longer term basis there are so many illnesses which come with continued bad carb heavy diets: obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other long-term problems. Try and cut them out for a week or so, I promise you will feel better! 

The Tasty:
So, what can you eat instead of bad carbs? Here are some healthy alternatives! 

Squash

Summer squash (the football-shaped yellow kind) tastes similar to potatoes when cooked—but has just a fraction of the carbs. Grate the squash, mix in an egg as binder, make patties, and fry them in olive oil, says Mary Dan Eades, M.D., coauthor of The Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook.

Lettuce 

 

Yes, skip the rolls, tortillas and bread slices and instead make a sandwich inside lettuce leaves. Go Mexican with a sprinkle of Cheddar cheese, salsa and chicken; or Chinese with sesame seeds, peanuts, bean sprouts, sliced green beans and shrimp with a touch of soy sauce; or deli style with turkey, cheese and mustard.

Zuchinni 

 

 

Slice four to five medium-size zukes lengthwise into three-quarter-inch-thick strips, instructs Lise Battaglia, a New Jersey chef whose past clients include Jon Bon Jovi. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the strips, place them in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. You want them firm, not crisp. "Then simply make the lasagna as you normally would, replacing lasagna noodles with the baked zucchini," she says.

 

Oatmeal and Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Here's a can't-fail recipe from The South Beach Diet. Mix together half a cup of old-fashioned oatmeal, a quarter cup of low-fat cottage cheese, two eggs, and a dash each of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process in a blender until smooth. Cook the mixture like a regular pancake.

Polenta

 

 

My personal favourite, Polenta is a golden-yellow Italian cornmeal made from dried, ground maize (corn), and also the name given to the savoury cornmeal porridge that’s made by mixing cornmeal with water and simmering and stirring until it thickens - a staple dish of northern Italy. Polenta can be ground coarse or fine and is widely used in the southern states of America to make a variety of dishes, including cornbread, because maize is a major crop in the US.

 

Quinoa 

 

While quinoa is usually considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a seed, but can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley. Try a quinoa pilaf salad recipe, or serve a vegetable stir-fry over cooked quinoa instead of rice. Quinoa is my favorite whole grain for three reasons: First, it takes less time to cook than other whole grains – just 10 to 15 minutes. Second, quinoa tastes great on its own, unlike other grains such as millet or teff. Add a bit of olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice and - yum! Finally, of all the whole grains, quinoa has the highest protein content, so it's perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain and is almost always organic.

There are some more ideas on http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/cut_carbs/ but also, share your own ideas below!

Healthy Breakfast Ideas.

 

I have spoken to lots of people on the topic of breakfast. When I was at my largest I wasn't eating breakfast at all, by lunch I was having a chocolate bar and by lunch I NEEDED carbs. Even when I was dieting and skipping breakfast I wasn't losing a pound. Breakfast is super super important! It breaks the fast and boosts your metabolism. And in my experience, it puts you in a better mood! So I thought about the things I like for breakfast and had a gander online and have compiled some ideas to get you started! 

My personal favourite is fruit with yoghurt, sprinkled with some seeds or oats for extra goodness and texture. Natural yoghurt is best but I do not like it so I went with Muller Greek style. YUM! As for fruit, be careful what you are eating, most of it is good but some of it is high in natural sugar and can be just as bad for you as sweets. More to come on fruit. 

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Another thing the personal trainer advised us to give up was dairy. So that meant cereal was out! For me, my belly felt much better when dairy was out of the equation, I wasn't so bloated or queasy. Plus, there are some great alternatives out there, and once your insulin has leveled out (after about 2 weeks of living like a caveman), you can introduce a little back in. Porridge made with water is a good starter if you can eat it, I personally did not enjoy at all, even though the smell was divine!

Also, avoid energy bars! Just no good at all. 

 

Green smoothies are one of my favourite breakfasts - stick some spinach and fruit of your choice in a blender and wahey. I found lots of recipes online but in the end I just experimented with fruits that I liked, my favourite was spinach, pineapple and mango. Don't be put off by the idea of drinking spinach, you can barely taste it. The health benefits to these are amazing and definitely worth a try, especially if like me you aren't especially keen on greens. Here are Four green smoothie recipes but remember to experiment with your own! 

Another nice idea from BBC Recipes is Asparagus soldiers with a soft boiled egg. Good if you want to start the day with something a bit more substantial than fruit juices!

And of course, everyone needs an alternative to the cooked sunday breakfast. For me it was all about the omelette. This is a great start to the morning and keeps you full for hours! 2 eggs, add a little water, fry up. A good tip for frying is coconut oil instead of olive oil or vegetable oil. Coconut oil actively helps you to burn calories. And it doesn't taste at all like coconuts! Give it a go! It is available in Hollands and Barratts but is about 3000 times more expensive. I picked up a cheap bottle in the foreign food section of Asda. 

 

As for fillings you can add what you want but I always liked Turkey Rashers (super low calorie alternative to bacon and tastier because there is no fat!) and mushrooms but you can add what you like. I do know people who prefer their omelette without the yolk because it is healthier but my opinion is that as it is in the morning and you are going to be using up all your energy, then go for the yolk! 

Hope these ideas are helpful! Please comment with any of your own breakfast ideas below. The more we share, the better this blog will become! :)