I’ve been doing so much research lately on “What are carbohydrates?”, “What are good carbs (carbohydrates)?” And learning how they help with thyroid health as well as metabolism and adrenal health. Carbs are SO misunderstood and so many people fear them from the Low Carb phase. When you think of carbs you probably think of cereal, cookies and processed crackers – and yes these REFINED carbs aren’t the good carbs that you should be eating because they’ve been stripped of all their fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins during their processing. On the other hand, there are a TON of healthy carbs that are needed by your body to provide you with essential nutrients, energy and fiber to maintain your ideal weight, support your thyroid, metabolism (for more information check out my Metabolism Solution Program) and adrenals.

So, let’s chat a bit about the two categories of carbs. We’ve got simple carbs and complex carbs.

COMPLEX CARBS

These contain three or more long chain sugars and can be found in the starch and cellulose of plants, which makes them an amazing source of real fiber, unlike the fake fiber in processed foods and FiberOne bars. Please don’t eat those bars- they’re not made from real fiber- they’re sawdust! Great examples of complex carbs are quinoa, buckwheat, beans, lentils, brown rice, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. These deliver energy to our bodies and help control our blood sugar, fill up our bellies to keep us full, reduce fat storage and lower cholesterol. Score!

SIMPLE CARBS

These contain one or two short chain sugars that delivers quick energy. All fruits are the best source of simple carbs; they provide you with nutrients such as phytochemicals, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and fiber. However, there are many unhealthy simple carbs like those in cookies, cakes, etc. which are very processed and lose their fiber and nutrients during processing.

We need fiber and complex carbs and (fruit as simple carbs) because it boosts our digestive health, constipation, curbs cravings by regulating our blood sugar levels and helps with weight loss as well as removing heavy metals like mercury from our body AND flushes excess sex hormones from our body! This is amazing and it’s a powerful way to soak up and sweep out toxins that are stored in your body!

Do you make sure to include both simple and complex carbs in your lifestyle?

xo