Keys To Supportive Eating Part 4I’m hoping these articles are helping to dispel the myth that diets are the way to lose weight. Yes they may work in the short term that is if losing muscle tissue and water weight are acceptable and in the process destroy your metabolism then I guess diets are great.
Conversely if you want to lose fat and keep it off you will want to hang on to as much muscle (or even add some) as muscle tissue is the fire in which calories are burned.
In part one I introduced the concept of supportive eating, including what constitutes a supportive meal and recommended that you 4-6 small meals per day containing a lean protein, a starchy carb and a fibrous carb.
In part two, I discussed the role of fats in the diet, explained that not all fats are bad and that they are in fact needed to sustain optimum health.
In part three, I explained that simple sugars are one of the main reasons people fail to lose weight due to the fact that simple sugars cause spikes in blood sugar levels followed by energy slumps. A lot of people go on about being carb addicts, I make no apologies if what I’m about to say offends you but you are not an addicted to carbs you have caused this yourself! Once you remove simple sugars from your diet, blood sugar will stabilise and you will no longer get cravings for sweet foods. If you have not read parts 1, 2 or 3 please click on this link With all that said, welcome to part 4 of “Keys To Supportive Eating”
There is so much confusion surrounding whether carbs are good for you or not and if we should eliminate them from or diets. This confusion is not helped by diets that advocate removing carbs from the diet such as Atkins and The South Beach Diet. Sure, if you if you stop eating carbs you are going to lose weight in the short term, this is a trick to make you think that the diet is working.
How? Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. For every one gram of glycogen the body stores, it must store with it three grams of water. So when you restrict carbohydrate intake the body turns to this stored glycogen for energy and as it breaks down stored glycogen it releases the water stored which gives a false appearance of weight lost on the scale which is temporary because as soon as you eat carbs the body will store water.
I’d like to explain the role that carbohydrates play in our diet. Natural (complex) carbs such as potato, oatmeal and brown rice are the bodies preferred sauce of fuel, In fact, your brain can only use carbohydrates for energy.
Complex carbohydrates are high-fibre foods, which improve your digestion. They help stabilize the blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal. Many natural carbs also contain an abundant supply of vitamins and minerals.
In their natural state complex carbs are very nutritious and thermic. The more thermic a food is the more calories are burned during digestion!
Refined carbs such as bleached and processed breads, white pasta and pastries have had most of the nutritional value, including vitamins and minerals removed during processing. Further, most refined carbs act like simple sugars in the body and are easily stored as fat!
So to recap on what you have learned so far:
Eat a meal consisting of a portion of lean protein, a portion of a starchy carbs and a portion of a fibrous carb such as a grilled chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli every 3 to 3 and a half hours. These meals should be free from bleach and processed carbohydrates and be low in fat.
In part 5 in going to give you a list of foods from each of the categories that can be consumed as part of your supportive eating plan. To get more health, fitness and weight loss tips delivered to your inbox fill in the form below. I will also send you a FREE copy of my special report:
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