Why Carbs are NOT the Devil

Firstly I need to qualify this statement (being a lawyer and all) WHOLEGRAIN UNPROCESSED CARBS are not the devil.  However when it comes to the white stuff you can say what you want about those bad boys.

Carbs have had a pretty bad rep recently, with the Atkins, Dukan and Paleo diet banishing carbs from many a dieters plate.  But wholegrain carbs actually have huge health benefits and should play a fundamental part in every healthy blue bird’s diet.   The majority of the nutrients are contained in the germ and outer covering of the grain.  These are removed during the refining process, hence why white carbs have little nutritional benefit.

The Good, the Bad and the Absolutely Gorgeous

All very well, but what the hell are wholegrain carbs…

The Good – Literally ‘whole’ ‘grains’ such as brown rice, millett, quinoa, bulgar wheat (all bar bulgar wheat gluten free).

The Bad – white bread, bagels, pasta, crisps, white rice…these carbs are effectively sugar in disguise.

The Absolutely Gorgeous – VEGETABLES!  Full of healthy carbs with lots of vitamins and minerals thrown in for good measure

So tell us the benefits

Fibre, fibre and more fibre….Fibre is the part of a grain or vegetable that our body cannot digest, but that is actually where the benefit lies.  Fibre moves through the stomach and intestine, cleansing as it goes and, em well, keeps you regular.  A high fibre diet has been linked to a reduction in risk of certain types of cancer, particularly stomach, bowel and colon cancer.

Slowly digested…Wholegrain carbs are complex carbs which means they are slowly released keeping you fuller for longer thereby helping you control your weight. It also has the effect of controlling blood sugar levels which can reduce your chances of diabetes by 35%.

Carbs reduce cravings… Ever tried to cut an entire food group out of your diet?  Sugar cravings will take over your life, it is not pretty (thanks Mr Dukan)!  Adding wholegrain carbs into your diet will prevent this and make you less likely to cave.

Super duper cheap… not a health benefit but a huge advantage none the less

A word of warning

Food labelling standards only require a product to contain 1% wholegrain to make the wholegrain claim.  Also food manufacturers often colour their products with molasses (that is black treacle FYI) to trick consumers into thinking their products are brown and therefore whole grains.  When reading labels look for ‘whole wheat flour’ rather than ‘wheat flour’ (which is actually just good old white flour).

How to eat

Wholegrains are super simple to prepare – just chuck in boiling water as you would rice.

An easy way to introduce them into your diet is to substitute white carbs for wholegrains, ie rice, bread, pastas.  And if in doubt…..just eat more vegetables!!!!

THE ONE THING I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

 

Green tea is great, really really great.  But 137 times BETTER (to be precise) is the ground up powdered tea leaves themselves known as Matcha tea.

Think of it this way, you wouldn’t boil broccoli then chuck the broccoli and drink the water.  It is the same with green tea.

For very good reason matcha is considered as one of the most powerful superfoods on the market today.

(Blueberry) Jam packed with antioxidants
To many blueberries are thought of as the ultimate antioxidant.  Now consider that matcha tea has 17 times the antioxidant content of blueberries and you know what kind of magical powder we are dealing with here.  These antioxidants will not only protect our skin from ageing, but studies have shown that green tea polyphenols can inhibit UV radiation-induced skin damage including skin cancer.

Weight Loss and Fat Burner
Matcha is a great tool if you are looking to lose weight as it contains catechins which boosts the metabolism, which in turn increases the number of calories your body will burn.  In addition to this consuming matcha leads to your body burning fat FOUR TIMES faster than average.  Matcha is also known to suppress hunger cravings.  And now you see why it is my favourite thing…

Calming Caffeine
Can those two words go together?  When you are discussing matcha tea, yes they can.  Green tea contains caffeine and also a compound called tannin, which slows down the absorption of caffeine into the blood.  Green tea also contains L-theanine which has a relaxing effect and reduces stress.  So with matcha tea you can say goodbye to your caffeine comedown and have 6-8 hours of constant energy (if you have ever met me you will know that this level of energy is an actual fact).
 
I seriously cannot live without this stuff.  I even take it on holiday with me and have been stopped by customs on more than one occasion whilst they enquire why I have dodgy green powder in my hand luggage (I obviously then proceed to try to sell the health benefits to them).

 I have noticed a huge difference in my hair and skin since I started taking it daily and I feel more alert and awake within minutes of drinking it (great when you get up at 5.30am for Bikram yoga). 

How to drink it:

As mentioned above matcha tea comes in a powdered form so you can mix it into smoothies or juices.  I drink it just like I would green tea.  But be careful not to pour boiling water onto the powder as this will boil out the antioxidants (true with any tea – 80 degrees is the magic number), so pour some cold water in to your mug before adding the boiling water.

I personally only have matcha tea once a day, and drink green tea the rest of the day, but if you ever need an energy boost it is a billion (accurately checked by myself) times better than having a sugar filled can of crap, sorry I meant coke.

Where to get it:
I buy this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matcha-Factory-Drinking-50g/dp/B00C869UHS/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1403876115&sr=8-8&keywords=matcha+green+tea

But if you want to treat yourself Tea Pigs do a great Matcha tea set which comes with a little whisk to mix it all up.