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Carbs can help you lose weight, be happy

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Dec 5, 2009

The secret to being slim and happy may be inside your hummus on whole-wheat pita snack or your spinach/avocado whole-wheat pasta dish.

It turns out that carbs, those often maligned food components, may not only help you lose weight but might keep you happy in the process.

At least that’s what happened when overweight people followed either a high-carb, low-fat diet (46 percent carbs, 30 percent fat) or a low-carb, higher-fat diet (4 percent carbs, 61 percent fat). People on either plan lost 30 pounds in a year.

But when it came to measuring their moods, carb-eaters had significantly better scores — including less anger, depression and anxiety.

This reaffirms what you already knew; that weight loss itself doesn’t necessarily make you happy, but the journey can have a big impact.

There may be good reasons carb shunners were grumpier: It’s tough to do, and it’s tough to do in social situations, so you may feel more isolated. In addition, carbs (have 100 percent whole-grain ones, please) can make you produce more of the feel-good chemical serotonin, while fat and protein reduce it.

But if you’re looking to drop a few pounds with carbs, make sure you’re piling on the right ones. Short-lasting carb bombs — from white bread to holiday cookies — end up leaving you sapped of energy and in a worse mood.

Reach instead for delicious, filling and waist-reducing fruits, vegetables and 100 percent whole grains. And make sure you see “100 percent” on the packaging. A lot of products that “contain whole grains” may not add up to more than 8 percent of them!

The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of “YOU: Having a Baby.” Want more? See “The Dr. Oz Show” weekdays at 9 a.m. on Ch. 13. To submit questions, go to www.RealAge.com
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