Why is a Natural Carbohydrate Program important?

Let’s say you are able to afford the car of your dreams.  Wouldn’t you wax it until it is shiny? Take it for an oil change every three months? Take it in for a tune-up? Or better yet, buy premium gasoline to put in the tank?  Of course you would! All in the hopes that your dream car could run for many years and not break down on the side of the road.  So why don’t we all do that for our bodies?—A much more sophisticated machine that is ours to love, nourish, and maintain?

 

Following a natural carbohydrate program is analogous to feeding our body premium gasoline. Just as there are different grades of gasoline, there are different grades of carbohydrates—“good carbs” and “bad carbs”. Carbohydrates are the most common source of energy found in food. Most carbohydrates break down into glucose in your body after a meal. They can be complex or simple. If you eat simple carbohydrates, such as table sugar and white flour, your blood sugar will spike because these foods are quickly converted to glucose. If you eat a lot of simple carbohydrates, you can have very high blood sugar for several hours.  In order to maintain sugar levels, your pancreas has to release insulin.  A lot of insulin results in an overworked pancreas which can promote adult onset diabetes—the number one cause of blindness, amputation, and kidney failure in the United States.

 

By choosing carbohydrates full of fiber, we can avoid spikes in our blood sugar levels.  That is because these types of carbohydrates get absorbed slowly into our systems.  Examples of natural carbohydrates that are full of fiber are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.  White bread and white rice are examples of “bad carbs”.  These types of simple carbohydrates are low in fiber and are associated with an increased risk for heart disease.  Instead, brown rice and whole wheat breads are better options.  In order to get fiber, we must eat plant foods. In addition, plant foods deliver vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that give us the nutrition we need to carry out normal cellular function.  Herbs like garlic, onion, ginger, basil, oregano, curry and parsley are rich in antioxidants and are absolutely part of a natural carbohydrate diet.  Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower as well as green leafy vegetables strengthen our immune system.  Certain types of fiber found in oats, beans and some fruits can also help lower blood cholesterol.  Fiber also makes us feel full, which helps to prevent over eating. 

 

If we feed our bodies the right fuel, shouldn’t we run efficiently, look good and out perform other people that eat crap like fast food, processed foods, and high sugar containing foods?  Of course we should!  Just remember to give your body premium gasoline in the form of a natural carbohydrate diet, give it an oil change/tune up in the form of regular check ups and take it for a ride in the form of daily exercise!

 

Dr. Gina Gonzalez Johnson