Tag: Carbohydrates

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Weight Loss Exercise

Carbohydrates for Energy


There are essentially three types of diets these days. There is the Atkins diet which stresses low to zero carbs. There is the low fat diet which stresses no fats and there is a vegetarian diet which stresses low fat and low protein but allows higher carbohydrates.

Today I would like to demystify the need for carbs. And then in the future we can deal with fats and protein as well as what diet is best.

Where to find Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main component of grains, rice, fruits and vegetables. You essentially need carbohydrates for energy and fibre. When your body is looking for a source of energy it tends to use the simplest form available. The very simplest form of energy is glucose and although this is pure table sugar its next closest form is found in fruits as sucrose. These carbohydrates are called simple carbs because they are easy for your body to break down into energy.

If your body can not find one of these sources of sugar for energy it will move down the food chain and try one of the next most easily available carbs next would be grain based or what we look at as ‘white’ carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, or rice. (Chocolate bars although not an official food group are closer to sugar than veggies or other carbs). Your body will use any of the complex carbs as well as vegetables for fuel before moving to fats or proteins.

Now that we can see where our carbs site in the energy chain it is a good idea to see what happens when we eat one and what happens to our energy from them. When you eat a sugar it immediately increases your blood sugar otherwise known as your insulin level.

What happens when you rely on sugar?

When you blood sugar spikes from sugar, chocolate, or pop you will get a bit of a euphoric feeling from this extra unneeded energy but because it is quick pickup it is also a quick drop for energy and thus you will get a sugar crash 30-45 minutes after the initial energy peak, this is very bad and bad for your body. If on the other hand you only had potatoes or bread or rice for your carbs you would have no nice spikes but no crashes either and would feel after a couple days on a very more even keel, you would feel like you energy is pretty good all the time but never to low or to high. This is the key that we are looking for.

Tomorrow I will write more about bad foods just for a nice way to start minimizing them not to scare people away from them. But now you know energy wise why you would rather get you energy from more complex carbs than simple carbs.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Fats in your diet


Fats in your diet

Fats in your diet

Fats are always looked at as a negative in a diet…well in almost all diets anyway, as Atkins tends to think that they are OK. The reason that most people try to avoid fats is that they tend to be less of a priority for your body to metabolize; the body would rather metabolize the carbohydrates and then Fat or Protein. Another issue with fat is the number of calories per gram, a gram of fat has 9 calories as opposed to Protein and carbohydrates which have 4 calories per gram. So your body is going to more than likely store any extra fat taken in as, well, fat.

What Kind of Fats in Your Diet to Watch For

So you should watch out for the Fats in your diet in most cases. Still it is important to take in some fats, you body can not exist without any fats and in fact stores vitamins A, D, E and K in fat. These vitamins are needed to maintain good health. One thing to be aware of is that these vitamins because they are stored in fat can build up and be toxic¦how toxic? Well I have not heard of anyone getting sick from them but without them you would surely get sick.

Research has shown, because that people who consume a high-sugar diet tend to consume lower amounts of fat and vice versa. If you think about this it means that your mind will look at a sugary or a fatty food in the same way and will crave both in the same way.

Different Types of Fats in Your Diet

Most people’s questions about fats in your diet are what kind they can eat to be eating healthy. There are three types of fat that comes from food. Saturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats, and Monounsaturated Fats. All three are found in foods that come from animals or plants, but the amount varies. As a rule, more saturated fat is found in animal than vegetable foods, where more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are found in vegetables than animal foods. Cholesterol is also found in foods from animals.

Saturated fat is mainly found in foods of animal origin, but some vegetables also have large amounts. These are called saturated vegetable fats and are often found in processed bakery goods and nondairy milk or cream substitutes. These are: Beef, Brazil Nuts, Butter, Cheese, Chocolate, Coconut, Coconut Oil, and Lard

As a rule of thumb when shopping, saturated fats are solid at room temperature. When you have a lot of saturated fat in your diet, your liver responds by making more cholesterol. This raises your blood cholesterol level. It is the most harmful type of fat you can eat.

Fats in your diet

Polyunsaturated fats come mainly from plants. They are liquid at room temperature. Eating polyunsaturated fat can reduce blood cholesterol levels. Examples are Almonds, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Filberts, Fish, Margarine, Mayonnaise, and Pecans

Monounsaturated fats are mainly found in foods that come from plants. They are liquid at room temperature and can reduce blood cholesterol levels, but less than polyunsaturated fats do. They can, however, raise HDL cholesterol (the ‘good’ kind of cholesterol) levels. Examples are Avocado, Canola Oil, Cashews, Olives, Olive Oil, Peanuts, and Peanut Butter.

Trans fats are what make vegetable margarines have a butter-like texture, and prolong the shelf life of packaged foods. The effects of trans fats are still not known, but it is believed that they, like saturated fats, cause blood cholesterol levels to increase. As we have learned over the last couple years trans fats can not be metabolized by our body so they are poisonous and very unhealthy

You can see that these Fats in your diet are important but some should be eaten with caution

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Weight Loss Exercise

Grapefruit Juice Weight Loss


More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of practicing a healthy lifestyle. Many have become conscious and learned how obesity can possess danger threats to their health status. This has caused a stir among many people who are looking for ways on how they can easily lose unwanted fats and pounds.

Grapefruits have long been used in various weight loss regimens even before different diet approaches sprouted on internet websites and health magazines. These fruits are famous because of their potential weight loss effects that are considered safe and natural. They have been incorporated on different diet plans and menus that have a common goal, and that is to help dieters and weight watchers lose weight fast.

Drinking grapefruit juice is an alternative if you prefer to drink rather than eat this type of fruit. Here are some researched and studied facts why extracted juices from grapefruits make you lose weight and unwanted fats.

Grapefruit Juice Enzymes and Insulin

Grapefruit juice helps you lose weight because it contains powerful plant enzymes that block fat absorption and help you burn more calories.

These enzymes inhibit the release of insulin.

Insulin is a hormone responsible for removing and transferring glucose in your blood for consumption and utilization of the cells of your body. This process results to drop in the level of glucose in your bloodstream.

When the level of your blood glucose drops because of insulin, your body will then signal you to eat and rely on carbohydrates to instantly boost the level of glucose in your bloodstream.

The same processes go on. Your insulin will again transfer the glucose away from your blood and towards the cells. And again, you will end up on consuming more carbohydrates to compensate for the drop in the level of your blood glucose.

Your body will then reach a point where there is an excessive amount of calories inside your system which will be stored as fats and in return makes you gain weight.

Grapefruit Juice and Losing Weight

Because it contains powerful enzymes that make you lose weight, regularly drinking grapefruit juice extracts will help keep you in shape and burn of excess calories from the foods that you eat. To get the most out of grapefruit juices, follow these simple tips and losing weight becomes as easy as one, two, three.

Grapefruit comes in pink, white, and red variants. Most experts agreed that the pink grapefruit has the least calorie content but has the most nutritional value compared to other types of this fruit. This is the reason why it is ideal to opt for pink variants in making grapefruit juice.

Drink at least 2 glasses of grapefruit juice everyday. This ensures that you regularly get the most of its health and weight loss benefits.

If you want to lose weight fast, regularly drink up to 3 glasses of grapefruit juice together with a food diet that is consist of a maximum of 800 calories/day.

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