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Should I Avoid Carbohydrates to Lose Weight?

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Someone on my facebook page recently asked me the following question:

Should I avoid carbohydrates if I want to lose weight?

A lot of you will be surprised to hear that my answer is NO, avoiding carbohydrates is not the best way to lose weight! My weight loss and weight management clients often tell me at our first appointment that they have been avoiding carbohydrates and can’t understand why they have not been losing as much weight as they want.

I am here to separate the carbohydrate myths from the facts: 

  •  It is a myth that carbohydrates are bad for you
  • It is a myth that eating carbohydrates will make you fat

People assume all carbohydrates are bad for them, but when asked why they are bad for them people tell me: I read it online, or someone told me not to eat them.

This dietitian wants you eating carbohydrates!

All foods are able to fit into your diet, and I will explain why carbohydrates are important, and why they should not be avoided.

Carbohydrates are our body’s main source of fuel and energy. Our bodies break down carbohydrates into glucose which our bodies then use for energy. The right carbohydrates will also provide vitamins, minerals and fiber. I say the right kind of carbohydrates, because I do not want you thinking that you should eat a doughnut for breakfast, a croissant for lunch and  a big bowl of spaghetti for dinner. There are different types of carbohydrates, and I recommend choosing mostly whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and low fat dairy. You should be limiting refined carbohydrates such as white bread, and cakes.

How carbohydrates can help you lose weight

The fiber in whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables helps to fill you up, and therefore can aid in weight loss. When we fill up on fiber, we are less likely to overeat, and studies have linked fiber to a decreased risk of obesity. People often blame carbohydrates for their weight gain or their inability to lose weight. However, people often don’t pay attention to portion control. Therefore, it is not the carbohydrates leading to weight gain, it is the portion of the carbohydrates.

Meal planning with carbohydrates

When I plan meals for myself and work with clients, I talk about including a carbohydrate, a protein and a fat at every meal. I also talk about pairing a carbohydrate with a protein. For example, I don’t recommend having a slice of whole wheat bread on its own for breakfast. Instead, have the whole wheat bread with 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter. This not only helps balance out portions, but will keep you feeling full for even longer. I recommend clients use the myplate method when meal planning and making ½ of their plate fruits and vegetables, ¼ of their plate protein and ¼ of their plate carbohydrates. This method of eating helps clients learn portion control.

Some carbohydrates to try include:

Whole wheat bread (make sure whole wheat is the first ingredient)

Oatmeal

Brown Rice

Fruits

Vegetables

Beans

Farro

Quinoa

Lentils

POW: Peanut Butter

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It is no secret that I am peanut butter obsessed!

Peanut butter is without a doubt one of my favorite foods. As you know, on Mondays I usually highlight a product of the week. Because of my peanut butter obsession, today’s product of the week is a little different. I have a few favorite peanut butters so could not choose just one!

Not all peanut butters are equals! Many contain added sugars, oils or salt. None of this is needed for peanut butter since the only ingredient necessary to make peanut butter is peanuts!

My favorite peanut butters:

  • Trader Joes
  • Crazy Richards

My favorite ways to enjoy peanut butter:

  • On top of a whole grain waffle, whole grain bread or cinnamon raisin english muffins with sliced banana, berries, or a sliced apple
  • As a sweet potato topping
  • As an oatmeal topping
  • For cookie recipes and in baked oatmeal recipes 
  • In a frozen graham cracker peanut banana sandwich (see recipe below) 
  • Smoothies 
  • Spread on a date as a pre or post workout snack

Frozen Graham Cracker Sammies

Ingredients 

  • 1-2 Ripe Bananas
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
  • Graham Crackers

Directions:

Mash ripe bananas, and stir mashed bananas together with the peanut butter. Spread peanut butter/banana mixture onto graham crackers creating a graham cracker sandwich and place in the freezer over night (or for a few hours if you cannot wait the night). Take out of the freezer and enjoy a delicious, frozen, peanut buttery treat!

 

And in case you were wondering, I eat both crunchy and creamy varieties!  

I love other nut butters too (I am looking at your almond butter and mixed nut butters), and have favorites for those too but that is for another post!

What is your favorite type of peanut butter, and what is your favorite way to eat it?

POW: Van’s Waffles

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Today’s product of the week is Van’s waffles.

Van’s waffles are in my weekly breakfast rotation, and I want to share with you why!

While I enjoy all of the Van’s waffles, my favorite are the 8 whole grains waffles. They have 150 calories, 25 g of carbohydrates, 7g of fiber and 5g of protein per serving. I love waffles, but it is not realistic for me to say I am going to wake up and make homemade waffles before work! Instead, I am able to pop these into the toaster and add my favorite toppings. Preparing them one serving at a time in the toaster also helps with portion control.

These waffles make a great pre or post workout breakfast, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is two Vans 8 whole grains waffles topped with almond butter, raspberries and blackberries. It is like having a PB&J waffle sandwich with added fiber from the berries. Although I sometimes eat this as a waffle sandwich, other times I eat one waffle with nut butter and berries at a time to make it last longer!

Have you tried these waffles? What is your favorite way to enjoy them?

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. Products reviewed in this post are highlighted because I like them and want my readers to know about them. I have not been compensated for mentioning any specific products, brands or retailers in this post.

