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Low Carb is the New No Carb

In today’s world, people will try all kinds of fad diets in an effort to lose weight. You can't flip through the pages of a magazine without reading about which celebrities are on which diets. When it comes to diets, everyone has a different opinion about what works and they are not bashful about sharing their thoughts. One thing that definitely does not work in a diet is to completely eliminate carbohydrates from your life. A healthy eating plan needs to include a balanced mix of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. To follow a diet without them could be dangerous to your health and quite honestly a little boring.

Carbohydrates are the most common and abundant of all the nutrients. Carbohydrates can be found in most foods that we eat. Carbohydrates are made of simple and complex sugars. When you consume carbs one of two things can happen. First it can be metabolized by the body for energy. The second option is that it is stored as fat when no more energy is currently needed. Examples of simple carbohydrates include fruits and dairy products such as milk and cheese. Complex carbohydrates are your heavier foods such as pastas, breads, potatoes, rice, and cereals. As easy wait to start the weight loss process is to reduce the amount of complex carbs and increase the amount of simple carbs in your menu.

Diets that encourage you to eliminate carbohydrates from your life force the body to obtain all of its energy from protein and fats. When protein from food is no longer available to meet the body’s energy needs, the body begins taking it from the muscle tissue of the body. In essence, the body begins eating itself for fuel. Not only does it sound gross, but no one wants that. The body needs glucose (sugar) to function. Interestingly enough, the glucose needed by the brain must come from carbohydrates and not protein sources.

Carbohydrates are now being looked at in a new light. They have been classified by their glycemic index (GI) number. This method of rating carbohydrates helps people make wiser and healthier choices about what they include in their diets. Simply put, foods with high GI’s (greater than fifty) cause the body to store fat. Foods with a low GI number (less than fifty); cause the body to burn fat.

With a diet that features low GI carbohydrates, the insulin level in the body is maintained at a steady level. These carbohydrates are processed at a slower more even rate by the body. The other hormone, glucagon, can work to burn the sugars for energy in the cells. When you maintain the insulin hormone level in the body you don't feel hungry all the time. When you expend energy during exercising and physical activity, the body starts releasing stored fat to use for energy metabolism. Low carbohydrate diets provide the body with sufficient energy without going into crisis mode.

Eat the right carbohydrates. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits. Whole grain or seven grain breads and pastas are more beneficial and provide more nutritional value than those made with white flour. Beans and nuts are good options for a low carbohydrate diet. If you must have potatoes, opt for sweet potatoes. The GI number is lower and they are great with non-fat spray butter.

Don’t strive to eliminate carbohydrates completely from your diet. Instead, seek to reduce them to lose weight. In addition be discriminate about the types of carbs you choose to consume. Think of them for the fuel they provide for your body instead of how they can provide a quick boost of energy. Choosing carbs wisely can properly fuel your body without packing on pounds.