Carbohydrates
Carbs give us energy. Without them we’d have trouble making it through our day—or at least I did. When I went on an extreme low-carb diet, I got up around noon, needed a nap by three o’clock, had no energy to exercise, and just felt spacey all day long.
Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: high glycemic (high GI) carbs and low glycemic (low GI) carbs. The two groups are not created equal. High GI carbs cause a rapid rise in blood-sugar levels, which in turn causes a rapid rise in insulin to “mop up” all that excess blood sugar and shuttle it into cells. Why is this a problem? Well, whatever is not shuttled into muscle cells, used for energy, or excreted as waste is stored as body fat. The more high GI carbs you ingest, the more likely you are to pack on the pounds.
High GI foods are usually the highly processed goodies that so many of us crave: sugary drinks and fruit juices, “junk” cereals, fat-free cookies, and that unwary dieter’s favorite, the rice cake. Most of these foods not only cause water retention and bloat you, but they also interfere with your body’s ability to tap into stored fat for energy, again making you more likely to gain weight. Believe it or not, the situation gets even worse. These processed foods also cause energy highs and lows as well as mood swings.
Low GI carbs, on the other hand, don’t cause this rapid rise in blood sugar or the insulin spike that can lead to weight gain. Your body processes them more evenly over time, and they give you longer-lasting energy. Low GI carbohydrates include vegetables, sweet potatoes, 100 percent whole-grain breads, and my favorite, all-natural oatmeal.
Posted in Nutrition
Comments (1)
wooh I hate those terms but vegies are best for our body
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