Our diet is a crucial factor in determining our health, mood, and energy levels. Eating a balanced diet has many benefits. It can increase your athletic ability and improve your concentration and memory.
There are three kinds of macronutrients that we need: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In this blog post, we will start with carbohydrates (and cover the others in the next ones).
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates is the go-to energy source of our body. When we do low intensity work-out, like walking, our body will first use up all the carbohydrates before it turns to the next energy source. That said, carbohydrates are also essential for brain development and function.
About 30-50% of your daily calorie intake should come from carbohydrates. Not only is it important to consume appropriate amounts of carbohydrates, we should also be sure to eat good carbohydrates! So, what are “good” carbohydrates?
Good carbohydrates
Intake of complex carbohydrates creates a steady rise in blood sugar level, and because complex carbohydrates are harder to break down, it keeps us full for a long period of time. Check out this recipe for some quick and easy (and healthy) meals! Some sources of good, complex carbohydrates are:
- Whole grains: brown rice, pure oats, etc.
- Vegetables: kale, lettuce, etc.
- Whole fruits: apple, banana, etc.
Not-so-good carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates can cause a sudden increase in our blood sugar level, and when our blood sugar lowers to its normal level, we feel grumpy and hungry again. This can lead to both short- and long-term health issues. It is not necessary to avoid simple carbs all together, but you may choose to lower the intake of these food that are high in simple carbohydrates:
- Sugary drinks: colas / pop, sweetened juice, etc.
- Sweets: cookies, cakes, etc.
- Unhealthily processed foods: chips, french fries, etc.
While this may seem like common sense, maintaining a healthy diet is not that easy if you are not aware of what you are eating, get caught up in your busy student life, and forget to seek out for better food choices. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and try adding more healthy carbohydrates to your diet today!