| You may think after all of the talk lately about carb | | | | dark, leafy greens, one half cup of red tomatoes, one |
| reduction that you need to avoid eating carbohydrates. | | | | half cup of yellow peppers, six ounces of orange juice |
| But the exact opposite is the case. The kinds of | | | | and one half cup of blueberries. This is only one |
| carbohydrates you get from fruits and vegetables are | | | | example of how you can consume "five a day" of |
| a necessary basis of your daily diet. Instead of helping | | | | fruits and vegetables to keep your complex carb ratio |
| you "pack on the pounds," they actually help you to | | | | up. Please notice this includes only one serving of fruit |
| burn fat. They are also a major source of fuel for your | | | | juice. Various nutrition experts state that you should |
| body, especially your muscles, brain and nervous | | | | eat whole, fresh fruits more often than drinking fruit |
| system. | | | | juice, which keeps those simple sugars from adding to |
| Carbs occur in two types: simple and complex. They | | | | your weight problem. |
| are broken down into glucose, or blood sugar, which is | | | | This is because simple sugars are more concentrated |
| metabolized by your body for energy. Glucose not | | | | in fruit juices than in whole fruits. You should eat at |
| immediately used by you is stored in your muscles as | | | | least two cups of fruit a day, in a variety of fresh |
| glycogen, but if your body has an excess of glycogen, | | | | choices, such as one small banana, one large orange |
| it is converted into fat. However, because carbs prime | | | | and one quarter cup of fresh or canned apricots or |
| your metabolism, you need them in order to burn fat. | | | | peaches. Also, eating fresh fruit adds more fiber to |
| This is one of the major reasons you must not starve | | | | your diet and helps flush toxins from your system |
| yourself and eat too few carbs. You must eat a good | | | | better than only drinking fruit juice does. |
| intake of complex carbs, such as those found in fruits | | | | You should also eat plenty of dark, leafy green |
| and veggies. | | | | veggies, which are among the best foods for you. Eat |
| Simple carbs, such as those found in candies and | | | | broccoli and kale, as well as mustard greens and |
| sweets, and also fruit, are turned into glucose quickly. | | | | spinach. Also, you should eat "orange" veggies such as |
| These are the kind which can add to your weight | | | | carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and winter squash. |
| problem. Complex carbs, such as those found in | | | | For peas and beans, among the best are pinto beans, |
| brown rice, veggies, legumes (peas, beans and lentils), | | | | kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas |
| and whole grains breads and cereals are digested and | | | | and lentils. Foods such as these are extremely healthy, |
| thus used at a much slower rate, giving your body time | | | | low in fat, and terrific for raising your energy levels. |
| to prime its metabolism. | | | | Eating fruits and veggies will also greater lower your |
| There are four calories in each and every gram of | | | | risk for cancer. Researchers at the Human Nutrition |
| carbohydrate. Nutritionists say that 50% of your diet | | | | Research Center on Aging at Tufts University have |
| should consist of complex carbs. Simple carbs are high | | | | made "top ten" lists of the best antioxidant |
| in calories but low in vitamins and minerals. These are | | | | (anti-cancer) fruits and vegetables. Here are some of |
| the so-called "empty calories" that you find in sodas, | | | | the most antioxidant members of the fruit and |
| deserts and other such sweets, and to some extent in | | | | vegetable families of foods: |
| fruits -- especially fruit juices and fruit juice drinks. You | | | | 1) Fruits: prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, |
| should be getting your major carb intake from whole | | | | strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes |
| fruits, whole grains and vegetables. | | | | and cherries |
| Good high carb veggies are peas, peppers, pumpkin, | | | | 2) Veggies: kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, alfalfa |
| radishes, spinach, squash, succotash, sweet potatoes, | | | | sprouts, broccoli, beets, red bell peppers, onions, corn |
| tomatoes and turnips. Succotash, sweet potatoes and | | | | and eggplant |
| green cooked peas are the highest in carbs. You need | | | | While the average American seldom gets as much as |
| several servings per day of complex carb foods such | | | | two servings of these good foods per day, nutrition |
| as these to maintain your energy levels and keep you | | | | experts say that five to seven servings a day need to |
| from getting those "sluggish" feelings that make you | | | | become a staple of the ordinary American diet. You |
| feel sick and tired. | | | | can easily sneak these into your family's eating |
| By eating five or more servings of fruits and | | | | patterns. Try serving raw veggies at every meal, and |
| vegetables every day, you will be boosting your health | | | | take advantage of packaged, prepared veggies. Put |
| through better carb consumption. The National Cancer | | | | veggies into your breakfast and lunch, and start each |
| Institute recommends that you have fruit juice -- or | | | | family dinner with a mixed green salad. Serve a salad |
| better yet fresh fruit - every day for breakfast. You | | | | entrée dish once per week, fill your spaghetti |
| should have a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every | | | | sauce with vegetables, and begin ordering a weekly |
| day. You need to stock up on dried, frozen and | | | | pizza - with an extra serving of healthy vegetables. |
| canned fruits and veggies. You must make these | | | | If we were to eat more veggies and fewer |
| foods visible and easy to access throughout your daily | | | | processed foods, we as a country would lose weight, |
| routine. And you have to "sample the delicious | | | | clean out our clogged arteries, balance our blood sugar |
| spectrum" when it comes to the many different colors | | | | and shut down a large number of hospitals in the |
| and varieties of fruits and vegetables. | | | | process. This would roughly solve America's growing |
| You will get your "five a day" if you eat one cup of | | | | health and obesity problems - in a nutshell. |