As a child in school books, the teacher will always teach that we have to eat all 5 groups of nutrition and carbohydrates are the most that should be eaten. But on the other hand, we have heard for decades with suggestions that "Do not eat rice for dinner. Eat only vegetables" or "Reduce rice, so you don’t get fat". Some people can reduce consuming rice a little. Some people can practice this for a long time. While, some people have a yo-yo effect.
In recent years, I am certain that many people have cut carbohydrates straight away to the point that you no longer consume carrot or trying to limit it. Because you are afraid of having too much carbohydrates in your body.
When we talk about carbohydrates, we think of flour which can be rice or bread. But it is not also limited to pumpkin, corn, and sweet potatoes. For someone who is very serious about this, papaya would also be considered to have a lot of carbohydrates for them. That is the reason why someone tends to avoid having papaya salad and replace it with cucumber salad instead. Because papaya also hides carbohydrates as well. Some people may be very strict to the point that they have to even calculate the carbohydrates when drinking lemonade.
What does our bodies use carbohydrates for?
When we consume carbohydrates, our body digests into glucose, which can be used in the respiratory system and various systems in the body. But if it is not used up, the carbohydrates will be stored in muscles and liver, also known as glycogen. In the digestion process, the body also requires energy. Eating refined carbohydrates will allow your body to digest quicker than the eating the non-refined carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are not bad but sugar.
As you know, carbohydrates are not harmful to our body, if we consume them appropriately enough for the body to use, it will not burden the insulin. So what kind of carbohydrates which contain little sugar? If we eat whole food, which has not undergone any processing, it will still contain all the vitamins and minerals. Our bodies will work more and use the digestion process more slowly, making us aware of hunger more slowly than eating refined foods. For example, in Thailand, we mainly eat rice and our rice is very delicious. You can try changing from white rice to brown rice instead. It still gives you the delicious taste of rice equally though.
Delicious and useful carbohydrates are not just in brown rice.
Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, taro and corn are nutritious carbohydrates that are naturally sweet and contain low calories, low glycemic index, and can be easily bought. Importantly, choose carbohydrates that are free from chemicals. Buying organic products is therefore a good option for eating nutritious meals that do not harm your health.
What is a good portion?
In general, most people mainly consume carbohydrates. We can see that when we eat a sandwich, the amount of bread flour is bigger than the filling. When eating an à la carte restaurant Rice is often the main component of a food dish. Even when ordering noodles, the noodles are always proportionately larger than vegetables and meat. And if you want a good body, how much should you eat? In fact, carbs are a matter of preference and diet that everyone is good at. Some people are strict or others just avoid having dinner.
For me, I eat different carbohydrates each day. Some days that are very low in carbohydrates are days that I do not exercise, lying down at home. I would only eat purple potatoes, pumpkin or taro only about 100 grams. On the other hand, when exercising vigorously or doing work that requires strength, I will slightly increase carbohydrates consumption. And of course, one month there will be some processed carbs. I listen and always check out what my body wants. For example, if I have been tired from work all week, I will find time to watch movies and have a large bucket of popcorn to eat and to let my body relax.
Listening to our own bodies is very important. Each body is different, making eating different diets is not something wrong or right. Eating healthy food is good, but don't forget your heart's health too. Because any diet that is too tense, it can hurt our mental health as well.
Author
Christa Prasitsak
Freelance Model