Keith's Nutrition News - Part Two Of "Are You A Good Carb, Or A Bad Carb?"

In my last lense on carbs, we talked about how carbohydrates have gotten a "bad rap" in advertising and in the press.

As I said in Part One in the October newsletter, "the truth is - you can not burn fat, think clearly or maintain a high energy level without them. And, for those of you who are starting on an exercise program, as well as those of you who are dedicated fitness fans, you NEED energy from carbohydrates to get the most out of your program".

It is not the carbohydrates that make us gain weight, it is the amount of CALORIES we ingest, relative to the amount of CALORIES we expend through our daily living (sleeping, breathing, thinking, etc.) and, of course, physical exercise.

Example #1, if I ingest 2,000 calories per day (55% complex carbohydrates, 30% non-saturated fats and 15% proteins) and expend 2,000 calories, I can typically maintain my weight at its current level.

Now let's look at another example. If I keep the same lifestyle / level of activity and take in 10% more calories per day (or 200 calories) than I expend, over the course of about two and a half weeks, I will gain approximately one pound. By the end of twelve months, I have the potential of adding 20+ pounds of bodyweight!

You can see from this simple example that by just adding a small amount of extra calories in your diet you can, over time, add many pounds to your physique. And when you do, you will have a higher probability of hypertension (high-blood pressure), adult onset diabetes (Type 2), decreased HDL (the good cholesterol), more stress on your weight-bearing joints and other health issues (such as decreased sex drive!).

So, it pays to be intelligent when it comes to the caloric makeup of what you are putting into your mouth. And here is one of my favorite "beefs" when it comes to "truth in advertising" and why you need to be an informed consumer.

In the world of alcohol beverage advertising, the brand managers would like you to continue to believe that ZERO carbs and ZERO sugar in that rum and "DIE-ette" cola drink are a good thing and hey, you will look exactly like all those slim-hipped models dancing to the salsa music as they consume Mojitos and Cuba Libres. And, as they say "it gets the job done".

Hmmm?! I think Dave Chappelle said it better (paraphrasing here as to not give a plug to the brand of rum in question), "Rum and Coke, it'll get you drunk!"

What they have not told you and WILL NEVER tell you is that your rum drink is still packing a bunch of CALORIES. In fact, let's make a "virtual" Cuba Libre right now, with the recipe courtesy of the website "Drinksmixer.comTM.

1.       2 ounces rum

2.       Juice of ½ lime

3.       Coca Cola®

Okay, a little metric system for you. One ounce = 28.4 grams. So, in this popular recipe, we have 56.8 grams of rum. Each gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. For this example I'll adjust it to 4 calories per gram to account for the fact that it is not 200 proof! Get out my trusty calculator; a few quick keystrokes and I come up with around 227 non-nutritional calories just from the 2 ounces of rum! Yikes! ZERO carbs and ZERO sugar equal A LOT OF CALORIES!

So, am I trying to start a "Temperance" movement??? No! My job is to help you become more aware and help you make informed and intelligent decisions in your life for a healthier lifestyle.

Become more aware of what you eat and drink, and don't buy into the advertising hype. In my next lense, in "Nutrition News", I'll talk about serving sizes and how to decipher those nutritional labels and ingredients on food packages.