Diet Information

Eat Carbohydrates And Lose Weight

May 29, 2008
By J White

By Isabell Kratz
Carol, aged 52, needs to lose ten kilograms (22 pounds). She eats a lot of salads, lean meat and fish, but no bread, pasta or potatoes. She lost two kilograms in the first week of her diet, but three weeks later, her weight just won’t move any more. Although she feels hungry, tired and irritable most of the time, she doesn’t want to give up and return to her former eating pattern, which means no proper meals, but a lot of sugary snacks throughout the day.Carol feels guilty about eating sugar, but unfortunately she believes she has to cut all carbohydrates out of her diet. She believes high-protein diets are the only way to lose weight. Carol is right to worry about eating too much sugar, but she is wrong to condemn carbohydrates altogether.

Your metabolism can turn food into energy or store it as fat. It depends on the constant interaction of numerous substances in your body. Some of these active substances are hormones, and insulin is one of them.

Insulin enables the body to absorb energy from carbohydrates (starch and sugar). Glucose delivers energy, and it comes from carbohydrates. To utilize glucose, the body requires insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose to enter body cells, where it is burnt for energy. Some of the glucose is stored in the liver for later use.

As your blood sugar rises after a meal, it triggers the release of insulin. Refined sugar enters the bloodstream almost immediately, followed by a quick rise in insulin. After an initial high, you might feel tired, dizzy, light-headed, unable to concentrate, and hungry. This condition is called hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).

A slim person can tolerate the occasional sugary snack without any ill-effects, but overweight people need to be more cautious with refined sugar. The more overweight we are, the more harmful sugar is for us. We eat sugar, feel hungry soon afterwards, and want to eat more sugar. It’s a vicious circle.

Slow carbohydrates (like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes) act differently. They have to be broken down into simple components, which is why they are also called complex carbohydrates. The body takes a long time to absorb them and uses a lot of energy in the process. As a result, energy is released slowly and steadily into the bloodstream.

Complex carbs give you a constant supply of energy, and insulin production remains constant. This ensures an adequate blood sugar level, making you feel good. Complex carbs raise your blood sugar gradually, promoting the slow release of insulin. When we are healthy, insulin acts as a blood sugar regulator. Big fluctuations don’t occur. When most of our calories come from complex carbohydrates, we convert them into energy instead of storing them as fat.

Most of the foods rich in complex carbs are also rich in fiber, which is an advantage. Fiber slows the absorption of carbohydrates even further. A high fiber intake will make carbs an even more efficient fuel. The higher in fiber, the better carbohydrate foods are for you. Some “good” carbs are wholemeal breads, cereals (such as oats and barley), wholemal pasta, brown rice, pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas and legumes (peas, beans and lentils).

With a diet rich in complex carbs, you can “trick” your body into losing weight, and you will feel terrific at the same time!

Strategies

- Avoid refined sugar;

- Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates;

- Eat unrefined, wholegrain products;

- Eat plenty of fiber.

by Isabell Kratz

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You can also email me isabellkratz@gmail.com

Thank you for your interest!

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