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Carbs - Part 2: Complex Carbs
Begin associating the word ‘complex’ with ‘good’ in terms of carbs. Complex carbs are primarily plant-based that are consumed in their natural state, meaning, they were not processed into some other kind of food. When you eat a carb-based food grown from its natural state, you reap the benefits of all the vitamins, nutrients and, most notable, dietary fiber. Among its many benefits, fiber primarily helps regulate the body and controls blood sugar. Complex carbs are lower in calories and carry 10x the amount of nutrients compared with their processed food counterparts. Some of the best complex carbs that you can EAT NOW include dark leafy greens (spinach, chard, kale…), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts…), and some fresh fruit and berries. These foods are extremely high in nutrient value and carry very low carb content (in fact, with many of these plant-based foods you actually burn more calories just chewing and digesting the food - neat!). Higher volume complex carbs, which again I stress - DO NOT eat until Mel has provided his guidance - include brown rice, brown pasta/noodles, beans, lentils, steel-cut oats and sweet potatoes. These foods are packed with dietary fiber that provides a host of benefits to the body’s digestion system. They digest slowly and are processed efficiently in the body. However, due to their high carb content and total calories, they take longer to burn off. Given how fatigued our bodies are and not able to expend much energy, a lot of these carbs will not be fully burnt off and end up converting into sugar. (In case I hadn't mentioned before, be sure to clear any carb intake with Mel first!)
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