Once upon a time people ate as much bread and rice and pasta as they wanted without a second thought. Then the Atkins diet doctors came along and told people that carbs were bad and everyone went crazy thinking they couldn’t have them. Sound like a nightmare? This really happened. Well, kind of.
The thing is, people used to eat carbs as if they were part of a healthy diet … because they are. Then fads like the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet appeared that told people that carbohydrates are bad. The truth is your body needs carbohydrates just as it needs oxygen. Carbs keep you up and running and looking like the superstar you are.
That said, not all carbohydrates are good. In fact, some are quite evil and should be eaten in smaller quantities. Let’s take a look at them.
Processed foods: For one, almost anything that comes in a box or has tons of wrapping is bad. Think Twinkies or Hot Fries. This means that it’s not natural and has had some sort of processed something added to it. Even though these foods taste good going down, they’re not so good for your body so try to eat them in smaller quantities, maybe once every few days or weeks if you can. This includes FAST FOOD…KFC and Mickey D’s are the obvious ones but don’t be fooled with foods like Baked Lays. They’re still processed and contain more chemicals than your body knows what to do with.
White bread and white rice: turns out Wonder Bread ain’t so wonderful. White bread and other ‘white’ foods are stripped of all the good stuff like vitamins and minerals.
Now that you know what to stay away from, let’s talk about all the goodies you can indulge in … and feel good about doing so. When eaten in healthy amounts and made from quality ingredients, carbohydrates are your friend. They are your brain’s main source of fuel and essential for your muscles. If your body doesn’t get enough carbohydrates, it begins to break down the proteins in your muscles. Doesn’t sound good? It isn’t. Eat up and fuel your body right with these tasty treats.
Sweet potatoes: Fat Joe swapped sweet potato fries for regular ones during his journey to lose weight. Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins A and C and are easier for your body to digest than regular taters.
Beans: most people don’t think of beans as carbs but they are loaded with them. High in fiber (this stuff keeps you regular) and protein, beans are a great addition to any meal. Love beans and rice? Try black beans and whole brown rice with fresh salsa on top for a healthy meal.
Whole grain breads, rice and pasta: thought you weren’t gonna be able to eat bread anymore? So not true. Whole brown rice and bread are some of the healthiest ways to consume carbohydrates. Try swapping in whole wheat bread for peanut butter toast or brown rice with your stir-fry.
Try cutting some of the bad stuff and adding in some of the good and keep us posted. Tweet us @FeelRich and show us what’s goin’ down.
Ary Nunez 
Eduard Checo 
Terry Williams 
Milton Harris
My 14 year old daughter and I have been struggling with what exactly we should do to get in shape. I came across your blog and it has helped give us the motivation we needed. It was wonderful to see that it is based in Texas. I think we will start to blog our progress to help motivate other mother and daughters get motivated to health! THANKS!
Do it! One person at a time, one change at a time, we can motivate each other!