When I try to lose weight, I usually think about eating less, as in a few chips instead of a bag, or a sliver of cake instead of a heaping slice. But it turns out I’ve been thinking about things in the wrong dimension. It’s not volume that matters so much as it is speed, according to my favorite TV health talk show. “Slow carbs” are a dieter’s BFF because they enter the bloodstream slowly and keep calories flowing there slowly for a longer period of time than their speedy counterparts. Interesting, right?
So which carbs are slow and which are fast?
Slow carbs (eat these!!)
Peas
Steel-cut oats
Squash
Beans (try to eat a whole cup every day)
Fast carbs (avoid!)
White bread, white rice, pretzels or any other refined carb
Baked goods like cake and pie
Most pre-packaged meals (including those little frozen diet meals you have in your freezer)
Of course there are some carbs that are in the middle, like fruits, which have a lot of sugar but also have fiber. But going by this advice, I think I’m going to be using my crockpot a lot, for steel cut oat breakfasts and legume-filled soups and chili for lunch or dinner!