Carbohydrates Are Your Friend

Posted on April 26, 2008. Filed under: Carbohydrates | Tags: Carbohydrates, diet, metabolism, processed foods, refined foods, Standard American Diet, weight gain, Weight Gain / Loss, weight loss |

There’s a lot of hype about carbohydrates. The problem is, that most of our food has become processed and refine and therefore, void of any nutrients or fiber. Consequently, food is rapidly metabolized into glucose which raises the the blood glucose and insulin levels. Ultimaltely making us hungry again. Also, the additives and preservative in the processed food damages our cells and slows down our metabolism.

Carbohydrates are a necessary energy source and good carbs provide the essential nutrients and fiber to keep us healthy.

The below is taken from Chapter 4 of  Dr Mark Hyman’s Book, Ultra Metabolism (these are his words, not mine)

 I agree with him and since he has more credentials than I do, I will document my thoughts using his words

Your body needs carbs, just like it needs fats and proteins. Without the right carbs from whole plant foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, you won’t get all the vitamins, minerals and fiber needed to run your metabolism at top speed. This makes healthy weight loss very difficult.

Any weight that you do lose on a low-carb diet eventually backfires when you come off from the diet. You will lose very little, but since you’ve slowed down your metabolism, you will gain back everything you’ve lost, plus a lot more.

As  explained in a previous lesson, this is because every time you take in too few calories, your body goes into starvation mode to conserve your stores of energy (fat). So you start losing a little bit of fat and muscle-but when you gain the weight back (and a little more), you gain it all back as fat.

The result is that each time you diet, the percentage of fat in your body goes up, and the percentage of muscle in your body goes down. The key is to eat the “right” carbs. The “right” carbs are carbs that come from real food.

Here are some examples of good carbs:

– fresh fruits
– fresh vegetables
– beans
– nuts
– seeds
– whole grains

Feel free to pile your plate up with whole grains. They’re loaded with fiber, which cleans out your colon, keeps your stomach full for a long time, and helps you blood sugar stay level. This evens out your mood throughout the day and gives you a nice, steady supply of energy. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more of the “right” carbs. They not only contain fiber, but they’re full of enzymes and antioxidants to keep you healthy, reduce oxidative stress, and reduce inflammation. All of this will help you lose weight.

A final example of good carbs: beans. Beans are just as full of fiber as whole grains are, but they’re also full of protein, which your body needs, for example, to build and repair muscle.

Here a simple rule: if you are eating carbs that came directly from nature, then they are okay. But if the carbs you are eating have been processed in any way, they are likely to make you gain weight. So stay away from those.

UltraMetabolism can give you an even more detailed list of foods full of healthy carbs, as well as carbs to stay away from (such as most breads, crackers, canned vegetables, etc.)

By eating the right carbs, you won’t have to worry about counting calories. You will have natural portion size
control and appetite control. Eating the right carbs gives you another advantage, too. When you load your diet up with “good” carbs, you also end up loading up on antioxidants, without even trying.

Antioxidants are very important to your health for several reasons,  and many of the good carbs are rich in antioxidants. These are the molecules that prevent your body from rusting
on the inside. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and selenium are all powerful antioxidants. You can find these and many other antioxidants in the same foods that help you lose weight without you having to count calories.

The problem is that most people aren’t on a natural, whole-foods diet. They eat foods that have been processed so much that there are no antioxidants left in them. This leaves people eating this food with no defense against internal rusting. The result is that they become unhealthy and gain weight.

 For more information see www.ultrametabloism.com

 

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