The Carbohydrate Craze

By Kyra Watters

“If 75% of the food on our supermarket shelves did not exist North Americans would experience a decrease in obesity and disease.”

The carbohydrate problem goes well beyond the waists and hips of our clients. Therefore, as a fitness professional, your education on this matter needs to be thorough. The health of Canadians is now being threatened by the food we consume and the lack of education on this matter. Now, more than ever, fitness professionals are more likely to have an opportunity to discuss diet with the general public thereby increasing nutritional awareness. As fitness professionals we work in the health care industry, not the diet industry, and this requires us to be educated accordingly. Our client’s health must be made a priority.

This article will go well beyond the usual document on carbohydrate consumption that you have read before and will shed new light on a North American epidemic. It will dissect the type and the amount of carbohydrates we need to consume, identify the most nutritional carbohydrates for the human body and those that we should avoid. It will focus on the quality of carbohydrates versus the amount of carbohydrate in an individual’s diet. More importantly this article will take you to the root of the problem and offer solutions to change the health and bodies of your clients permanently.

The Beginning of the Problem           

What did we eat before processed foods? Did we ever need anyone to tell us what and how much to eat, besides our parents? Why the confusion about food? I spend 99% of my time telling clients what not to eat. The other 1% can be summed up in single statement. “If you want to know what to eat then take a look outside.”

Carbohydrates would never present themselves as a problem if mankind would leave them in their natural state. Manufactured, refined and processed foods have taken over our daily food supply. Walk down any super market aisle and discover hundreds of products that no longer resemble the grains they were made from. These fast foods, frozen dinners and highly processed carbohydrates have become staples in the North American diet. Add to this problem processed meats, fish, oils and genetically modified foods and you have disaster.

  It was much simpler when only gardens, orchards, slaughterhouses and fisheries existed. During this time, there were no fad diets, food guides, pyramids and weight loss corporations. If we could only combine our past methods of food consumption with modern medicine we would truly have optimal health.

Another problem my clients are faced with is no different than that of your own. They are continually searching for answers from someone or something. They have never been thoroughly educated about food and its purpose in their lives. Very few people can identify the three macronutrients found in our food. Usually the only education they have received has been from Canada’s Food Guide, which has left the majority confused. On numerous occasions I have had to defend fruits and vegetables as being sources of carbohydrates both to the average person and to health professionals. It is necessary to teach your clients about the three macronutrients in order to remove an enormous amount of confusion. People need to learn about carbohydrates, fats and proteins, the three food groups invented by Mother Nature herself. Be sure to elaborate on the difference between those macronutrients that are refined and those that are not.

The Cost of Convenience   

What is the cost of eating highly refined carbohydrates? Society pays the price of eating this fast and furious diet with their health. Everyday in my office I review weekly food logs that contain 80 to 90 percent of food choices from highly refined, processed foods filled with empty calories, sugars, hydrogenated oils and chemicals. Until now these clients were under the assumption that their low fat, no salt, and aspartame diets were ideal.

We have witnessed every extreme method of eating within the past 20 years. I wonder how other societies across the world view our ignorance and nonsense. If we as North Americans could only think outside of our box and learn from others, perhaps we would spend less energy inventing, designing and altering foods. Why do we educate students to become our future food engineers and spend less money researching a better tasting and a longer lasting sandwich. When and how do we put an end to this money making behaviour?

One solution is to lower the demand of these types of carbohydrate based foods, by educating the public. Companies are not about to stop making their products, however, we can make steps to lower sales, profits and decrease production by educating clients to shop for healthier foods and avoid fast foods. Eating will become less confusing when consumers’ options are limited to healthy food products.

The Profit

As I write this article I hear my mother’s voice in my head, “but dear, if it was so bad for us why would they make it?” We could compare this problem to that of the cigarette industry. We forget that the dollar plays a predominant role in the production and consumption of food. Food does not escape the grasp of the corporate world and its profits. Fruits and vegetables offer companies very little in the way of production, marketing and a competitive corporation. How much money could a head of lettuce make? The majority of profits are being made in the grain industry. Grains are converted to thousands of different products and supply a serious amount of business for many individuals such as farmers, millers, food engineers, packagers, marketers, advertisers and promoters.

