Healthy Carbs to Eat While Trying to Lose Weight
It is no secret that eating a diet full of carbs can add calories to your day and affect your weight loss efforts in a negative way. But, there are certain healthy carbs to eat while losing weight that will help you shed the pounds, while providing your body with the nutrients it needs to work at an optimal level.
What Is Resistant Starch?
For the most part, the starch that we eat gets digested; however, sometimes a small part of the starch travels through the digestive system without being touched. The starch is therefore resistant to digestion, and it functions like a fiber. Moreover, it does not get broken down into glucose and raise our blood sugar.
The benefits of resistant starch for weight loss is that it reduces appetite, lowers blood sugar levels, and feeds the friendly bacteria in our intestine, which affects our overall health in a positive way.
Moreover, resistant starch also improves metabolic health and helps you feel full longer. When you combine the ability to consume less calories and burn off more calories, you can see how your chances of losing weight will increase as well.
“Studies have shown that resistant starch increases the products of two important gut hormones…and gut hormones have metabolic effects.” – Lifetime Weightloss
What Foods Contain Resistant Starch?
Not surprisingly, the foods that contain resistant starch are the foods you have probably been recommended to eat when it comes to carbs.
- Beans: These have varying amounts of resistant starch, and the list to eat includes black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, and navy beans.
- Whole grains: Choose grains like bulgur wheat or long grain brown rice. These again can differ in amount of resistant starch. For instance, pearl barley is about 12% resistant. Oats and also high in resistant starch.
- Bananas: This is good news for a lot of people who love bananas. The green banana is supposed to have about 10-30 grams of resistant starch, depending on the degree of ripeness and size.
Note: By cooling resistant starches after cooking them, you may make them more resistant to being broken down. Therefore, you may want to add a bowl of cold beans or brown rice a weekly priority. In one study, the mean resistant starch contents of freshly cooked legumes, cereals, and tubers, almost doubled after a few heating and cooling cycles.
Other Healthy Carbs To Eat While Losing Weight
Carbs provide energy, help to prevent disease, and even help to reduce weight if eaten properly. It is all a matter of choosing the healthiest carbs and eliminating or drastically deceasing the other carbs. So, what other carb-rich foods can you eat?
1. Vegetables and Fruits
These are at the top of the list for healthy carbs. They provide you with a ton of nutrients, without the calories, and can satisfy your sweet tooth, which could potentially save you from hundreds of calories eaten elsewhere. However, whole is the best. If you want fruit juices, make your own at home. The fruit juices you find in the store could contain a ton of concentrated sugar and should be avoided. Moreover, canned vegetables and fruits are perfectly okay, without the added sugar.
2. Dairy
You can find about 6 grams of carbohydrate in 170 grams of yogurt. You will find that milk products can give you a ton of nutrients needed with not a lot of fat if you pick the low-fat versions, such as low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk, swiss, feta, mozzarella, and parmesan. But remember, sometimes eating fat is better for you than not eating it.
3. Legumes
As said, beans have resistant starch in them; however, they also pack a powerful nutrient punch, including protein, potassium, and folate, without the cholesterol. Plus, they help you stay fuller, longer, which aids in calorie reduction and weight loss.
4. Grains
Whole grains have always been recommended over other grains. While there has been much talk about eliminating grains altogether, it is important to note that grains combined with legumes form a complete protein and can be very beneficial to your health, especially if you are vegetarian or vegan.
“The healthiest kinds of grains are whole grains.” – Mayo Clinic
Whole-wheat pastas offers more fiber than its white cousin, but they can be just as delicious as them. And, quinoa is a delicious whole grain that has 2 grams of fiber in 1/2 cup, and 4 grams of protein. Again, this helps you to stay full longer and reduces your total calorie intake for weight loss.