Infographic Category Food

Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

By | source: May 17th, 2012

Summer’s here, it’s time to get the washboard abs. But did you know switching from white bread to whole grain bread can significantly boost your ability to shred fat and pack muscle? Yeah, listen up. I don’t have a nutrition degree, and I’m definitely not the master of diet, but I know quite a bit from experience. So I’m going to give you my suggestions on carbs.

I agree with most of the science on here, but it’s a little extreme to label the carbs as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Let’s face it, blueberry muffins are freaking delicious… to me those are ‘amazing’ carbs.

There is some truth to these labels however. Low glycemic index foods are better for your overall health due to the way they propogate through the body. Lots of simple carbs will mess with insulin levels, which will cause headaches and all sorts of other problems. Complex carbs will keep your energy up for extended periods of time, which is necessary for good workouts and staying alert at school or work. Hopefully you already know all of this. If you don’t, I’d suggest researching more about carbohydrates.

So what to do? I’m sure as hell not going to swap my ice cream for legumes! Nobody wants to quit their lifestyle cold turkey. Here’s my suggestion: make a conscious effort to increase good carb intake while still allowing those bad carbs occasionally for a little fun. Increase the amount of water you’re drinking, that alone will dramatically improve your insulin regulation. I believe (from my own statistical analysis) that over 80% of The United States is dehydrated. [Via]