“I’m doing the low carb thing.”

The “low fat” era came and went (although I’m still not sure if there is any real understanding of the importance of fats among dieters) and we are now on the tail end of the “low carb” trend that was popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins and many others that were hot on his trail.

I still hear the occasional “I’m on a low carb diet”, and advertising still uses this angle to catch the unwary shopper.

All the fluff aside, carbohydrates are a very important part of good nutrition.  Most of the micronutrients in our diets, including vitamins, minerals, and other healthful compounds, come from carbohydrate sources.

What is the standard picture that comes to mind when you think of carbs?  Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes?  These are all common answers, because they are common foods in the average American diet.  Yet, it’s hard to imagine an abundance of micronutrients coming from these refined starchy carbohydrates.  In fact, it’s hard to see these nutrients coming from any starchy carbohydrates (with a few exceptions) regardless of whether they are whole or refined.

Again, referring to ancient man’s diet, we see that grains were not a significant part.  Wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes did not come into existence in the human diet in any appreciable amount until industrial farming and agricultural domestication was established.  Ancient man’s carbohydrates came from a variety of wild grains, tubers, vegetables, nuts, berries, and fruits.

The modern American, will be hard pressed to find nutrient dense wild plant product sources, but we can at least make the healthiest choices of what we have available.

So what carbs should you be including?

Rich colorful fruits and vegetables along with small amounts of whole grains and legumes with the occasional tuber.  Plant sources should be fresh and local, thereby giving them  more time in the sun and opportunity to ripen naturally (as opposed to imported fruits and vegetables that are harvested early and never really mature).  One major caveat with whole grains is the high rate of subclinical gluten sensitivity that seems to be the cause of so many health issues.

The most effective way to determine if you have subclinical gluten sensitivity is to remove it from your diet for at least three months.  Any health changes will be obvious.

Gluten aside, some people seem to do well on a diet high in starchy carbohydrates, however they are the minority.  Most of us would benefit from keeping grains to a minimum and seeking our carbohydrates from colorful vegetables.  If possible foods should be eaten raw to benefit maximally from their life sustaining properties.

Speaking of raw, I mentioned raw organic milk in the previous parts of this article and would also like to mention here that milk has a great balance of fats, proteins, AND carbohydrates.  If you have been thinking about nutritional shakes and things of that nature, you’ll be better off with straight, organic, whole, raw milk.

Nutrition really is a bit of an art that requires a careful awareness of self in order to truly master.  In the spirit of Jeet Kune Do, there is no set way.

Bruce Lee talked about “honestly expressing oneself” as a powerful path to achievement and realization.  The most important part of learning Jeet Kune Do is listening to your body in order to understand how to fully use it for “honest expression,” and the same holds true for health and nutrition.  The human body is always honestly expressing itself through vitality and/or disease on all levels, including the physical, mental, and spiritual.

Listen to your body.

In Health,
–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part I
Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part II