Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are defiantly the food we always look for when we need something comforting or just want to indulge.

But let’s face it; carbohydrates exist for one reason only, to provide our bodies with the necessary energy to function every day. The problem is that not all carbohydrates have the same energy or nutrient values and, are also digested at different rates by the body.

So by knowing this, it would make more sense to eat the majority of your carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch as this is the fatal time of the day when we need the most energy to function at a high level. But that doesn’t mean that you have to cut the carbohydrates from your evening meal, it just means that you don’t need such large quantities.

Focus on getting most of your carbohydrates in their most un-processed state which means eating more vegetables, fruits and wholegrain products.This is not to say that you should cut out bread, pasta and noodles; it just means to go easy with them or to eat the wholegrain varieties over the white ones. This can be quite hard to do at first because we are trying to break habits that you have made over your lifetime.

Start by slowly introducing the wholegrain variety of foods into your meals, try new recipes and new products.

When buying cereals and bread, try to look for ones that come from wholegrain sources, these are low in added sugar and added salt. High fibre is also preferable like oat bran, wheat bran and rolled oats. High fibre should be a big part of picking your cereals as it is much more filling, has lower energy content and helps to improve intestinal health.

Natural or whole carbohydrates contain a lot of extra nutrients like fibre, vitamins, minerals, water and anti-oxidants. So live by the rainbow rule of eating one serve of fruit and vegetables from each of the colours of the rainbow everyday.

Cutting back on carbohydrates to lose weight is very popular because it works, well in the short term anyway. For each gram of stored carbohydrate it is accompanied by 3 grams of water. So when you cut your carbohydrates out, the body will use up all the stored carbohydrates in your muscle and liver for energy. But when those stored carbohydrates run out then so does the water. Instant weight loss. But not real fat loss only a loss of water, and it is very easy to put back on when you go to eat carbohydrates again. The carbohydrates act as a sponge and will hold onto the liquid in your diet creating weight again.

If you eat a little less carbohydrate and don’t compensate by eating more fat or protein you will be eating less calories overall which will lead to more permanent fat loss.