What's a Carb?

Most people can give quick examples of what a carb is, right?  Bread, pasta, rice, cereals, potatoes.  It is also quite common to hear talk about avoiding carbs when trying to shed some pounds, right?   What if I told you that I don’t eat bread, pasta, cereal, white potatoes, or any product containing white or whole wheat flour, but eat LOTS of carbs?  Is that possible?

What many people don’t realize is that there are other sources of carbs – the nutrient-dense type that are the powerhouses of carbs.  Fruits and vegetables!

The difference between both groups of carbs, is that the latter (fruits and vegetables) are unprocessed, natural and more nutritionally sound than the starchy, processed forms of carbs.  There is definitely a place for starchy carbs and that’s typically around a tough workout, when your body is more readily willing to use that energy for fuel or recovery (tissue growth and repair) as opposed to stored energy (fat!).   This is especially true for athletes of all ages.  Relying on vegetables and fruits for the bulk of your carb intake, will supply your body with more antioxidants, vitamins, and even fiber (surprise!) than do the breads, pastas, rice, cereals and potatoes.  They are a far superior source of carbohydrate because they do not impact blood sugar to the extent that processed carbs do, they have far fewer calories, they are easier to digest, and they often have more fiber.

Below is an easy recipe to fuel your pre or post workouts.

Sweet Potato Muffins for the Athlete

3 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut oil (you can use olive oil as well)
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 small sweet potato (cooked, or you can used canned, as long as the ingredients are ONLY sweet potatoes…no syrup!)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup coconut or almond flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Mix ingredients with whisk or mixer until all ingredients are well mixed. Place equal amount of batter in each cup of a 6-cup muffin pan. (I double this recipe and use a muffin pan with 12 cups)
Preheat oven to 400 and cook for 15 min.

(you can also add some unsweetened dried cranberries!)