Safe weight loss and carbohydrates go together. Carbohydrates
tend to be the most varied of the food groups. Too many carbohydrates
consumed will trigger excess insulin secreted into your bloodstream
which causes the body to store fat. As a result, some safe
weight loss programs tend to isolate carbohydrates as a villain
and think that the best route to safe weight loss is to completely
eliminate carbohydrates from the diet. It is an attractive
theory because, as a participant, you are allowed to load
up on protein. Steak for breakfast, lunch and dinner! However,
safe weight loss can also occur if proper amounts and differing
groups of carbohydrates are consumed at proper levels along
with protein and fat. By properly combining foods, you can
still have it all and experience weight loss. You may lose
weight by just eating steak all day. A friend of mine lost
weight by eating popcorn for 30 consecutive days. But, have
you stopped to consider how much a body is penalized by depriving
it of the proper materials needed to maintain energy, immunity,
tissue, muscle, bone, etc.?
Carbohydrates include starches such as potatoes, bread,
sugars, fruits, vegetables, and chocolate. As you can see,
most carbohydrates are derivatives of plants. Only milk and
milk products are animal-derived.
Simple Carbohydrates And Complex Carbohydrates
If your goal is safe weight loss, you must understand the
relationship between protein, fat and carbohydrates. We’ll
first talk about simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.
If you’re wondering about safe
weight loss and fat, you’ll find a more in-depth
discussion in other pages of the website. Carbohydrates
are divided into two groups: Simple Carbohydrates And Complex
Carbohydrates. A simple carbohydrate is a simple sugar
that includes fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar)
and lactose (milk sugar). Complex carbohydrates are more
sophisticated chains of sugars that include fibrous foods
and starches such as green vegetables, whole grains and
beans.
Carbohydrates provide energy to bodily cells. They are the
chief source of blood glucose which is the major fuel for
bodily cells and the only form of energy required for the
brain and red blood cells. All carbohydrates – both
simple and complex – are converted into glucose in
the small intestine. Glucose then proceeds to the liver where
it is processed into glycogen, is stored by the liver, then
the liver converts it back to glucose as the body needs it.
Excess glucose from carbohydrates are converted by the liver
into fatty acids and stored in the body as fat.
Carbohydrates and Insulin Levels
Carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels in different ways.
When a carbohydrate is consumed, blood sugar levels rise
which prompts the pancreas to secrete insulin. Insulin’s
purpose is to maintain proper blood sugar levels so it,
in effect, counterbalances the rising effect of blood sugar
levels initiated by the consumption of carbohydrates. If
excess carbohydrates are consumed, large quantities of
insulin are secreted into the bloodstream by the pancreas.
After blood sugar levels reduce to normal, excess insulin
may still be evident. Excess insulin will cause the body
to store fat which is why some safe weight loss programs
promote a no-carbohydrate diet such as the Dr. Atkins Diet.
The Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index is a good tool to use en route to your
safe weight loss regimen or if you want to just stay aware
of your level of carbohydrate intake. It measures the blood
sugar response to various carbohydrates. A high glycemic
index scores 70+; a moderate glycemic index scores 40-69
and a low glycemic index scores less than 39.
Let’s review the carbohydrate list to see where our
popular foods score:
Starches = 110. Refined starches are considered to be high-glycemic
foods and include rice, corn, wheat, white potatoes, bagels,
pastas, cookies, cake, muffins, chips, crackers, popcorn,
baked potatoes and rice cakes.
Sugars = 80-90. Moderate to high glycemic foods such as
table sugar, candy, honey, molasses and rice syrup.
Dark Chocolate = 63. Moderate glycemic. Milk chocolate has
a higher glycemic value because it contains more sugar.
Fruits = 40-75. Low to moderate glycemic and includes apples,
grapes, oranges, strawberries, cantaloupe, figs, berries
and pears.
Vegetables = 20-40. Low glycemic and includes all vegetables
including yams and sweet potatoes. Not included are corn
and white potatoes.
|
