5 Guilt-Free Ways to Enjoy Carbs

You can eat carbs even if you’re on a diet! Contrary to popular belief, there is not one food group that can make you fat. Your weight loss depends not on the type of food you eat but how much you eat in total throughout your day.

Today, we’ll be talking about five awesome and guilt-free ways to enjoy carbs. Let’s get started!

1.    Add Berries to Your Toast

Toast is a great breakfast but you don’t have to settle for dry, often bland pieces of whole grain bread. You can brighten up your morning toast by topping it with berries. Plump fruits like strawberries, bilberries, cranberries, and black currants may help slow the digestion and absorption of starch according to the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers have found that pairing 150 grams of strawberries with a 50-gram slice of white bread can reduce insulin response by 36 percent. Meanwhile, a mixture of berries can lower the glycemic profile of white bread by 38%.

Studies suggest that this is because the polyphenols found in these fruits can lower the glycemic index of white bread which is ultimately great for your weight loss goals.

2.    Wash It Down with Green Tea

If you’ve had a particularly high-carb meal, researchers from Penn State suggest drinking a cup of green tea. According to a study, published in the Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, green tea contains an antioxidant that can regulate hunger hormones when paired with carbohydrates.

This helps reduce blood sugar spikes and helps keep you feeling fuller for longer so you don’t end up overeating.

3.    Add Healthy Fats

Healthy monosaturated fats like olive oil and avocadoes are a great pairing for carbs like bread. These fats are satiating so you end up eating less carbs at the end of your meal. Furthermore, you may also feel fuller for longer so you won’t crave for food for hours after your meal.

4.    Eat Carbs, Don’t Drink Them

Thing fruit juice is a great way to get in your 5-a-day? Think again! Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that people who consumed one or more servings of fruit juice each day increased their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 21%. And a second study in the journal Nature found liquid carbohydrates to be 17% less filling compared with solid carbohydrates. As a general rule: eat, don't drink, your fruits.

5.    Go for Resistant Starches

Resistant starch is a carbohydrate that resist digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine. As the fibers ferment they act as a prebiotic and feed the good bacteria in the gut.

Food like lentils, peas, beans, and oatmeal pass through the small intestine intact so you feel fuller for longer periods when you consume them. It can increase your satiety hormones and can suppress your hunger hormones so you can keep your caloric intake throughout the day in check.