Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc.

It's your health. Take a Stand.

Follow us on Facebook Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn Follow Andrea on Twitter Watch our YouTube Channel Follow Andrea on Pinterest Follow Health Stand on Instagram Follow us on Google+ RSS Feed

Call: 403 301 4106

Or: 1 800 268 9487

  • Home
  • Our Story
    • About
    • Meet the Team!
      • Andrea Holwegner
      • Richelle Tabelon
      • Jana Spindler
      • Kate Chury
      • Lindsay Rieger
    • Media Appearances
    • Media Kit
    • Awards & Acknowledgments
    • Career Opportunities
    • Request More Information
  • Nutrition Counseling
    • Nutrition Counselling Overview
    • Programs
      • Program 1: Learning
      • Program 2: Guided Change Program
      • Program 3: Comprehensive Support Program
    • Personal Nutrition Scorecard
    • Meet Your Nutritionists
      • Andrea Holwegner
      • Richelle Tabelon
      • Jana Spindler
      • Kate Chury
      • Lindsay Rieger
    • Book an appointment
    • Pursuit of Healthiness Online Distance Education Nutrition Course
    • Success Stories
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Company Policies
    • Request More Information
  • Corporate Wellness & Speaking
    • Workplace Wellness
    • Workplace Wellness Scorecard
    • Professional Speaking
      • Speaking Overview
      • Thinking of hiring Andrea for your event?
      • Meeting Planner Resources
      • Keynote, Workshop & Retreat Topics
      • Rave Reviews
    • Pursuit of Healthiness Online Distance Education Nutrition Course
    • Monthly Nutrition Club
    • Onsite or Virtual Nutrition Counselling
    • Nutrition & Wellness Video License
    • Customized Help
    • EnerTHRIVE! Corporate Wellness Newsletter
    • Rave Reviews
    • Client List
    • Request More Information
  • Food & Grocery Industry
    • Food, Grocery and Restaurant Industry Expert
    • Meet the Team!
      • Andrea Holwegner
      • Richelle Tabelon
      • Jana Spindler
      • Kate Chury
      • Lindsay Rieger
    • Food Industry References
    • Request More Information
  • Free Resources
    • Free Resources
    • Our Blog
    • Healthy Recipes & Menus
    • Health & Wellness Topics
    • Health Stand Nutrition TV / Radio / Print
    • Sound Bites Newsletter
    • EnerTHRIVE! Corporate Wellness Newsletter
    • Request More Information
  • Store
    • Store
    • Pursuit of Healthiness Online Distance Education Nutrition Course
    • Meal Planning Power Package
    • Juiced Up Journal
    • Request More Information
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

May 3, 2011

Confused about carbohydrates?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
By Andrea Holwegner, Calgary Herald April 20, 2011

Rita, a 47-year-old financial adviser, was trying to shed some unwanted pounds and drop her blood cholesterol.

Like many people, she vowed to give up carbohydrates such as pasta and bread, which had seemed to help her lose weight in the past.

Which led her to a grilled chicken salad with no dressing at a downtown lunch spot, when what she really wanted was the fettuccine with chorizo sausage and a caesar salad. But did she make the right choice?

Giving up carbs felt like living each day with a dull toothache that eventually ends up in a full-blown painful tooth abscess.

Rita found herself see-sawing between following the low-carb plan and loading up on big portions of comfort starchy foods.

Low-carb plans for weight loss have been around for decades. While they can work for weight loss, sustainability and nutritional adequacy are a big fat challenge.

Carbs are an essential nutrient

Your brain runs exclusively on carbs (you can think of all carbs as single, double and longer chains of sugar). The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in partnership with Health Canada suggests the brains of children and adults need an average minimum amount of carbohydrates of 130 grams per day. This is the equivalent of eating two slices of bread, one cup of rice and several pieces of fruit.

In addition, you need carbs to fuel your muscles for physical activity. Therefore, total daily carbs required for the brain and muscles of adult women and adult men are approximately 180 to 230 grams and 220 to 330 grams of carbohydrate or more respectively.

When carbohydrates are not consumed in sufficient amounts, you may feel tired, anxious or depressed, have difficulty concentrating, or experience muscle fatigue when exercising. If you eat more carbohydrates than your body needs (just as if you eat too much protein or fat), extra calories are stored as body fat.

Also keep in mind that carbohydrates store water on your body. It is not uncommon for low-carb dieters to lose five to 15 pounds of water weight when restricting carbohydrates.

You need a variety of carbs for health

Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, some dairy foods and sweets. Do not be fooled by popular claims that you can skip grains and just eat vegetables and fruit. Grains provide different types of fibre, B-vitamins and other nutrients that are not found in fruits and vegetables. For optimal health, choose a wide variety of foods. If you only eat blueberries and apples each day, you will miss out on the many nutrients found in other fruits.

