Wednesday 26 March 2014

Better carb choices

When choosing carbohydrates either on a daily basis or to support your training, there are some options that work better than others. Why not switch to some of the following and see if this helps you feel more energetic throughout the day:

SWAP cereal for porridge. Cereal is high in sugar and the energy it provides you won't last long. Oats however are more slow release. Try adding low sugar fruits like berries to the mix rather than sugar or dried fruit.

SWAP white potatoes or chips for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are low in sugar and high in fibre.

SWAP cous cous for Quinoa. Quinoa is actually a seed whereas cous cous is made from wheat. Some of you may be intolerant to the gluten in wheat. Quinoa is also a good source of protein and healthy fats.

SWAP white bread for wholegrain bread. If bread isn't wholegrain, it has had part of the grain removed and replaced with starch to extend the shelf-life. If a food lasts a long time, then it means that even the bacteria won't eat it! Switch to wholegrain for better fibre and nutritional value.

SWAP high sugar fruits for low sugar fruits. I was once told if you can peel a fruit it's often higher in sugar (bananas, oranges, etc) than if you can eat a fruit without having to (berries, apples, pears,etc).

SWAP Pasta for brown rice pasta. Again for those of you who may react to gluten, switch to brown rice pasta for a healthy and fibre packed alternative.

SWAP white rice for brown rice or jasmin rice. Both of these are packed full of nutrients.

SWAP sugar for Cinnamon. Cinnamon is a great way to speed up the metabolism and add sweetness without the calories or sugar spike.

SWAP regular chocolate for Dark Chocolate. 85% plus dark chocolate is very low in sugar compared to your normal varieties. It also satisfies you quicker and you won't eat as much of it!
Oli.