Gopherhead

Carbohydrates there are a few types of these, but only one you want to limit; the simple carbohydrate, i.e, sugar in it's most pure form. Simple means this is not a complex molecular structure and it breaks down quickly, which can cause peaks when it comes to blood sugar. Your body responds to blood sugar peaks by releasing large amounts of insulin (the hormone responsible for getting the glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it can be used for energy).

When there’s a large blood sugar spike, your body tends to “overreact” and produce too much insulin. The insulin quickly clears the glucose from the bloodstream leading to a sharp drop in blood sugar known as hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar is accompanied by cravings, hunger, weakness, mood swings and decreased energy. The hunger and cravings tend to cause the sugar consumption to perpetuate itself, resulting in a vicious cycle of ups and downs in energy throughout the day.

I said 'limit' and not avoid, because some simple carbohydrates are natural and shouldn't be eliminated from your daily diet; these include fructose and lactose; those found in fruit and dairy products.

Lactose is a naturally occurring simple sugar you can eat in moderation if you tolerate it well. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest dairy products. People who are lactose intolerant don’t have the enzyme necessary to digest lactose, so they get gas, bloating, water retention, abdominal cramps and diarrhea when they eat dairy products. If you can tolerate dairy look for low fat versions of cheese, milk, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and yogurt.

Fructose is the other naturally occurring simple sugar. Try to focus on whole fruits, and not fruit juices, as they contain very little fibre and are maily just 'sugary water'.

Examples:
Apples
Unsweetened applesauce
Blueberries
Bananas
Oranges
Raspberries
Berries
Nectarines
Plums
Grapes
Peaches
Cantaloupe
Grapefruit
Pears
Jelly (all fruit)

Complex Starchy Carbohydrates Starch is the storage form of energy in plants, much like glycogen is an energy storage form in human muscle. Your body is able to completely absorb and digest all the caloric energy in starches, therefore the calorie density of starch is higher than fibrous carbohydrates.

Examples:
Potatoes
Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots
Beans, lentils, legumes
Oatmeal, Cream of Rice, Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rye, oat bran, barley, multi-grain
Brown Rice
Whole grain bread
Whole grain cereal
Whole grain pasta
Other whole grains

Fibrous Complex Carbohydrates (Fiber) Fiber is the indigestible portion of the plant and therefore passes straight through your digestive tract without all the caloric energy being absorbed. These carbs have a special place in a fat burning regime as they have a low calorie density - they make it easier tostay full without going over your calorie limits.

Examples:
Broccoli
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Asparagus
Green beans
Squash
Cucumber
Spinach
Basically think leafy, green and natural and you cannot go wrong here.

Lean Proteins: You want to consume protein at every meal because it is so important, it contains the building blocks of life, amino acids. The proteins listed below contain both essential and non essential amino acids, the essential ones being, well, essential If your body does not get these when it needs them protein synthesis and muscle building cannot happen, neither can cell repair, hormone creation, etc. This is why these are essential. This is why eating every few hours makes such a big deal.

Examples:
Chicken breast, Turkey breast
Fish (Flounder, Haddock, Salmon, Orange Roughy, Cod, Tuna etc.)
Shellfish (Lobster, shrimp, Clams, etc.)
Lean Red Meat (Flank Steak, Round Steak, extra lean sirloin)
Eggs/Egg whites (One yolk for every six whites)
Low or non fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.)

Fats: You need fats to be health, despite the whole "fat is bad" era we've all lived through; in fact a few of them are even called "essential fatty acids" they are so important and necessary. Most people don’t get enough EFA’s. People who intentionally restrict fat to very low levels are often borderline deficient. Although a true clinical EFA deficiency is rare, a very low fat diet is clearly not going to give you optimal amounts of these beneficial good fats. EFAs help improve insulin sensitivity, suppress cortisol production, increase metabolic rate, help burn fat, are growth promoting and are required for energy production.

But it's not just EFAs we need, we need fat in our diets, period. Diets too low in fat can have negative effects on health; When dietary fat intake is reduced to less than 10% of total daily calories this can also set off the starvation alarm; they help slow the absorbtion of simple carbs, keeping insulin from being released in too great quantities and too quickly; too little fat will result in too little testosterone production, which is necessary for maintaining lean mass and burning fat, and finally a diet too low in fat can set off hormonally related hunger and cravings.

Examples:
Nuts & seeds, flaxseed oil, olive oil, canola oil, natural peanut butter, olives, fish fat.

So, now that you have all this information, what do you do with it? You create meals.

• Choose a lean protein and a complex starchy carb for each meal.
• Add some Fat and choose either a fiberous carb or a fruit to go along with your meal.
• Keep your simple carbohydrate choices earlier in the day, when you'll have more of a chance to burn them off and when insulin is more sensitive.
• Do this 5x a day.

Cheers,
Nat

__________________
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.