Are you smarter than “Smart Carbs”?
Well, are you smarter than Smart Carbs?
It’s always good to add some variety and experiment with healthy foods.
Try five nutritious smart carbs:
- Beans and legumes
- Sweet potatoes
- Ancient grains
- Sprouted grains
- Steel-cut oats
Benefits of beans and legumes are:
- High in fiber.
- Source of protein.
- Taste great.
Examples:
Lentils Green peas
Black beans Kidney beans
Navy beans Lima (fava beans )
Black-eyed peas/cowpeas Garbanzo beans/chickpeas
Benefits of sweet potatoes are:
- Very high in phytochemicals and vitamins (orange and purple).
- High in vitamins C, A, B6, potassium, and manganese.
- Slow-digesting and high in fiber.
- Versatile, nutrient-dense, and tasty.
Benefits of ancient grains:
- Packed full of fiber & nutrients.
- Taste good, and
- Higher in protein than modern grains.
Examples:
- Toasted buckwheat
- Millet
- Whole oats
- Quinoa Red, black, multi.
Benefits of sprouted grains:
- Decrease blood pressure.
- Improve glucose control.
- Decrease cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Improve immune function.
- Protect against fatty liver.
They are soaked for about 24 hours, and allowed to germinate for about one week, which make them:
- More digestible.
- Have increased vitamin and mineral content.
- Better protein quality.
- Have increased soluble fiber.
Benefits of Steel-cut oats:
- great source of fiber
- more protein than any “popular” cereal.
Here’s a comparison of 4 types of oats, from most to least processed.
- Instant oats
- Rolled oats
- Steel-cut oats
- Whole oats
Now go ahead and start experimenting. Let me know what you think.
Until next time . . .
References:
Precision Nutrition
Women’s Health Magazine