Bored with your carb choices?

How many of you are tired of eating sweet potatoes, rice and oatmeal over and over again in your quest to eat healthy and avoid processed carbs? A lot, I’m betting.

As you may know, carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy. Lots of the carbs available these days are processed, making them poor choices for those interested in peak nutrition.

I won’t go over the nuances of carbohydrates, like what they are and what they do. That was covered in Carbohydrate Basics. What I will do is introduce you to a two interesting and very good sources of carbohydrates for your nutrition plan. They are Quinoa and Farro.

Many people call Quinoa a grain. It is actually the seed of Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is substituted for grains.

Quinoa is high in protein, iron and calcium and is gluten-free. It also contains manganese, copper and magnesium. These are all nutrients with great health benefits that you probably aren’t getting enough of. Quinoa is also not only high in protein, but it is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. It cooks like rice and takes on the flavor whatever you mix with it. I like to cook it with low-sodium chicken stock.

Next up is Farro. Farro, also known as Emmer, is very similar to wheat. It is an excellent choice as of carbohydrate for performance athletes. Farro has more fiber than wheat and tastes very good.

Farro has almost as much protein per serving as Quinoa, and twice the amount of a similar serving of Brown Rice. It will give you a sustained boost of energy during your workouts.

Try these two new sources of carbs out in your meal plan. It will add some variety to your day and give your body some nutrients, like amino acids and extra minerals that you might be lacking.