Yes it is true that eating a carbohydrate rich diet can increase your appetite and weight and low carb diets do promote weight loss, but only in the short term. So what are we meant to do! Well you can eat your carbs, you just have to know how to choose them!
Carbohydrates are the body’s ideal fuel for most functions. They supply the body with the energy needed for the muscles, brain and central nervous system. In fact, the human brain depends exclusively on carbohydrates for its energy. They are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy products, foods made from grain products and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.
The body converts digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrates into glucose, which our cells use as fuel. Some carbs (simple) break down quickly into glucose while others (complex) are slowly broken down and enter the bloodstream more gradually. During digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down into glucose before they can enter the bloodstream where insulin helps the glucose enter the body’s cells. Some glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles for future use, like fueling a workout. If there is extra glucose, the body will store it as fat.
Now all you need to know is that there are two types of carbohydrates SIMPLE and COMPLEX.
A simple carbohydrate is broken down quickly into the body and can cause extreme surges in blood sugar levels. This can elevate appetite because the food has been used up quickly and so you feel hungry again, which in turn causes a risk of fat storage.
e.g. sugar, white bread, white rice, cakes, biscuits. Some fruits too i.e. Banana’s, Pineapples, Grapes
A complex carbohydrate enters the blood stream gradually and trigger only a moderate rise in insulin levels, which stabilizes appetite and results in fewer carbohydrates that are stored as fat as the food is digested slowly
e.g Unrefined or wholegrain products like brown rice, wholemeal pasta, beans, legumes, vegetables, apples, pears, strawberrys.
So by making a slight change in your diet to include more complex carbohydrate can help to suppress your appetite and loose weight!
Eating carbs at the wrong time can encourage the body to store fat! See next weeks blog to find out more……