CRAVING carbs but worried they won’t help you hit your weight loss goals?
Well, think again – pasta and potatoes don’t have to be off the menu, especially thanks to one nifty trick.
GettyPasta is great, but cold pasta has some major health benefits[/caption]
It all comes down to how you serve and eat them.
Instead of piping hot pasta and steaming potatoes, consider letting your carbs cool right down before you eat them.
Why? Because cold carbs have a lower glycaemic index.
Personal trainer Nick Mitchell, the founder of Ultimate Performance, says: “Foods with a lower glycaemic index can help you lose weight because they make you feel full for longer.
“They can also stop the sharp rise and fall of blood sugar levels that result in hunger pangs, which can lead to raiding the cupboard, binge eating and weight gain.”
Packing your lunch for work? Cook your carbs the night before and eat them cold the next day.
Cold pasta or rice salad with lots of veggies, or cold potato salad with creme fraiche rather than mayonnaise, and lots of herbs, are ideal.
Resistant starch is your friend
Some carbs, including beans and potatoes, are also a great source of resistant starch.
This kind of starch resists digestion, and acts as a fibre, offering lots of health benefits including providing your gut with prebiotics (great for the good bacteria in your gut).
It’s also thought it can help reduce inflammation in the body and may help prevent colon/bowel cancer and IBS.
Plus, it can help you shed weight too, by helping you feel fuller for longer.
Handily, you can boost the resistant starch in your carbs by eating them cold, and this can help you avoid blood sugar spikes too.
Don’t demonise carbs
Carbs often get criticised and sidelined as inherently ‘bad’, but we really shouldn’t demonise them – or food in general.
Registered dietitian Megan Hilbert, explains that carbs are essential to our health and wellbeing: “In fact, they are the most important source of energy for our bodies.”
She says: “They provide fuel for the nervous system, our organs, especially the brain, and muscle tissue.
“Carbs have gotten a bad rap over the years but they are important for a ton of functions in the body, like providing a quick source of energy for workouts, fuelling the brain which accounts for 20 per cent of our energy needs, and powering cells in the body to keep us going.”
So do dodge chips where you can, but when it comes to healthy whole carbs, like brown rice, wholegrains, oats and beans, eat up!