#4. Whats in food?

I recently had dinner with my mother-in-law, a very smart, well educated woman - yet she still confessed that she didn't know what a carbohydrate was - or which foods fell into the carbohydrate category. Given this, I would assume that it may also be confusing as to what foods are proteins and what foods are fats.

I then figured that it may not be uncommon for many people not to know what categories certain foods fall into, its no-ones fault that they don't know. If you have never been taught, how should you know?

I want to change this, I want to educate you so you can educate your children. So, lets get back to basics with putting some common foods into their categories.

Examples of Fibrous Complex Carbohydrates: (ones to eat lots of)

Asparagus
Cauliflower
Peas
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Cucumber
Mushrooms
Spinach
Zucchini
Capsicum
Green Beans..........................Get the picture - all those lovely veggies and salad fruits.

Examples of Natural Simple Carbohydrates (Fruit)

Apples
Bananas
Berries
Grapes
Grapefruit
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries........... a good, healthy sweet treat but eaten on their own will not keep your blood sugar steady, they will cause a sudden spike and then a fall (similar to that of lollies and cakes) leaving you hungry like before. Combine with a lean protein to counteract these effects and still reap the benefits of good fresh fruit.

Examples of Starchy Complex Carbohydrates

Oats
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Beans, lentils, legumes
Brown Rice
100% whole grain or wholemeal pasta
100% whole grain or wholemeal bread.......................... these foods will give you energy and are best eaten earlier in the day. Eat them too late at night and you won't have time to burn them off before you go to sleep and your body will turn the unused foods to fat.

Examples of Lean Proteins

Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Fish
Shellfish
Lean Red Meat
Egg whites
Low or non fat dairy products................................. the building block of your body, protein is necessary to build and repair muscle. Aim to eat protein in every meal or snack, this will keep your blood sugar steady and you will feel fuller for longer.

Examples of Dairy Products

Milk
Cheese
Yogurt...........great for adding calcium to your child's diet but be sure to check the salt contant as it can tend to be quite high.

Examples of Good Fats

Nuts and seeds
Flaxseed oil
Olive oil
Canola oil
100% natural peanut butter
Fish fat.........................................good fats are essential for a healthy diet - cut all fats and you will be in trouble - include some of the above in your diet.

A great idea for teaching kids the different types of food is to make a chat for your wall and ask them to pick out a food from each segment of the chart to include in each meal. Not a bad way to do it yourself either!