DEL.ICIO.USFIT TO EAT
Don’t just count carbs, look for quality in them
Thursday, February 26, 2009
I am glad that the low- carbohydrate, high protein diet days are over and that people stopped eating a pound of bacon and half a dozen eggs in order to follow the Atkins diet. We’ve emerged from those days with a better understanding of the role of carbohydrates in our diets. Today we are more interested in quality carbs.
What is a quality carb? Dr. David Ludwig, a pediatric endocrinologist and associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, defines a quality carbohydrate as “looking like it grew in nature: vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and minimally processed grain. In contrast, highly refined breakfast cereals, sugary snacks and other products made in factories contain too many calories and too few health-promoting nutrients.”
 Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom Fit to Eat columns
• Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University
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In his book “Ending the Food Fight” (Houghton Mifflin, $26), Ludwig emphasizes the importance of quality carbs to help children achieve and maintain a healthy weight — not an easy task in today’s world of fast foods and fake foods. Check out the Web site www.endingthefoodfight.com for more great tips on quality carbohydrates.
How can you eat more quality carbs? Start by reading ingredient lists of the foods you purchase and look for words like “whole” instead of “refined” on breads and cereals. And watch for fiber content (more than 4 grams per serving is good), and sugar content (sugar should not be among the first ingredients).