I know, I know. No se apuren. I have been working on my video blogs for everyone, which is why I missed a week of blogging!
So, hoy te quiero hablar sobre los carbohidratos y que pasa cuando los comes. Now, please allow me to explain. Almost everything has carbohydrates. Te lo juro. Well, más o menos. Unless something you’re eating is pure protein, which is usually carne.
Carbohydrates are your initial source of energy. Sabes cuando dicen que te pega el “sugar rush”? Or they tell you not to give children sugar? It’s because it’s a sudden boost of energy and your body needs to burn it off because there’s too much. That’s a direct example of how simple sugars work in your body. They give you energy. También son el fuente de energía para el cerebro. Your brain cannot function without carbohydrates, as they are the primary source of energy for the brain.
Anything with added sugar is not good for you. Stay close to natural sugars. The less, the better.
Sometimes I get tired and I realize I have to eat! As soon as I eat a little bit of something, I feel better and I feel awake. Sin embargo, los carbohidratos que escojes a comer no deben de tener tanta azucar– no syrup of any kind, no added sugars. Trata de comer lo natural.
Carbs, for short, incluye pan, dulce, azucar, certain vegetables, fruit, tortillas, milk, cereal o “confleis” and mostly anything with yeast or wheat. Asi es, amorcitos. Te digo, they’re hard to escape.
Cuando comes carbohidratos, se convierten en la forma glucosa para que lo puede usar el cuerpo. Cuando comes demasiados carbs, el cuerpo lo guarda en los musculos o en el hígado.
When you eat waaaay to many carbohydrates, especially when you eat processed and added sugar (like cookies and cakes and pies y pan dulce) it gets stored as fat… y pues, asi te pones un poquillo más gordito, corazón!
When you have diabetes like me, o como mi amiga Jessica, quien tiene diabetes Tipo 1, tenemos que asegurarnos que no estamos comiendo tantos carbs.
Jessica se tiene que dar insulina y eso trabaja directamente con la glucosa para mantener la azucar de la sangre y bajarlas a niveles nomales. I have to do the same. But since I take a little pill in the morning, I cannot over do it on the carbohydrates throughout the day.
Por eso me tengo que cuidar las tortillas y el pan que como. I try to focus on eating complex carbs which means food that needs to be digested in order to be broken down into glucose and food with a lot of fiber. These help to keep your blood sugar balanced and help you to feel fuller longer. Me encanta las naranjas, apples and pears. Apples and pears have the fiber that I need and bananas have vitamins for when I exercise.
I try not to drink juice of any kind, since I have diabetes, but if you don’t have diabetes, make sure to drink 100 percent juice.
Here are a few examples of Complex Carbohydrates:
Fruit
Apricots, oranges, plums, pears, grapefruits and prunes
Vegetables
Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, turnip greens, eggplant, potatoes, yams, corn, carrots, onions, all types of lettuce, celery, cucumbers, cabbage, artichokes and asparagus
Legumes
Lentils, kidney beans, black beans, peas, garbanzo beans, soy beans and pinto beans
You also have to make sure you have enough Fiber in your diet:
- Oatmeal
- Oat bran
- Nuts and seeds
- Most fruits (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, pears, and apples)
- Dry beans and peas
Insoluble fiber found in the following:
- Whole wheat bread
- Barley
- Brown rice
- Couscous
- Bulgur or whole grain cereals
- Wheat bran
- Seeds
- Most vegetables
- Fruits
Both types of fibers are very good for you. You have a whole selection of good foods to choose from. These complex carbs and fiber will keep your blood sugar steady and will help you avoid spikes. Cuando te sube la azucar rápidamente, el cuerpo produce mucha insulina tratando de bajar la glucosa. Esto en fin, puede causar diabetes y si ya lo tienes, causa problemas de control.
Stay away from high sugared foods or food that have added sugar! Ya se! It’s so hard. De vez en cuando me como una galleta. No donuts, cookies, pan dulce, pastel y también trata de limitar la azucar en su cafe. Las otras comidas que trae muchos carbohidratos y azucares son comidas como arroz, tamales, champurrado, atole, pasteles y empanadas.
¡Qué dificil es! Me encanta la comida pero ya se que si no lo como, me sentiré mucho, mucho mejor.
Here are a few things you can do to lower your carbohydrate and sugar intake:
- Toma más agua
- En ves de pan dulce, come fruta
- Have washed vegetables in the refrigerator to eat. Me encanta el pepino con sal y limón.
- Drink 100 percent juice, not sweetened juice drinks.
- Eat a vegetable at every meal! Vegetales congelados estan bien y fácil para calentar.
- Se tienen que cuidar, mis amorcitos. Small steps will get us all leading healthier and longer lives.
¡Hasta la próxima!
Cuídate con todo el corazón,
Tía Betty