People are so scared of carbs! I understand that fueling yourself with cookies and bagels won’t make you feel awesome, but eating unprocessed, complex carbs is essential for your body’s normal functioning, and can actually help with weight loss, explained registered dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition. Healthy foods such as fruit, oats, rice, beans, and potatoes offer your body the energy and fiber you need to feel satiated, and the carbs your body needs to make the glucose it uses for fuel.
I got swept up by the low-carb wave too, and I tried eating this way to lose weight, but I never felt satisfied. I was tired during the day, fatigued quickly during workouts, my digestion suffered, my sugar cravings were insatiable, and I just ended up bingeing. I decided to do an experiment eating complex carbs every day for one month, specifically sweet potatoes (because I love them!). I ate three varieties: orange, purple, and my absolute fave, the Japanese sweet potato which has yellow flesh once it’s cooked. Here’s how eating sweet potatoes every day affected my energy levels, my satiety and sugar cravings, my digestion, and my weight.
