{"id":29052,"date":"2018-10-05T19:20:14","date_gmt":"2018-10-06T01:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/?p=29052"},"modified":"2023-02-24T10:03:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T17:03:48","slug":"carbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/carbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbs, Friend Or Foe? A Simple Analogy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The internet is a vicious place.<\/p>\n

Before I launch into this blog, I\u2019d like to state upfront that, on\u00a0occasion, I will talk about\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0diet,\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0fitness programs and otherwise.\u00a0 I want\u00a0you to understand that I\u2019ve chosen them because they work for\u00a0me<\/em>. It\u2019s\u00a0all relative and it\u2019s all a matter of opinion. There\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0one \u201ccorrect\u201d program.\u00a0There\u00a0isn\u2019t a\u00a0\u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d solution.\u00a0My sole intention is to condense and simplify, to the extent possible, the vast amount\u00a0of information\u00a0from the world wide web to make things easier\u00a0for you. Feel free to extract what you will.<\/p>\n

Slow and Steady Wins the\u00a0(Carb-Consumption) Race<\/h3>\n

As children, you may have been\u00a0told the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare. For those of you who haven\u2019t heard the fable, it goes something like this: a lightning-quick\u00a0Hare ridicules a slow-moving Tortoise. Annoyed by the Hare\u2019s arrogance, the Tortoise challenges the Hare to a race. Right from the start, the Hare leaves the Tortoise behind. In his confidence, the Hare decides to take a nap part way through the race. When the Hare awakes, he is shocked to learn that his slow-moving competitor has slowly, but steadily, crossed the finish line before him.<\/p>\n

A thorough analysis of this tale may yield lessons about arrogance, not underestimating your opponent, etc. But, as it relates to the topic of carb-consumption, the lesson really is quite simple. Faster is not always better. Sometimes, slow and steady wins the race.<\/p>\n

A Google search of \u201ccarb-consumption\u201d will yield thousands of articles about glycemic index, carb timing, carb cycling, carb back-loading, etc. If you\u2019re looking for that sort of micro detail, this\u00a0isn\u2019t for you. Again, my intention is to simplify, to the extent possible, the general guidelines to carb-consumption without the use of complicated jargon. I feel like this is worthwhile as there was a time when\u00a0I was overwhelmed\u00a0by\u00a0the amount of information available.<\/p>\n

Common Mis\u201dcarb\u201dceptions<\/h3>\n

Before I launch into my analogy, I\u2019d like to clarify a couple of carb misconceptions. I have found that many individuals, including myself, fail not due to lack of effort but, rather, due to misinformation. Who can blame them? With so much information available, why not listen to friends or family (who may be just as misinformed as they are)? Carbs are often portrayed as the \u2018enemy\u2019 or the \u2018bad guy\u2019. Is that fair? Maybe they are just misunderstood. Here are the two carb misconceptions that, at one time, set me behind in my health and fitness goals:<\/p>\n

All carbs are created equal \u2013 carbs cover a HUGE range of foods. Yes. At the core of it all, carbs are just broken down into sugar. This is an over-simplification however. Broccoli is a carb. So are doughnuts. That should put things into perspective.<\/p>\n

Carbs cause weight gain \u2013 this is partially true. However, \u2018cause\u2019 is not the correct term. \u2018Cause\u2019 immediately makes carbs sound bad. \u2018Aid\u2019 or \u2018assist\u2019 are better terms. Yes. Carbs certainly play a large role in dictating your weight, shape and, size. However, correctly consumed, they actually assist in both weight (muscle) gain and weight (fat) loss.<\/p>\n

Did you know: fruits are carbs. I know! Shocking. Right?<\/p>\n

Carbs in My Life<\/h3>\n

Sometimes life can send you in such a vicious circle. I\u2019ve certainly experienced both sides of the weight spectrum. If you\u2019ve been following my blogs, you know that I graduated from high school at an underwhelming 120lbs. What I\u2019ve yet to mention is the fact that only 4 short years after that, at the end of my second year at the University of Calgary, I was a whopping 185lbs. Yes, I had packed on a fair bit of muscle but certainly not 65lbs of it. I was doughy. I was sloppy. This was caused by misinformation. I didn\u2019t know any better. Doughnuts, chips, pizza. You name it and I ate it. I thought I had to in order to put on weight. To be fair, I did. But I\u00a0didn\u2019t look good.\u00a0I also didn\u2019t feel good. I didn\u2019t feel healthy. So I decided to make myself aware. More specifically, I made myself carb-aware. This changed my life. I trimmed down and felt healthier than ever.\u00a0I\u2019m not sure if this has any correlation but my once pimple-ridden face also cleared up. This could be nothing more than coincidence.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Just Analogy<\/h3>\n

