When we’re talking about carbs, the first foods we tend to think of are bread, pasta and pizza. But carbohydrates are found in a number of healthy foods like fruit (especially really sweet-tasting fruits like pineapple and mango) and vegetables (especially those that grow below-ground) as well as unhealthy foods like lollies, soft drinks and (worst of all) fruit juices.
While limited quantities of healthy carbs can be part of a balanced diet, if you’re watching your carbohydrate intake or weight, finding out how many carbs are in your favourite foods is a helpful tool to keep track of your sugar intake which is one of the main factors that will make you gain the pounds.
On average, women should consume a MAXIMUM of 6 teaspoons a day, and men should be 9 teaspoons a day MAX. Just 4g of carbs is the equivalent of a full teaspoon of sugar!
To put this into perspective, in a medium slice of bread, there is 15g of carbs, which means you are consuming nearly 4 teaspoons of sugar before adding any toppings (jam for instance) which uses a large proportion of your daily intake in just one meal.
But if you fed 100 people identical meals, they will exhibit equal and opposite reactions which is why “carb and calorie” counting is incredibly misleading; its why the Libre device is a game changer and why personalisation (via ProLongevity) is key.
