To sadza it or not is the question that many of you ask! In fact, many people on their health journey feel that they must not touch carbohydrates (‘carbs’) if they are to achieve any sort of flat tummy that warrants wearing a “goove out” top – even if you feel more at ease wearing it in the privacy of your own home.  I have good news for you; yes, you can definitely sadza it, you can definitely include carbs in your diet. Here’s how…

What do I mean by carbs?

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When I say ‘carbs’, I’m referring to foods like sadza; rice; potatoes and pasta. Vegetables; fruits; seeds also contain some carbs, but I am not referring to those in this article as they are not stigmatised like their fellow buddies anaSadza & co and they are not primarily considered carbs.

Can you eat carbs and still achieve your fitness goals?

Ehe you can, and you can still smash your goals and for the ladies – pull out that ‘goove out’ top you’ve kept hidden in your drawers, or for the men, that muscle vest that you wish you could wear again – without having to suck in your belly.

Why do we need carbs?

The reason why we need carbs is that carbs are the main energy source for our bodies and also allow our bodies to function at their optimum level, in conjunction with the other nutrients such as proteins and healthy fats. As such – carbs are involved in a whole lot of processes that make us human e.g. breathing; digestion; metabolic functions including fat-burning; protecting against certain diseases and many more.

Which carbs are good for us?

The carbs which are more favourable for us to eat are the complex or wholegrain carbs such as sadza rezviyo; pumpkin; butternut squash; sweet potatoes; brown rice; wholemeal pasta and quinoa. The reason why these are good for us is because these are complex carbs i.e. those made of longer chains of carbon molecules; they contain more starch and fibre (as opposed to sugars). They regulate our bowels; help with heart health; help to keep us fuller for longer by releasing energy slowly into our body – a plus for those trying to lose weight; maintain weight or even those with Type 2 diabetes (to avoid sugar spikes). Wholegrain carbs have also been recognised as reducing the risk of other diseases such as cancer, which is now the biggest killer in Zimbabwe (as confirmed by the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry as recently as May 2017).

Simple carbs are mainly full of sugars, such as white bread; white rice; white pasta; even super refined (processed) white sadza are used up by the body quickly and thus it is easier to gain weight if you have too many of these; along with finding yourself having a spike of energy; then a crash – and feeling tired and hungry again soon after.

How much of carbs should you eat?

It is hard to specify a precise measurement that you should have as we are all different heights; weights and have different goals. Our metabolisms function in different ways and the only way to get a precise measurement for you is to go a Fitness professional and/or Nutritionist who can give you calculations customised for iwewe chete.

As a general rule, Government Health departments all over the world state that the wholegrain carbs I’m referring to in this article should be approximately up to 50% of your daily diet. This is because they, along wth the World Health Organisation, recognise that they are needed for you to have energy; protect against diseases including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and so you can keep a healthy weight. To help you further – if having sadza for example, whether white (if you can’t get rezviyo), aim to have a fistful (if losing weight is your goal) and fill the majority of your plate with veggies and then a medium amount of the protein you choose to have. So sadza should not be the mountain on your plate ka.

Are there particular days that are better to have sadza then?

Aim to eat your sadza earlier on during the day as opposed to late at night, so that you have time to digest it before bed.

If your goal is to trim down or maintain your weight –  eat your sadza on a day when you know that you’re exercising/engaging in lots of physical activity or if exercising/engaging in lots of physical activity the next day. This way, you’re able to live a balanced, sustainable lifestyle where you are not depriving yourself and are burning enough energy off to look at that ‘goove out’ or muscle vest with a smile!

If you’re having a ‘mountain’ of sadza on your plate and have a physically demanding job, does that balance out then?

Nice try! In theory, this question makes sense. However, it depends on the quality of carbs you’re eating and what your fitness goal is. If your aim is to lose weight, best to stick to sadza rezviyo and other wholegrain carbs which will assist with your metabolism so you can burn fat and have a healthier digestive system – as opposed to converting it to sugar, which is what happens to excess carbs. If you’re eating zigomo of processed (refined) sadza; white rice; white potatoes and expecting to get a flatter tummy – stop shamwari. That’s why you may still be pulling your pants or skirt over your tummy or feeling sluggish.

More importantly, wholegrain carbs will be better for anyone to sustain a healthier body and reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes and some cancers which are increasing each year amongst us Zimbabweans.

 

 

See you next fortnight Zimbojammers!!

 

 


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