So, why is it that I\u00a0begin with the anecdotal child\u2019s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare? Simply for the fitting metaphor. For the purpose of this analogy, we will categorize carbs into Tortoise (slow-absorption) carbs and Hare (fast-absorption) carbs. As it pertains to this article, \u201cabsorption\u201d is the process by which carbs are broken down and transported to cells throughout your body.<\/p>\n

Tortoise Carbs<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 are broken down slowly by the body and remain in your system for a greater amount of time. What is the significance of this? Tortoise carbs help to control your hunger and keeps you full for a more substantial period of time. Tortoise carbs will also help to curb your cravings. Beyond appetite control, Tortoise carbs also lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease\u00a0andblood cholesterol levels. Amazing.<\/p>\n

Common Tortoise Carbs<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 as a rule of thumb, Tortoise carbs tend to be fiber-rich. They are nutrient dense. Take fibrous vegetables for instance (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.). Not only are they nutrient dense,\u00a0they are also very low in calories; win\/win. Most of the Tortoise carbs listed below have substantial amounts of fiber. Beyond the benefits of being a Tortoise carb, fiber has many other health benefits. This is a discussion for another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Apples<\/td>\nCucumber<\/td>\nOranges<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Artichoke<\/td>\nGrapefruit<\/td>\nPeas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Asparagus<\/td>\nGreen beans<\/td>\nPeppers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beans<\/td>\nLegumes<\/td>\nSoy Beans<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Broccoli<\/td>\nLettuce<\/td>\nSpinach<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brown Rice<\/td>\nLow-fat yogurt<\/td>\nSweet potato<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cauliflower<\/td>\nNuts<\/td>\nTomatoes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Celery<\/td>\nOats<\/td>\nZucchini<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cherries<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Hare Carbs<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 are broken down quickly by the body and pass through your body just as rapidly. What is the significance of this? Hare carbs don\u2019t keep you satiated for very long; soon after you ingest Hare carbs you may find yourself hungry again. Hare carbs are broken down faster than your body can put them to good use and, subsequently, are stored as fat.<\/p>\n

Common Hare Carbs<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 as a rule of thumb, Hare Carbs tend to be more refined and processed. Beyond the disadvantages listed above, Hare Carbs tend to be refined and processed, have little nutritional value and, tend to be very calorie dense. Less food for the number of calories consumed. As a guy that likes to eat large quantities of food, this sounds awful! I am certainly not telling you not to eat Hare carbs. In fact, Hare carbs\u00a0certainly have their place but, this is also a discussion for another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Bagels<\/td>\nMost Cereals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Candy<\/td>\nPasta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chips<\/td>\nPizza<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Doughnuts<\/td>\nPotatoes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
French Fries<\/td>\nWhite Rice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Do It<\/h3>\n

For average individuals, the ones not looking to place in a fitness competition or to walk the stage, swapping out Hare carbs for their Tortoise counterparts will make radical differences. Perhaps this is an over-simplification but this article was never intended to complicate the matter of carb-consumption \u2013 just to correct a few \u201cmiscarbceptions\u201c. Whether you are looking to pack on lean muscle, lose weight or simply maintain your healthy lifestyle, carbs have their place in your life. Hopefully, the next time you reach for carbs, you\u2019ll\u00a0reach\u00a0for Tortoise Carbs. In the long run, you\u2019ll surely cross the line in first place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The internet is a vicious place. Before I launch into this blog, I\u2019d like to state upfront that, on\u00a0occasion, I will talk about\u00a0my\u00a0diet,\u00a0my\u00a0fitness programs and otherwise.\u00a0 I want\u00a0you to understand that I\u2019ve chosen them because they work for\u00a0me. It\u2019s\u00a0all relative and it\u2019s all a matter of opinion. There\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0one \u201ccorrect\u201d program.\u00a0There\u00a0isn\u2019t a\u00a0\u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d solution.\u00a0My sole intention is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":41194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[279],"tags":[457,458],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29052"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/387"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29052"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29055,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29052\/revisions\/29055"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}