Are carbohydrates that bad? (pt 2)
A lot of people have now switched to brown sugar. This is not a wrong move at all but I want all to know that there is very little difference if any between the two. In the end, they both give us glucose in similar quantities if same amounts are consumed.
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The safest thing to do is to have them both in moderation. Also be mindful of white sugar which has been coloured brown. Honey also contains sugar.
Those who have decided to take honey and not sugar anymore must take note. Taking it in small quantities is just fine. Do not see it as natural sugar and drink so much.
We also have to be mindful of the sugar in soft drinks, fruit juices and fruits as well. Here too, moderation is key. Fresh fruits are a better choice compared to fruit juice.
For the juices too the ones made by blending the fruits are better than those done by just squeezing the sap from the fruits. Bottom-line is all these are great sources of sugar and other nutrients.
If you want to lose weight and for that matter resort to taking only fruits and fruit juices, you can lose the battle because they also contain sugar. Besides they do not constitute balanced meals when eaten alone.
Bread is a starchy food as well. It also comes in different forms, shapes and colours. Brown bread is a healthier choice among types such as sugar bread, butter bread, milk bread, chocolate bread, just to mention a few.
I actually mean whole wheat bread; not brown bread. Wheat bread is popularly known as brown bread anyway. Eat bread in moderation as well and also learn to have it without cheese, butter, margarine all the time.
If eaten late at night, bread can make you gain weight. So taking tea and bread in place of a heavy meal at a time such as 9pm is not a healthy practice.
We all eat rice; yes it is also a starchy food. I’m sure most people prefer polished long grain rice because it tastes good. It however has most of its fibre or roughage removed which should make it a less preferred choice for those who are willing to eat healthy.
Whole meal rice or brown rice is a better choice. Eating rice with vegetable stews and or vegetable salads is a good combination. Prepare Jollof rice with little oil and it will be healthy.
Porridges or cereals like corn dough porridge, Hausa koko, tom brown, and oats, among others are healthy starchy foods as well. Having them with just a little sugar and milk is the way to go. Taking them late at night will also lead to weight gain.
The difference between these porridges and solid foods like banku, kenkey and fufu is the fact that porridge has more water added. They are all starchy.
Eating them earlier in the day is a healthier decision. So eat breakfast early sometime before 8am, lunch sometime between 12noon and 1pm and supper latest by 6.30pm.
We need starchy foods every day. Let’s cook them well, let’s eat them in moderate quantities, let’s retain their roughage and let’s eat them at the right time.