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“Carb” sound like a curse word to people who want to lose weight, but not all carbohydrates are sitting around plotting the expansion of your behind. We don’t believe in extremes, which means we’d never go on a no-carb diet. Everyone needs carbohydrates! In fact, the right ones can actually help you slim down. “Good carbs are rich in fiber so they release energy into the blood stream slowly and help you avoid spikes in insulin and blood sugar,” says Abbey Sharp, RD, of Abbey’s Kitchen. “The fiber keeps you feeling fuller longer, so it may assist in reducing fat around the belly by helping you avoid hungry snack attacks.” Here are some carbs you can safely eat in moderation.
Fruits
"Although they may not be the foods that immediately come to mind when planning a low-carb diet, fruits fit in,” says Rebecca Lewis, a dietician at HelloFresh. If you want to modify your diet and scale back on carbs, it’s important that the carbs you do keep eating are nutrient dense. And a healthy diet def includes naturally low-carb foods like fruit. Add them to meals throughout the day and use them for naturally sweet snacks. Berries have the highest amount of fiber and the lowest amount of sugar of all the fruits. Go heavy on raspberries and blackberries. They have the highest fiber content of all berries. Melons, specifically watermelon and honeydew, rank as some of the lowest carbs per serving, says Lewis. Plus they have the highest water content of all melons to keep your body hydrated and feeling satisfied.
Sweet Potatoes
Confession: It’s been years since we’ve had French fries. The sweet potato has replaced every white potato food in our lives. “These slow carbs are versatile, naturally sweet and our bodies digest them slowly,” says Andrea Wise, a Chicago-based nutrition coach. Slice them into thick wedges and season with sea salt, oregano and olive oil. Bake them for a sweet and savory side dish. Whole sweet potatoes can be baked and mashed. Use the mash as a base for an anti-inflammatory protein likes eggs or salmon. You can even use leftover spears to punch up smoothies and salads.
Steel-Cut Oatmeal
If you need to kick the bad habit of bread, cereal and other refined carbs for breakfast, oatmeal is here to take their places. Not only does it have protein, but also the soluble fiber keeps you feeling full for longer (maybe even full enough to nix a mid-morning snack). Make sure you choose steel-cut oats over rolled or instant. They’re not pre-cooked and are processed in a manner that helps them maintain more fiber and protein than other versions. Plus the hearty, chewy feel of steel-cut oats helps you to slow down breakfast and feel full. Try soaking steel-cut oats overnight in almond milk (put it in the fridge, obv). Add cinnamon and ground flax seeds for an anti-inflammatory and omega-3 boost.
Quinoa
If quinoa were a super hero, its super power would be to go slow. It reduces belly fat and takes inches off the waist because it’s absorbed into the blood stream at a slower pace then “bad” carbs like white pasta. “Quinoa is one of the healthiest carbs,” says Jessica Rosen, a holistic health coach and founder of Raw Generation. Why? It’s gluten-free, high in fiber, packed with antioxidants, and is full of nutrients like iron, zinc and magnesium, and is a low-calorie protein. "Unlike most high-carbohydrate grains, quinoa sustains the appetite without skyrocketing blood glucose levels,” says Rosen. “It actually lowers blood glucose levels which is significant for healthy weight loss because excess glucose gets stored as fat in the body.” We love that quinoa takes on multitude of flavors so it’s incredibly versatile for breakfast (add it to oatmeal), lunch and dinner.
[Photos: Shutterstock]
