I just miss the carb!

How many times have I heard this? There is a perception out there that carbs are pasta, bread, rice. All the “bad” things we take out when starting a diet. Fun Fact: most things you eat that are not protein are pretty much carbs. I am no nutritionist but I know a little about food by following experts and research what is relevant to me.

Four important facts to remember:

1. There are good carbs and there are bad carbs. Identify which is which and you win half the battle
2. You need carbs to metabolise your protein.
3. You need protein to boost your metabolism and lose weight / stay in shape/etc…
4. Know the 6 Myths about carbs before you cut them out of your diet.

This has helped me tremendously over the years. Anything coming from the earth cannot be bad for you. Anything made by a human is processed in most cases – This is what you want to avoid, especially anything stored in cans or packs. I guess the exception would be fermented foods as those are really good for you (like everything, avoid excess).

I touched on sodium a little while back to reinforce how important it is to take a look at what you buy, the label says it all. Always look at the /100g or /100ml numbers so you can compare apple and apple – so to speak… Anything that has more than 120-150mg/100g or ml of sodium is sooooo bad for you.
Now get ready to freak out when you start looking at those food labels because those nice little “diet” crackers will be the worst thing on the shelf, yes sir… they might not have much fat in them, but they contain much worse: salt and lots of it! And don;t get me started on spreads and diet foods. You are in for a shock.
The good news is – if you didn’t know it before you do now, this means you are about to put better things in your body! That’s the glass half full right there.
Another thing you may want to look into is having LOW GI foods as you progress through the day. For example if you had to eat a fruit after 4pm, it should be cherries, pear, apple, grapes or peaches for example. Avoid watermelon at all costs!
Just like property investment, what you eat and how you eat comes down to a little bit of education in making the right choices; and because there is so much out there, it can be overwhelming. However if you know what will hurt you, start with the basics:

1. low sodium,
2. not processed,
3. low GI.

Don’t go crazy into one particular diet. Just start small, and shop on the weekend to prepare yourself for the week. Take it one week at a time.
How are you tracking???