Fit means different things to different people. Extremism in popular culture (including Instagram accounts, Pinterest boards, blogs, etc.) sometimes make it sound like being fit is a synonym for being skinny, or for eating a 'clean' diet (um, don't know about you buuuuuut I generally try not to eat dirty food, the 5 second rule excepted), or working out 30 minutes five times per week.
My thoughts? FALSE.
Being fit is about not letting you health limit your life - so you're just as not-fit if you give up socializing to fit in a workout or give up eating out with friends to eat your carefully prepared, nutritionally balanced meal as you are if you eat a nutritionally void diet/never leave your couch and end up getting health issues.
In both cases, your life is compromised by your health decisions.
Being fit is whatever lets you go through life feeling like this:
If you drive to your mailbox and eat more colors (red #2, purple #3) than foods, you probably won't feel like that long-term.
If you workout everyday for over an hour and never eat ice cream or one too many cookies, you probably won't feel like that long-term.
Again, it's all about the blasted b word - balance.
Okay, rant: over. Anywho, the reason for this is because I want to start a new series for my blog. I've done Friday Foodie Finds, but wanted something new.
So I'm doing Fit Friday, where I'll post about something related to health, instead!
You're all welcome to join me, if you have blogs of your own :) You can post about anything from mental health, to a healthy recipe, to your own definition of health, to fun ways to be active, to fun facts about nutrients, etc.!
Just grab the button and let's have some fun!
Today's topic is carbs. Why? Because I love 'em and they get an awful rep (which dates back to Atkins/South Beach diet days, but the recent gluten-free craze only serves to fuel the carb-hating).
Carbs are important fuel for proper organ function and physical activity.
I'd also like to point out, once more, that gluten isn't unhealthy or inflammatory unless you have Celiac's disease or intolerances (much, much more rare in reality than the number of gluten-free people out there would make you think). Gluten-free treats these days are so good that even those of us without gluten-intolerances love to partake, but that doesn't mean that we need to shun wheat.
Okay, moving on - so if carbs are important, what kind of carbs do you want to have more of in your diet?
While there's no harm in the occasional bowl of Frosted Flakes, there are definitely some carbs that you want more of in your diet. There are differences between different types of carbs.
Carbs to emphasize in your diet include:
* Whole grains like oats, quinoa, whole wheat, millet, brown rice, etc.
* Beans
* Fruits
* Starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, winter squash, etc.)
For ideas of some ways to enjoy those healthy carbs, here are a few healthy carb-centric recipes to check out!
Sally's 30 Minute Soft Pretzels
Made with a mix of whole wheat and all purpose flour, these are a great snack (or side to a soup lunch)! I'm really not much of a hard pretzel fan, but soft ones are delicious.
Melissa's Baked Sweet Potato Fries (V)
They're not vegan if you top them with parmesan (as pictured) but if you leave that off, they are! This is probably one of my favorite ways to eat sweet potatoes, though it's even better with nut butter (instead of ketchup) as the dip...
Kelly's Ancient Grains Granola Cups
I love granola in pretty much any form, so I have a hard time imagining not loving these. They're also much more convenient than loose granola if you need a quick breakfast on the go!
Marion's Spelt & Rye Bread (V)
Wow. Does that look amazing, or what? I like to consider myself the queen of bread in my house and so I *need* to try this recipe next weekend - don't let me forget!!
How has your definition of fit changed over the years?
What would you like me to write about in the next Fit Friday post?
Have you ever demonized carbs?
No comments:
Post a Comment