Deprivation does not work

Carbohydrates are comfort foods that play a direct role in elevating the neurotransmitter serotonin, which boosts mood. Protein-rich foods are not comfort foods for your brain. When was the last time you actually craved eggs, meat or cottage cheese when you were tired, sad or mad?

Carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, sweets and potato chips are, in essence, happy foods the brain craves when you are tired, hungry, mad or sad. Since these foods are very enjoyable and readily available, it is important to manage portions sizes but certainly not eliminate them. If you try to deprive yourself of something enjoyable, chances are you will seek it out, obsess about it and eventually overeat.

Sustainability is critical

Anyone can lose weight, but can you sustain the loss? If your nutrition regime makes going on vacation or attending a dinner party impossible, chances are you won’t stick to it. Refuse to buy into a plan that provides you with a long list of foods that you can’t eat. Avoid plans that require you to eat the same shake or bar every day to be successful.

As Rita found out, in order for her weight loss to be sustainable, she needed to watch portion sizes of starchy foods. She also needed to build in enjoyable foods such as pasta rather than attempting to eliminate them. She discovered that having the grilled chicken salad, but adding a vinaigrette dressing and a bun with butter to her lunch added satisfaction to the meal and helped avoid overeating sweets later in the evening.

Andrea Holwegner, the chocoholic dietitian, owns Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. Visit www.healthstandnutrition.com or phone 403-262-3466  for more information on personalized nutrition counselling, professional speaking and to subscribe to her blog or free monthly ezine.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Confused+about+carbohydrates/4650199/story.html#ixzz1LK18fdJH

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Email to someone
email

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Healthy Habits, Psychology & Behavior Change, Newspaper Columns & Magazine Articles, Weight Management & Weight Loss Tagged With: Andrea Holwegner, food, health and wellness, Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc., Healthy Eating, Nutrition, registered dietitian, the chocoholic dietitian, Weight loss, Weight management

About Andrea Holwegner

President, Registered Dietitian, Counselling Practice Director & Professional Speaker

Andrea the "Chocoholic Nutritionist" is founder and president of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. since 2000. She is a professional speaker, media expert for the Dietitians of Canada and consultant to the food and restaurant industry for companies...Read more

Follow us on Facebook Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn Follow Andrea on Twitter Watch our YouTube Channel Follow Andrea on Pinterest Follow Health Stand on Instagram Listen to our Podcasts on iTunes

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

  • HSN pinterest boardCheck out our Pinterest page!
  • Andrea Holwegner, RD Top Calgary Nutritionist, Canada DietitianTop Calgary dietitian Andrea Holwegner talks about her career path as a nutritionist
  • how to hire the best nutritionist for your needsHow to hire the best nutrition coach for your needs
  • keto diet review by registered dietitian andrea holwegnerTo keto or not to keto, that is the question: A dietitians thoughts about the keto diet
  • butter on green beansHow to make veggies taste better
newseltter signup

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

Success Stories

I just wanted to share with you the measurable changes that have occurred in my health/life since our first meeting about three and a half months ago. My total cholesterol has dropped from 5.8 to 4.6, and my doctor tells me to expect a further substantial reduction over the next year or so. My weight has dropped approximately 13 lbs. so far. I find that I need about one to one and a half hours less sleep per night than I needed before, to have the same energy the next day. Lastly, my digestion improved. There was nothing wrong with it before, but now it is turbocharged! I attribute it 100% to the program that you laid out for me.

~ Pat, age 56

+ read more success stories

 

Meal Planning
Power Package

By Andrea Holwegner, BSc, RD

Don’t miss out on getting copies of our most popular nutrition resources!

Plan ahead and make nutritious choices that will help you manage a healthy weight, keep energetic and improve your health.

» Learn more

Article Categories

Dietitians of Canada member blog Member of the Nutrition Blog Network

Top 100 Nutrition Blogs

About

  • Company Overview
  • Our Team
  • Media Appearances
  • Media Kit
  • Awards & Acknowledgments
  • Careers
  • Contact

Services

  • Personal Nutrition Counselling
  •   Personal Success Stories
  • Workplace Wellness & Speaking
  •   Rave Speaking Reviews
  • Food & Grocery Industry Consulting
  •   Food Industry References
  • Client List

Resources

  • Blog
  • Sound Bites Newsletter
  • Health & Wellness Topics
  • Healthy Recipes & Menus
  • TV / Radio / Print Appearances
  • Podcast: Pursuit of Healthiness
  • Store

Connect With Us

  • Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc.
    1325b – 9th Avenue SE, Calgary, AB
    Canada T2G 0T2
  • PHONE: 403 301 4106   OR:   1 800 268 9487
    FAX: 403 398 1561
  • EMAIL: info@healthstandnutrition.com
  • Follow us on Facebook Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn Follow Andrea on Twitter Watch our YouTube Channel Follow Andrea on Pinterest Follow Health Stand on Instagram Follow us on Google+ RSS Feed

© 2019 Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Web Design