I'm having trouble finding good carbs that don't skyrocket me past my calorie count. I don't want to spend half my day in the gym to work off carbs, but all I know and grew up with are white bread, pasta, and potatoes.
Is white rice good for you? I know brown rice is better, but we're talking baby steps to get me off the mac'n'cheese and mashed potatoes.
I've tried whole grain bread a few times but can't seem to find one that isn't crunchy with seeds. Is that possible or is this just a texture I have to get used to?
Are things like Cheerios that are "made with whole grain" where you can't see/feel the whole grain itself as healthy as something like whole grain bread where you can see the grain/seeds?
Carbs have always been the enemy, and to hear now that I'm low on carbs each day is baffling and scary to me.
White rice isn't great. I suppose you could start with white and work your way to brown, but I'd just go all in and go for brown. Cheerios aren't great for you either, even if they are made with "whole grain". For the recommended serving size, the amount of calories is no where near worth it, not to mention the sugar! (bad carbs). I'd steer clear of boxed breakfast cereal all together. You're better off making homemade granola for cold cereal or oats for hot cereal. Most whole grain breads you'll find will be like that. I personally like it, but when I eat bread I eat a sprouted grain variety. You can probably find it in the frozen health food section of your grocery store, it's made by Food For Life, either Ezekiel 4:9 or Genesis 1:12. Give those a try.
OR you could just eat vegetables. All vegetables are carbs and much more nutrient dense and good for you than bread, rice, white potatoes or cheerios. Try a sweet potato instead, they are super nutritious and filling. There's a ton of different kinds, just try them out and work them into your diet more, replacing the bad carbs with them.
Health nuts will tell you to stay away from white rice, but someone such as myself doesn't eat rice that often, and when I do eat it, I'd like to enjoy it at least. Brown rice tastes OK, but I don't really like it very much. Go ahead and eat white rice, it's not the end of the world, but if you need to increase your fiber intake try switching to brown rice. Have you ever had wild rice, though? It's high in fiber like brown rice, but tastes better. However, I think it's a little more expensive.
White potatoes actually aren't that bad, since they're high in fiber and potassium, but try switching them for sweet potatoes when you can. Sweet potatoes are more nutritious and taste all sweet and yummy :D
For whole wheat bread, that's strange because most whole wheat breads I've had don't seem to have any seeds inside of them. But if a seedy texture bothers you, then I guess you'll just have to try getting used to it.
About whole wheat pasta, I think it tastes disgusting! Sure, it's higher in fiber, but like with brown rice, I'd rather enjoy what I'm eating and eat pasta in moderation than eat something that tastes foul. Brown rice can actually taste ok, but whole wheat pasta? Blagh :P Having some white pasta every now and then is perfectly fine.
Whole grain cereals: cereal, whether whole grain or not usually isn't a good idea. Every time I eat cereal I get bloated, yet I feel hungry again just a few hours later. You're better off just having some oatmeal or homemade granola, like kalexw said. Oats never seem to have the same affect on me, and keep me full for a long time :)
I agree with: "For whole wheat bread, that's strange because most whole wheat breads I've had don't seem to have any seeds inside of them. But if a seedy texture bothers you, then I guess you'll just have to try getting used to it."
You may be getting multi-grain bread instead of whole wheat bread. Look specifically for a label that says whole wheat and then double check that the first ingredient on the list is whole wheat. You may find the information in this article interesting and helpful: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/welln ess/5-so-called-health-foods-you-should-avoid /2012/01/31/gIQA6E7vfR_story.html
I'll double check the label; I might have grabbed multi-grain instead of whole-grain.
Thanks for the helpful article! I've been afraid of peanut butter--although I think stuff like Skippy is still bad for me and I'm supposed to be eating the all-natural stuff that separates in the jar, right?
I'm still not sure about giving up my Cheerios; it's hard to think that going from no breakfast and a big, unhealthy lunch to cereal for breakfast and a healthy lunch is still not good enough.
It's all very frustrating, to think I'm doing so much and still not healthy enough.
Original Post by kittycats502:
Health nuts will tell you to stay away from white rice, but someone such as myself doesn't eat rice that often, and when I do eat it, I'd like to enjoy it at least. Brown rice tastes OK, but I don't really like it very much. Go ahead and eat white rice, it's not the end of the world, but if you need to increase your fiber intake try switching to brown rice. Have you ever had wild rice, though? It's high in fiber like brown rice, but tastes better. However, I think it's a little more expensive.
White potatoes actually aren't that bad, since they're high in fiber and potassium, but try switching them for sweet potatoes when you can. Sweet potatoes are more nutritious and taste all sweet and yummy :D
For whole wheat bread, that's strange because most whole wheat breads I've had don't seem to have any seeds inside of them. But if a seedy texture bothers you, then I guess you'll just have to try getting used to it.