Does any of this matter to you? Or are you just satisfied knowing that your children are happy because they found a toy inside the box and their favourite athlete was on the front of it. If toys and celebrities are not catching your attention than perhaps it is the low-fat, less calories, and no cholesterol labels. Will we ever see an Olympic athlete’s face on the side of a pepper? Is one apple lower in fat than the next? Until companies no longer make unhealthy products you must teach your clients to shop wisely and not fall for gimmicks and misleading labels.

The Bad Guys

Highly refined carbohydrates are man made, boxed and packaged foods designed for convenience in our fast paced society. These foods have become very detrimental to our health. These highly refined carbohydrates contribute to type II diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, digestive disorders, obesity, and numerous other health ailments. These products are not your best sources of carbohydrates.

Finding grain products that are relatively unrefined can be a task in itself. Grocery stores are beginning to stock their shelves with more natural and less refined cereals, crackers and breads. Companies are now producing quality grain products using ancient grains such as teff, kamut, spelt and quinoa. Health food stores carry a variety of products made from these healthy grains. I suggest you avoid the following: enriched, bleached or white flour products, as well as cereals, crackers, breads and any other grain products made with hydrogenated oils, sugar, preservatives, artificial flavours and colours.

The Good Guys

The majority of our carbohydrate calories come from fruits, vegetables, and grains.   Unfortunately when the word carbohydrate is spoken people often picture pasta, bread and cereal. Many have overlooked fruits and vegetables as being sources of carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables are unrefined, natural and offer the body fibre and micronutrients. Unfortunately, due to lifestyle, lack of education, and fad diets, fruit and vegetable consumption is low for the majority of Canadians. Canadians need to replace their highly refined carbohydrates with Mother Nature made carbohydrates and investigate their products made from grain in order to purchase the most nutrient dense foods.

I suggest consuming grain products made from kamut, rice, flax, spelt, rye, teff, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, organic wheat and amaranth. These grains are lower on the glycemic index; contain more protein and more nutrients than refined wheat flour.   Another advantage to eating these grains is that the majority of companies baking with these grains do not spoil their products with chemicals, oils and sugar. Therefore, the consumer receives a much healthier product.

Fresh is best when it comes to your fruits and vegetables. However, during the winter months you may need to revert to frozen, canned or jarred.   If you don’t purchase organic products then be sure to wash your produce thoroughly using a wash that removes pesticides and fungicides.

The Glycemic Index

The glycemic index is an excellent tool to use when deciding which foods are going to spike your sugar and insulin levels. These glycemic charts can be found in books and on websites. Do not allow the appearance of products that are not sugar coated to fool you into believing that they do not contain sugar. Always read the ingredient list. If the list contains sugar place it back on the shelf.

Her are three rules of thumb to remember the glycemic value of foods:

• the softer/more tropical the fruit the higher the sugar content.

• the sweeter the vegetable the higher the sugar and

• the more refined a food, the higher the sugar. These rules will help you combine certain foods, plan a meal, balance energy, stabilize blood sugars or manage your weight.

How Many Carbohydrates?

Rather than being obsessed with the amount of carbohydrates in your diet you should be concerned with which carbohydrates are refined and which ones are unrefined. When you are eating healthy carbohydrates your body will stop craving foods such as salt, sugar, sweets and coffee. Your energy levels will remain balanced throughout the day and your body composition will change for the better.

Carbohydrates should make up only a third of your plate and the other two thirds should include sources of essential fats and protein. Sitting down to a large plate of pasta or a bowl of cereal topped with a banana are just a few of the mistakes we have made over the years. These foods are not balanced and the carbohydrate content is too high.

