BSP Nutrition Tip # 5 – High Quality Carbs

BSP Nutrition Tip # 5

By Brian St. Pierre

http://brianstpierretraining.com/

Ensure carbohydrate intake is from high quality sources

• Carbohydrate intake should mostly be from nutrient dense fruits, vegetables and whole starches
• Grains should mostly be whole grain, or preferably, sprouted-grains
• Minimize added sugar, high fructose corn syrup and refined grains and flours.

This a controversial topic at the moment, with many advocating for low-carb or Paleo diets that allow for minimal carbohydrate intake. The thing is these diets work, but unfortunately they are not overly enjoyable or sustainable for most people.

What good is a dietary lifestyle if you can’t stay on it for the long term?

In the past 10-15 years or so there has been a focus on carbohydrates and the potential of them causing so many of the metabolic problems today; metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, overweight, obesity, etc.

First there was the Atkins craze, which while effective was certainly not an enjoyable diet for the majority of the people on it. Then came the Paleo movement, eschewing grains, legumes and more, which still seems to be gaining steam, and has zealots to the point of being more like a religion than a diet.

Fueling that fire was Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories. While I still feel this book was excellent at completely dispelling the lipid hypothesis as the cause of heart disease, its simplistic focus on carbs and insulin as the final cause is short-sighted and incomplete.

This switch from pointing all of the blame at fat, to now pointing all of the blame at carbohydrates is happening all over the place. In my mind people need to stop pointing their finger at carbohydrates in general, and definitely stop lumping in real food sources with sugar and refined flour. They are not one and the same. A Puegot and a Maserati are both cars, but no one would classify them as equal.

Humans throughout history have survived on all kinds of different diets, many of them very high-carb. The difference is their carbohydrates came in the form of starchy tubers like sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, fruit and fermented grains.

They certainly were not living on white bread and soda, that is for sure. While carbohydrates in and of themselves are not bad for you, ensuring your intake comes from foods like sweet potatoes, potatoes, quinoa, oats, beans, sprouted grains and fruits and vegetables will actually improve your health, not hurt it.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Great Carbs Sources (organic if possible)

– all fruits and vegetables
– sweet potatoes
– potatoes
– corn
– beans
– old-fashioned oat
– sprouted-grain breads, wraps, english muffins and cereals
– quinoa