About whole wheat pasta, I think it tastes disgusting! Sure, it's higher in fiber, but like with brown rice, I'd rather enjoy what I'm eating and eat pasta in moderation than eat something that tastes foul. Brown rice can actually taste ok, but whole wheat pasta? Blagh :P Having some white pasta every now and then is perfectly fine.
Whole grain cereals: cereal, whether whole grain or not usually isn't a good idea. Every time I eat cereal I get bloated, yet I feel hungry again just a few hours later. You're better off just having some oatmeal or homemade granola, like kalexw said. Oats never seem to have the same affect on me, and keep me full for a long time :)
Ugh, thank you! I keep hearing about how despite making huge changes, I'm not doing enough and I'm still so unhealthy...whatever happened to baby steps? I feel like it's all or nothing; very frustrating.
I guess I really have to give up my cereal, huh? I weaned myself off the Cocoa Puffs to the Cheerios...guess I have to start weaning myself off the Cheerios and onto the oatmeal.
What can I do to make oatmeal taste like anything without putting half a cup of maple syrup into it?
You can put some cinnamon, berries, or pieces of apple in oatmeal to make it more flavorful without adding many calories. You can also add a little bit of flavored protein powder also for a little protein boost(this is what I usually do. Tastes great with the vanilla flavor!), or you can even add a tablespoon or two of chocolate milk powder to make it taste chocolately. This stuff may be sugary, but it only adds a few calories. Cooking oatmeal in dairy, coconut, soy, or almond milk will also make it taste a little more flavorful than it'd be if it were cooked in water. Or even cooking it in half water half milk will make it taste slightly better. Some people also mix yogurt into their oatmeal. I've tried it before, and it actually tastes pretty good that way! And some higher calorie(yet still healthy) options are to add nuts or peanut butter in. Hope this helps! :D
my favorite sources of carbs
- sweet potatoes
- winter squash!!!
- oatmeal
- cream of rice hot cereal
- apples or other fresh fruits
- mashed pumpkin (you can eat it with cinnamon and stevia like mashed potatoes, or add it to yogurt or oatmeal. Or mix it with a little vanilla soy milk and heat up in the microwave as pumpkin soup)
- 100% whole wheat bread (but not multigrain, because this isn't always 100% whole grain).
The majority of your carbs should come from FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Don't pay attention to the BS food pyramid, nobody NEEDS 12 servings of grain per day. The food guide is funded by the companies who produce grain/corn/soy.. so as a way to get you to buy their product, they tell you that you needs "at least 5-12 servings per day of grain products", yet only "5-10 servings of fruits/vegetables"? What?
If you feel as though you need lots of carbs, than you are just another victim to the system. Re-evaluate your diet. I can almost guarentee that you're probably lacking in the protein and healthy fat department.
More fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds... less grains. It's easy. Fill up on healthy foods and you won't even have the desire to eat crappy processed grain products.
Grain products pail in comparison to nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. Gram for gram grains are nutritionally weak and should be limited IMO. Also they commonly cause GI issues in many people (wheat/gluten especially).
If you need a dense carb source than try sweet potato, winter squash, sprouted brown rice, quinoa, or under-ripe banana. But again, the majority of your carbs should come from fruits and vegetables.
I enjoy sweet potatoes... as far as I see it is what you put on a potato that is the biggest problem. I like to dice them and mix with sliced onion and use a healthy cooking spray and fry then in a pan with my favorite steak seasoning. I hate dieting so I don't restrict my eating, just what I eat... so that means a ton of fresh fruit and vegetables. I can't stand oatmeal, I've been on a special K kick lately... only I find I'm hungry again after I eat it. For pasta which I can not give up I eat those lean microwavable meals... of course they are small and not very filling but if I eat a big green salad with fat free Italian dressing I can have the pasta after and at least satisfy my craving. I actually can not stomach whole wheat bread, I grew up on white bread too and I did manage to switch to split top wheat... not as good as going 100% but better than white. Then of course you need to limit the amount of bread you eat in general. I also found a new love for mustard. It's amazing what calories you eliminate by eliminating all the condiments in your life, which I was crazy for.
White Rice is Not healthy
Cheerios are not healthy - their advertising is a gimmick
The BEST source of carbs comes from fruits and vegetables.
I read somewhere that when you eat your lunch, dinner, etc., that the main course of the meal/entree is protein, veggies and fruits....carbs are like the side dish. It's nice to think about it like that....when you realize that carbs are there to "enhance" the taste of the other foods, then it's a little harder to overindulge. In terms of what's "good" carbs, my friend who's a nutritionist likes sweet potato, corn (starchy veggies), oatmeal for breakfast (I put molasses in it along with some nuts and fruit), wasa crackers (you can make nice peanut butter crackers with them!) and quinoa.