Tips for Building a Healthy Salad

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When most people hear salad they assume healthy. However, if the wrong toppings are added to salads, they can be high in calories and fat. People will often tell me they don’t eat salads for meals because they leave them feeling hungry. Remember, not all salads are created equal and salads can be a satisfying meal option.

5 of the reasons I love salads (I could go on, but thought I would stop at 5):

  1. Salads are a great way to get your food groups in at meals
  2. They don’t get boring because you can make them different each time
  3. They travel nicely making them a great option for lunch at school and work
  4. Allows you to get a variety of important vitamins and minerals
  5. While I do not mention grains in my salad building tips below. Salads are great vehicles for athletes to add grains such as faro and quinoa when they are looking to add carbohydrates to their meals

Today I am going to share with you my tips for creating a healthy salad.

Tips to building a healthy salad:

Step 1: Choose a lettuce as the base. I recommend choosing mixed greens, spinach, arugula or kale. These dark leafy greens are packed full of nutrients. A combination of these greens works great too!   

Step 2: Add as many veggies as you like. Stick to raw, steamed or roasted and avoid any vegetables in sauces or oils. Think carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage, tomatoes, and peppers. People don’t often think about starches when building a salad. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes and butternut squash are starchy vegetable options, and I recommend limiting starchy vegetables to one.

Step 3: Choose 1 lean protein source.* Some proteins to try include beans (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans,) lentils, chicken, turkey, steak, tuna, meatballs (chicken, turkey, beef), tofu, vegetable burgers, falafel, and hard boiled eggs. Choose grilled, baked, or roasted and avoid fried options to save on calories.

*1 protein source is a good rule of thumb. However, it is  ok to mix and match smaller portions of two proteins to equal 1 portion. For example I like to have 1 hard boiled egg with chickpeas.

Step 4: Choose 1 healthy source fat. Some sources of fat to consider include cheese (feta, goat, mozzarella), olives, nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)

Step 5: Choose your dressing. Remember dressings can be high in calories and fat. I recommend putting the dressing on the side so that you can control how much goes onto your salad. Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and lemon juice are low calorie options.

 

One of my favorite combinations:

Lettuce: Mixed greens

Vegetables: carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, sweet potato

Protein: 1 hard boiled egg and chickpeas

Fat: Avocado

Dressing: Balsamic vinegar on the side (sometimes I also add some hummus)  

I always say color your plate with fruits and vegetables. Salad bowls/plates are a great canvas to color!

POW: Barbara’s Puffins

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Today’s product of the week is Puffins cereal, which is one of my favorite cereals!

The cereal aisle can be a confusing place! There are so many options, and a lot of cereals that appear to be healthy options but aren’t. In my tips for navigating the supermarket (part 2) blog post, I spoke about what to look for on the nutrition facts label when choosing a cereal. I recommend choosing cereals that have at least 3 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.

While the nutrition facts vary for each flavor of puffins, let’s look at the nutrition facts for original puffins.

In a ¾ cup serving:

90 calories;  23 grams of carbohydrates; 5 grams of fiber; 5 grams of sugar; 2 grams of protein

The original puffins fit my checklist for fiber and sugar!

My favorite flavor puffins is peanut butter and the fiber in the peanut butter flavor is lower at 2 grams/serving. By adding fruit with my cereal, or combining the peanut butter puffins with the original puffins I am able to make up for the decreased fiber!

Since cereal can be lower in protein than other breakfast options, I enjoy mine with either skim milk or plain greek yogurt to increase the protein content.

While I love puffins with milk and fruit, they are also a great addition for when you make your own trailmix!

 

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. Products reviewed in this post are highlighted because I like them and want my readers to know about them. I have not been compensated for mentioning any specific products, brands or retailers in this post.

Should I eat egg yolks or just egg whites?

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I  recently posted on my Facebook page for people to let me know nutrition questions they want answered. 

One of the questions I received was:

Should I eat the whole egg or just the egg whites?

Eggs are a nutritious food and are full of important nutrients. One large egg (including the yolk and the white) contains 72 calories, 6 grams of protein, 186 mg of cholesterol and is packed with vitamins and minerals. A lot of the vitamins and minerals in eggs are found in the yolk.

Some of these powerhouse nutrients include:

vitamins A, D, E, K, B12, B6,  choline, and selenium

Since these vitamins and minerals are found in the yolk, you will not reap the benefits by only eating the whites.

What about the cholesterol content of egg yolks?

The cholesterol content of eggs has given them a bad reputation. This has lead to people questioning if they are a healthy choice. People choose to only eat the egg whites thinking they are eating “healthier” since cholesterol is found in the yolks.

Although eggs are high in cholesterol, the cholesterol in the food we eat does not necessarily impact the cholesterol levels in our blood. Our blood cholesterol levels are impacted more by saturated and trans fats found in foods. Having a side of bacon or a croissant with your eggs will have a larger impact on your cholesterol levels than the eggs themselves.

Remember, when it comes to blood cholesterol levels, dietary cholesterol will have less of an impact then saturated and trans fats.

How do I like my eggs? 

I personally eat the whole egg to reap all of the EGGcelent nutritional benefits eggs have to offer!

My favorite way to make eggs is:

A 2 egg omelet with any vegetable medley, brie cheese and a sweet potato on the side! A weird fact about how I like my eggs is that I like a little jam on them!