Eddy's Blog
Most Likely Overlooked Facts About Carbs & Fibre
Carbohydrates
When discussing carbohydrates, the foods I’m more commonly referring to are breads, pasta rice, potatoes and corn. This group should be consumed in moderation. Whilst carbohydrates effectively provide energy, when the energy provided from eating excess carbohydrates on a daily basis is not used up, these carbohydrates convert to fat. They also provide little to no fibre which is also the reason why they should be consumed in moderation. Fibre (both soluble and insoluble) converts to a paste like substance when being digested, slowing down absorption and also allowing the body to effectively take in nutrients that are valuable to our system. It also keeps us fuller for longer (satiety).
Most vegetables and fruits are also classified as carbohydrates but these groups of food fall into different categories. Fruits still contain a fair amount of sugar and eating fruit to excess should be avoided unless you are in a healthy weight range, burning extra calories on a regular basis or are not eating other carbohydrates, which I strongly advise against.
Whilst fruits contain fibre, most vegetables contain higher amounts of fibre which are both soluble and insoluble (insoluble fibres are actually not digestible and therefore do not get absorbed). Insoluble fibres actually do not count towards your calorie intake and if they do, the calories are very low. Science has proven that greater energy is required by your body to digest fibre than any other nutrient. Increasing your vegetable intake is therefore invaluable. Why? Because you will simply burn more calories eating these foods!!
Vegetables do not have to be bland and can be mixed into your main meals, cooked with onions, garlic, chilli and other herbs/spices and can be eaten in abundance. They create volume without the calories. This also goes for salads. It is unrealistic to expect that if you have increased your appetite over the years due to poor eating habits or consuming foods with little to no nutritional value, that you will be content just eating vegetables, nor would this be encouraged, but it is important to combine vegetables into your meals with protein.
