Carbs

And a chia pudding recipe!

Spring Break is around the corner, and all the “lose weight quickly” diets and schemes are probably filling your Instagram feed. And most, if not all, of those crazy diets cut carbs out completely. Which lasts a few days, maybe even weeks, but it’s not a sustainable way of life. Especially for those around you dealing with your “hanger” due to lack of carbs! 

Here at CCN, we want to teach everyone we know about how carbohydrates should be your BFF, not your worst enemy. Carbohydrates get a bad rap. But why? Because alone, they increase sugar in the bloodstream. When blood sugar rises, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar to store for energy now or later. This doesn’t sound so bad, except that stored energy is actually stored in your fat cells, increasing your body mass index. So there you have the reason carbs are notoriously restricted in dieting. Fewer carbs mean fewer blood sugar spikes and fewer blood sugar spikes mean less insulin stored in your fat cells. 

But they also play a vital role in our overall health, and there’s a better way to make them work for us instead of against us. Believe it or not, carbohydrates are essential to our health. There are ONLY six essential nutrients that we need for life: water, minerals, vitamins, protein, fat, and…

CARBOHYDRATES.

We can’t have a great bill of health restricting ANY of these essential nutrients. For optimal brain function, we need carbs. Life without carbs will make your brain lethargic – resulting in feeling slow and tired. For our bodies and organs to function properly, we need to intake a certain amount and eat them correctly. Restricting too often and too much may result in more weight gain in the long run (when you start eating them again because you will – no one can outrun carbs forever). Not to mention, unstable levels of hormones and restriction in any form commonly leads to bingeing. 

Eating carbs correctly ensures that we are using them for immediate energy and burning our stored fat for energy. Our bodies are machines, and when operating with the correct fuel, they are powerful.

Remember these main concepts when consuming carbs:

1. Choose carbs wisely – Carbs uniquely come in all colors and varieties. They are in the form of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and some low-fat dairy products. If you’re trying to lose weight, avoiding highly processed carbs, like sugar and many snack foods is ideal. Choose colorful, fibrous carbs like the ones listed above.

2. Pair carbs well – Always pair your carbohydrates with fat and protein. This is just as important as choosing the correct carbs. Often, we see people eating fruit by itself to cut calories. But what they don’t know is a piece of fruit by itself spikes your blood sugar – causing overproduction of insulin and storage in the fat cells. By pairing your carbs with protein and fat, you will keep your blood sugar stable and your body fueled and burning fat. It’s ideal to eat 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein.

3. Eat carbs often – Eating every few hours, properly paired, and smart choices keeps your body in the “zone.” The zone is where hormones are produced at the correct rate, cells are replenishing, muscles are healing, the immune system is building, and fat is burning. Without carbs, none of this is possible. Skipping carbs or meal time will only lead to binges, low blood sugar, moodiness, and cravings. So eat up! 

Whether weight loss is your goal or you want to improve your overall health, you need carbohydrates. Research shows that eating carbs helps to produce serotonin, which is a feel-good brain chemical. Increasing your intake of the water-soluble fiber that whole grains offer will likely result in healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels and a trimmer waistline. 

Restricting carbs may be why you’re not seeing the desired results! Carb-restriction diets have been around for as long as we can remember, and there’s a reason they are trendy and considered diets. They fail you, they have you craving, they make you feel lost and out of control. Wrap your mind around the lifestyle way of using carbs for fuel and using them to provide the nourishment your body and brain need to thrive! By eating healthy carbohydrate choices paired correctly, we are on our way to a more satisfactory way of life!

Yes, this chia pudding may look “low carb” on the outside but it still packs a carbohydrate punch. The carbs here are found in the almond milk, the chia seed, and the raspberries. We consume carbs when we eat this snack, but we consume them mindfully!  

Raspberry Cheesecake Chia Pudding

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons chia seeds

• 1/3 cup 2% or 4% cottage cheese (Good Culture is a great brand!)

• 1 cup raspberries, thawed from frozen

• ½ cup unsweetened coconut or nut milk

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• One pitted date

• ½ Tablespoon beet powder (optional)

Directions

Pulse all ingredients in a high-powered blender until well blended, reserving ¼ cup of thawed raspberries on the side. Pour pudding into a pint-sized mason jar. Top with ¼ cup of thawed raspberries. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Top with 1 Tablespoon sliced almonds to serve.