Carbohydrates - Friend or Foe?

Excerpt from FC&A's Super Foods for Seniors.

Just as your car needs fuel, so does your body. That's where carbohydrates come in. Carbohydrates - starches, sugars, and fibers that come mainly from plants - represent your body's main source of energy. They also help your brain and nervous system operate at peak performance.

Yet, to many dieters, "carbs" have become the enemy. But you don't have to give up carbohydrates to lose weight and improve your health - you just have to know how to choose the right ones.

Complex is best

Carbohydrates come in two basic forms - complex and simple. Here is a brief look at both of them.

Complex. Your body needs these important starches and fibers. You get them from grains, breads, pasta, and vegetables, like white or sweet potatoes, corn and dried beans.

Simple. These carbohydrates, which are sugars, give you quick energy. Milk, fruits, and juices contain simple carbohydrates. They bring nutrients like water, vitamins, minerals, and sometimes fiber, to your table.

Refined sugar, found in sugar, candy, desserts, and your sugar bowl, is also a simple carbohydrate. But it doesn't have any nutrients - just a lot of empty calories.

Carbohydrates should accound for 45 to 65 percent of your total calories. Like protein, carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram.

So that comes out to between 225 grams and 325 grams of carbs each day for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Most of these should be complex carbohydrates. For maximum health benefits, choose whole grains, which not only contain complex carbohydrates but also fiber and other important nutrients. Many of your favorite foodfs now come in whole-grain versions. You can even find whole-grain white bread.

Lowdown on low-carb diets

But what about all those people losing weight by following the Atkins diet or other low-carb diets? These diets appeal to people because they let you load up on steak, butter, bacon, eggs, and other usual dieting outlaws. You cut carbohydrates without restricting fat or protein. Of course, as with any diet, you're also cutting down on your calories.

They also work - at least in the short term. Studies show that some people lose more weight on this diet than on a low-fat diet. And suprisingly, studies also show this eating plan can lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels.

But remember, your diet must provide all the nutrients you need. When you limit vegetables, fruits and grains, you put your health at risk. With all that meat comes a lot of saturated fat, which may increase your risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer. The long-term health effects of these diets remain unknown.

Also, low-carb diets are often boring and hard to stick to. Once you go back to eating a normal amount of carbohydrates, your weight comes back , too. Not surprisingly, these diets have been waning in popularity. Rather than declare war on carbs, just make the right ones part of a healthy diet.