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Do Carbs Make You Gain Weight, and are Carbs Bad for You?

Tips For Eating Healthier Carbs

Replacing simple carbs with complex carbs is a good strategy for improving the quality of your diet, and for improving your health. Keep in mind, though, we still need to be careful about how much we eat of even the healthier carbs when trying to lose weight. Because our bodies are programmed to store excess fuel, even calories from healthy foods will get stored if we eat in excess of what our body needs. Consider the tips below for adding in more of the healthy complex carbs.

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1.What is the color of the food on your plate? Simply swapping out more colorful foods with white foods means you are consuming more complex carbs and reducing your intake of simple carbs. 

2. Watch for added sugar. Simple carbs are typically higher in added sugars, which can cause our blood sugar to quickly rise and then crash, leading to increased hunger and cravings. Added sugars also contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Use this simple formula when choosing a packaged snack: the sum of the protein and fiber grams should  be greater than the grams of added sugar. 

3. Read the label. High fiber foods have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving, so take a look at the label and try to choose carbs that are close to or higher than this. Also take a look at the ingredients list and look for whole wheat or whole grain flour. 

4. Where does your food come from? Foods that grow in fields, trees and other natural sources contain the healthy complex carbs and the vitamins our bodies need. Packaged foods go through a lot of processing to get from their original state to us, and are more likely to contain simple refined carbs. 

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