Carbs: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.

November 9, 2009 by Lacey Stone
Filed under Featured, Nutrition

Personal Trainer, Lacey Stone, shares her carbohydrate no no’s, and and tells you which she avoids to keep her physique toned and lean.

So….do I eat them? Well yes, sometimes and some types. One thing is for sure though, I avoid the refined, processed kinds of carb– cookies and cakes, and all the obvious no no’s. And, anything made with white flour.

Bagels are basically donuts minus the sugar glaze in terms of what they do to your waistline, they might be fat free but they’re 3X the size they were a generation ago and have an entire meals worth of calories before you’re even tempted by the cream cheese etc. While we’re on breakfast carbs…muffins are cupcakes by a different name. I don’t eat them. Ever. Nope, not even the bran and raisin healthy looking types. Even they are full of calories in the form of sugar, and refined sugar is not the friend of a healthy, lean, toned physique.

White flour is only one minute level above sugar. Once you’ve eaten it the body can break it down almost immediately. You get an energy rush and then it’s gone, leaving you tired, cranky and HUNGRY all over again. It sets up a cycle of craving and the more you eat the more you want, and the more calories you end up consuming overall. So I just don’t go there. It might hurt initially, but truthfully, the less you eat , and the more effort you make to find interesting alternatives, the less you crave it.

I don’t eat pasta or noodles almost ever. Yes you can eat the whole-wheat kinds, and they’re definitely the vastly preferable option, but portion control is a HUGE issue with this kind of food. Just as a guideline– a restaurant serving of pasta is almost always at least DOUBLE the serving size quoted on the calorie listings on the back of a packet of dried pasta. That’s before you factor in the sauce it’s covered in! So if you have to have it, it helps to get real disciplined about splitting an order, and eating it with a large mixed salad, or vegetables.

Speaking of vegetables, some are better than others. I don’t really do white potatoes ever, but sweet potatoes are full of valuable nutrients and I’ll sometimes have them baked or slices grilled with a little olive oil brushed on top as a treat.

I know that not everyone WANTS to eat this way, and/or isn’t interested in being quite so disciplined. All I can honestly share is what I’ve learned works for me and the body that I like to have, while being happy, healthy and full of energy each day!

Next time I’ll talk about the CARBS I DO eat! They exist….I promise.

Also appearing soon…..FATS…they are NOT the enemy in our food plans at all but an important part of a healthy satisfying approach to food.

And our overall approach to food and eating style…..VOLUMETRICS!