GOOD CARBS, BAD CARBS

Wait. Is there such a thing as a good carbohydrate? Absolutely. It’s easy to find examples of bad ones. Pop tarts, twinkies, lollipops. But there are also a lot of good ones.

Original source: here.

But first, what is a carbohydrate?

For the geeks, a carbohydrate is a combination of a carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atom (which you knew from breaking down the name, didn’t you, smarty pants?). For the non-geeks, a carbohydrate is a nutrient that has 4 calories per gram. And that affects a lot of things in your body. For instance:

• When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar increases.
• When you eat carbohydrates, cortisol (the stress hormone) decreases
• When you eat carbohydrates, your body boosts serotonin (the chemical in the brain that makes you feel happy).

…and more.

None of the above is good or bad. They are just characteristics of carbohydrates. So what makes a carbohydrate either good or bad? As I discussed in my talk, Healthy Foods that Poison: Why You’re Getting Sicker and Fatter Despite Eating Healthier, what’s good for one person may not be good for another. So when we have a client sitting in front of us, there are a few things we need to know before determining whether a particular food will be good or bad for that person:

What is your body type?

If you are naturally skinny with a super-fast metabolism, desperately trying to gain muscle…