Carbohydrates Warowaihā
Carbohydrates (carbs) are your body's main source of fuel. You need them to keep your energy levels up and keep your brain alert. It is important to have some carbohydrates with each meal.
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Foods containing carbs
Foods containing healthy carbs include:
- wholegrain bread and breakfast cereals
- wholegrains such as brown rice, wholegrain pasta, buckwheat, millet, quinoa and rolled oats
- starchy vegetables such as potato, kūmara, taro, corn and yams
- fruit
- legumes such as beans, lentils and chickpeas.
These provide energy and many of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to be healthy.
Highly processed foods contain less healthy carbs. These foods provide fuel for our brains, but do little to help us stay healthy.
Highly processed carbs include:
- white bread
- white rice
- white pasta
- sugary cereals
- most cakes and biscuits
- snack foods like chips
- sugary drinks such as soft drinks, flavoured milk and fruit juice.
These carbs tend to be high in energy (kilojoules or calories) but do not keep us feeling full for long.
Fibre
We need carbohydrate foods that contain fibre to keep our gut (intestines or bowel) healthy.
Fibre is the part of plant-based food that we do not break down and absorb. It provides food for the good bacteria that live in our gut (gut microbiota) which help to keep our gut and us healthy.
Eating a lot of high-fibre foods can:
- reduce your chance of getting heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer and depression
- help you to stay a healthy weight
- help you to feel full
- prevent and manage hard poos (constipation).
How to get your carbs each day
Include a portion of healthy carbs at every meal. For grains, starchy vegetables and legumes, a portion is about the size of your closed fist.
When serving your meals, follow the healthy plate model, which is:
- half your plate with vegetables
- quarter of your plate with carbohydrate foods such as starchy vegetables or wholegrains
- quarter of your plate with protein foods.