By FELIPE PEREZ JR.
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Some diets say carbohydrates are healthy; others eliminate them from their programs.
So are carbs good or bad?
If you ask Wellness Coordinator Chris Dillon, the answer is both.
Complex carbohydrates are the good carbs.
Complex carbs are great for athletes because of the source of energy they provide.
“Complex carbs are time-released bits of energy; they help with your digestive track,” Dillon said.
Good sources of complex carbs are 100 percent whole-grain cereals, bran cereals, green vegetables and fresh fruits.
Complex carbs are good because they help people feel full with few calories.
Simple carbs are carbs that are bad.
“Simple carbs are more of your quick fix — sugar right now where you spike up and then hit a wall an hour later,” Dillon said.
Simple carbs are bad because the empty calories are converted into fat.
Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day.
“I could ask six out of 10 students if they had breakfast this morning, and their answer would be no,” Dillon said.
Need help with making the proper choices on what to eat for breakfast?
“Egg whites, with a slice of 100 percent whole-grain toast, and some oatmeal,” Dillon said.
“Within the egg whites slice up green peppers or spinach, and for another protein source you can have low fat turkey bacon with a glass of 100 percent fruit juice.”
Not everyone thinks about the nutritional value of everything they feed themselves.
“Think of your body as a car,” Dillon said.
“Carbs are the fuel that make it run.”
“If we don’t put the right nutrients into our body, you are not going to be as mobile and function at your peak,” he added.
For information, visit the kinesiology department’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sackinesiology. Call 210-486-1010.