Complex Carbohydrates a.k.a. “High Fiber Carbs”:

1. Have not been processed or refined.
2. Full of vitamins and minerals.
3. Keep us feeling full longer.
4. Can help lower cholesterol levels.
5. Can help prevent constipation.
6. Found in oatmeal, whole wheat bread, bran flakes, beans, fruits & vegetables.

Simple Carbohydrates a.k.a. “sugar” a.k.a. “white flour”:

1. Turns into sugar in our blood.
2. Make us feel hungry faster so we eat more.
3. Usually has little or no vitamins or minerals.
4. Found in white bread, white flour, most pastas, cookies, cake, candy.

Protein:

1. Needed for healthy skin, hair, and nails.
2. Helps keep us healthy and fight off infections.
3. Building blocks for muscle and all of our body’s systems.
4. Found in meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, tofu, soy, & nuts.
5. Tip: Keep it healthy by trimming off skin and fat – never fry or add extra “fat

Fats:

1. Needed for our body to use Vitamins A,D,E,K.
2. Helps us keep our body temperature normal and insulates our organs
3. Largest form of stored energy.
4. There are three basic categories of fats (saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated).
5. Monounsaturated fats are the “good for you” fats found in nuts, avocado, canola oil, olives, olive oil, natural peanut butter, and fish .
6. Monounsaturated fats help lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol (HDL) and have important vitamins, minerals, and brain “helpers”.
7. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils and can help lower total cholesterol.
8. Saturated fats are found in butter, fat on red meat, and in full fat cheese and dairy.
9. Saturated fats also include Trans-fatty acids a.k.a. hydrogenated fats – these are found in fried food, most margarine, packaged and processed cakes, cookies, and crackers.
10. These “bad” fats can raise our cholesterol and other fats in our blood.
11. These bad fats can also lead to heart disease and certain types of cancer