Take this Quick Quiz and Get Smart about Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body and brain’s chief source of energy – it’s a good thing there are so many to choose from! Including plenty of high nutrition carbohydrates in your weight loss plan will help give you the extra energy you need to exercise, work, and stay healthy while you lose weight. But you need to know how much and what type of carbohydrates to eat because it’s so easy to get too much of a good thing. 

Take this quiz to get you on the right track:

How much carbohydrate should I include in my weight loss diet?

Answer: It depends on your calorie level, but a healthy weight loss diet should include about 50% of the calories as high nutrition carbohydrates. This helps keep total fat low in the diet, helps ensure a good intake of key vitamins, minerals and fiber, and gives you a variety of great energizing foods to choose from while you lose weight.

Does eating carbohydrates cause diabetes or insulin resistance?

Answer: Diabetes is a disease caused by many factors, but just eating carbohydrate doesn’t lead to diabetes or insulin resistance. Eating more of all types of foods (fats, proteins, carbohydrates, alcohol) causes the body to store the extra energy as fat and leads to obesity. Obesity itself increases the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and increases insulin resistance, making it harder for the body to burn the extra body fat and use food for energy.

Which carbohydrates should I limit in my diet?

Answer: Anyone on a weight loss diet should make sure that every calorie counts towards good nutrition and energy. Even though a healthful diet contains about ½ of the calories as carbohydrate, all foods are decreased on a weight loss diet and it’s so easy to eat more carbohydrate than you intended to because there are so many high carbohydrate foods. Choose fresh or frozen vegetables of all types, fresh, frozen or water packed fruit, whole grains, beans, pastas, rice, tortillas, and breads instead of chips, cookies, pastries, cakes, snack crackers and other higher calorie carbohydrates.

Should I eliminate sugar from my diet?

Answer: Table sugar or sucrose and other sweeteners have very little to offer anyone trying to lose weight. Foods that are high in sugar are often high in fat calories as well (desserts, cookies, doughnuts, candy bars, etc) so many people find that they lose weight when they cut out sugar because it eliminates so many snacks and desserts, which is not a bad weight loss strategy. However, your diet doesn’t have to be “all or nothing". Cutting sugar intake by about 1/2 is a reasonable goal and will allow you to have some fun treats in your diet without ruining your weight loss efforts”. 

How much carbohydrate is in one serving of a bread or starchy food?

Answer: One serving of bread, pasta, rice, beans, or starchy vegetable contains 15 grams of carbohydrate. This is where most people get into trouble – a typical serving of potato, pasta, or rice in a restaurant is about four to six times that amount. When it comes to any food, size really matters!

When is the best time to eat carbohydrates?

Answer: Include one or two servings of high nutrition carbohydrates at each meal along with foods that contain protein and fat. Spreading out your carbohydrates will help fuel your body throughout the day and eating a mix of foods at each meal and snack will help keep blood sugar levels more stable if there is a problem with insulin resistance or diabetes