The amount of grain, fruits and vegetables you eat per day is highly dependant upon your energy requirements. When you eat healthy sources of carbohydrates your body will take care of telling you how much and when to eat.

There are a number of guidelines that suggest 40% to 65% of your daily calories should be derived from carbohydrates. The Canada Food Guide suggests 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables. I strongly agree with this. However, the recommended intake of grains, 5 to 12 servings, is a matter up for discussion. In a country where majority of grains being consumed are refined this recommendation can have some serious health implications. Nor does the average person’s lifestyle require this amount. Perhaps my tri-athlete client could consume this amount of grains, but not my nine-to-five office worker.

Changing Your Client’s Diet

Have your clients listen to their bodies, find their natural hunger and tune into their body’s needs. They need to decide whether they are eating for pleasure, stress or nutritional fuel. Their carbohydrate intake may vary day-to-day depending on their activity level and ultimately their goals. Always remind your clients that whether they are trying to lose weight, gain weight, maintain energy, increase muscle mass or improve their health, they need to avoid highly refined carbohydrates.

Set up weekly nutritional goals and guidelines. For instance they may wish to eat in an 80/20 ratio. 80% of their week is comprised of healthy and unrefined foods and the other 20% is for the not so healthy food choices. Your client may wish to change this to 90/10 or perhaps try a week at 100%. Enforce the concept that changing their diet is also going to change their health and lessen their chances for illness and disease.

Recommending changes can be challenging at first. Clients will come to you with past dieting experiences, bad advice, or preconceived ideas about eating healthy.   On numerous occasions I have heard these phrases out of the mouths of my clients, ‘Moderation is best, right Kyra?’ ‘Come on Kyra we all need to live a little.’ I simply reply with “Is there a moderate amount of disease that you would like?’ or “I want you to live a lot not a little.” Your client’s health is your priority and you should take it very seriously. Would you expect anything less from your mechanic, investment broker or doctor?

Tips for the Client

1. The majority of   foods you eat should have no labels and are located on the perimeter of the store.
2. Before you start to read grams and calories, be sure to read the ingredient list.
3. Clean out your cupboards and fridge of all highly processed and refined foods.
4. Balance your meals with carbohydrates, essential fats and protein.
5. Have small and frequent meals throughout the day.
6. Use the number of ‘times per day’ rather than number of ‘servings per day’ as a measurement of food intake. It is a much easier and simpler format of calculating daily intake of macronutrients.
7. Log your food intake for one week and hi-lite sources of carbohydrates and identify those that are refined versus unrefined.
8. Find the least refined sources of crackers, breads, cereals, buns, bagels, pitas and tortilla shells that do not contain oils, sugar, chemicals or additives.
9. Make any adjustments to your carbohydrate intake according to your energy levels, daily activities and weight management goals.
10. Educate yourself thoroughly so that you are no longer confused and misled. You’ll never have to wonder again about what or how much to eat.

Make a difference in the health and waistlines of your clients. Teach them about carbohydrate quality first and quantity second. You will witness your client’s health change dramatically. They’ll improve their digestion, increase their energy levels, stabilize their blood sugars, reduce their waistlines and lower their risk of disease. Expose your clients to the larger picture about food consumption and educate them to think outside of the box.

Kyra Watters, BASc, RNCP, has been working in the fitness industry for over 12 years, helping clients achieve their goals using her passion for fitness and nutrition.   Kyra is the owner of The Perfect Fit Weight Loss and Wellness Clinic located inside the White Oaks Fitness and Racquet Club in Ontario.   Kyra is Can-Fit-Pro certified FIS, PTS, and NWS and is a Can-Fit-Pro NWS Pro-Trainer, having co-authored the Can-Fit-Pro Nutrition and Wellness Manual.   Kyra is also an NSCA-certified CSCS and CPT, an ACE-certified CES, and she is also a certified Pilates Instructor.   You may contact Kyra at The Perfect Fit 905-688-2032 Ext. 5775 or e-mail her at kwatters@whiteoaksresort.com.

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