If a survey were to be carried out amongst my readers, I am convinced that a significant percentage of my readers will click on the foe button with speed and alacrity. On the contrary, carbohydrate is not a foe rather it is a friend.
In my few years of practice, I often hear my clients say “I have gained lots of weight because most of the food I eat are carbohydrates” but the challenge is not always with the carbohydrates but most often than not, with the fat content of their meals.
Carbohydrates especially starch and dietary fiber rich foods should constitute about half of an individual’s daily intake. WHY?
1. Carbohydrates are energy yielding nutrients which are not as fattening as fats and oil quantity for quantity. i.e. 1 gram of Carbohydrate will yield 4 kilocalories of energy while 1 gram of Fat will yield 9 kilocalories of energy.
2. Carbohydrates protects the body against needless protein metabolism for energy and this is called protein sparing , that is, when carbohydrate is present in the body dietary protein can be used to make body tissues and to perform other vital processes.
3. Carbohydrates provide flavor and sweetness to foods.
4. Carbohydrate also prevents Ketosis, as adequate intake of carbohydrate is necessary for the complete metabolism of Fats to carbon dioxide and water. Ketosis in people living with Type 1 diabetes can cause numerous complications.
The challenge of carbohydrate intake usually lies in the type of carbohydrate consumed (preference of simple sugars above complex sugar) , quantity of the meal itself(eating more than is actually needed to perform daily activities) and the energy output/ physical activity of the individual in question(not expending as much energy as the quantity consumed).
Reduction of simple sugars can go a long way in helping to achieve as well as maintaining a healthy weight as a whole.
Note that sugars are naturally present in our foods, and by the time we consume foods with excess sugars added to them during processing, it becomes excessive hence the need to reduce the consumption of added sugars on the table, in the kitchen and at the supermarket.
TIPS TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION OF SIMPLE SUGARS
· Use less of all sugars and these includes honey, brown sugar, white sugars, syrups and molasses.
· Reduce the sugars in foods prepared at home gradually until you’ve decreased it by 1/3rd or more so that the taste bud can gradually adjust to the new taste of little added sugar while you still enjoy your food.
· Eat fruits as dessert or in between meals/snacks instead of sweets and candies.
· Add less sugar to your coffee, tea and cereal. While you can aim to get to a point where you take your tea/coffee without sugar and you still enjoy it. (Seriously this is achievable, what we have is an acquired taste and you will be surprised by the things you enjoy once you get used to it- I’ve been doing Tea/coffee without sugar for the past 10 years and I sincerely enjoy it.)
· Cut back on the number of sugared soft drinks and substitute with water and pure fruit juice when the need arises.( I am still struggling here though, LOL)
· Eat fewer foods that are high in sugar e.g candies, baked goods like cakes, muffins e.t.c.
· Read food labels before you buy any processed foods and buy the ones with less sugars. (note that lactose, sucrose, fructose, galactose and maltose are also sugars).
So I challenge you all to treat carbohydrate as a friend as from today. Go enjoy your food and sin no more. lol
I'm sorry, but this is only half true.
ReplyDeleteSome amount of fat is essential to your metabolism. 1g protein per kg of body weight per day is essential for your muscles. Vitamins and some minerals are essential. However, carbs are not. It is possible to make a diet with very little carbs, as long as energy intake stays high enough.
If your body has low intake of carbs, the body starts to use body fat for energy. However, brain can not use body fat for energy, and that results in process called ketosis. In ketosis body fat is transformed into sugar, to give sufficient energy for brain. Humans are used to this kind of diet, to keep us alive over times when less food is available.
For example: guy of my size has calory need of 2500kcal per day. To lose weight, I cut this to 1500-1700kcal per day, I eat a lot of veggies and meat, fried in oil. Only change I basically did was to lose all grain and potato from my diet and replace them with fresh vegetables. I don't feel hungry, my blood sugar stays constant through the day so I don't get tired, and I'm losing about 1kg per week and I'm loving my newly found diet :)
However, diet is very personal thing and what suits one may not be suitable for somebody else. I don't want to push my advice to anyone, but I've lost 5kg in past two months with this diet so I'm gonna stick with it for some time still :)
More information on low-carb diet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet
Dear Anonymous, Thanks for stopping bye, the purpose of this post is to debunk the myth about carbohydrate and their is nowhere here where it was said that the body does not need fat. You are losing weight because you have reduced your calorie intake by 800 to 1000 kilocalories daily which is good for you, also you still get carbohydrates from the vegetables you are consuming but you are actually slowing down your weight loss rate by frying your meat and i do not want to talk about all other health issues that could arise from OVER consumption of fried foods. Be rest assured that whatever you see posted on this blog is evidence based practise as i have my intergrity to protect. Do have a pleasant time and once again thanks a lot for your comments.
ReplyDeleteDear Olusola
ReplyDeleteBy no means I meant to debunk anything you said, just wanted to tell that there are different ways to healthy diet and no one-solution-fits-all type of solution.
My opinion is that vegetable fat is good for you, also in high amounts, as long as total calories don't go too high.
I've tried many ways of weight loss for about ten years, with no success, even negative effects: high carb-low calorie diet always resulted in muscle loss and no weight loss. Basically I was just getting fatter.
Then during this new low carb, high fat&protein gives me just enuff energy to go to gym, muscles are getting bigger n I'm losing that 0,5-1kg/per week.
I don't eat fried food all the time either, didn't explain that throughly maybe, daily diet is more like this:
breakfast: coffee, egg, nuts
lunch: salad with cheese/beans
dinner: fried meat and veggies
And let me also point out that I use wok, not usual frying pan to cook the veggies; wok requires less time to cook them veggies, leaving them hot but still fresh n crispy :P yum! This leaves them rich with vitamins. I also use olive oil, which contains monounsaturated fat, which does not transform to saturated fat (bad fat) during heating.
But can you tell what tyou meant by negative effects of fried food? Especially quality ingredients, like veggies n low fat meat, chicken for example.
I am also talking from experience only, can't say the diet that I use works with everybody. Diet is such a personal thing that you should stick with diet which feels right to you and eat the food you like and is good for you =) Just wanted to express my opinion of this diet I tried and works like a charm for me.
May I ask, are you a health professional, a practicing diet consult or any kinda health professional.
PS. Name's not Anonymous, I'm Sobo's finnish classmate actually, he posted a link to your blog on facebook - Fredi is the name.
Hi Fredi, good to meet you eventually and thanks for the clarification as well. Yes I am a Registered Dietitian, and i have a working understanding of what you are trying to say.I recommend that you read other posts on my blog as well as this will give you a better perspective on the purpose of this work. I am so glad that you have found what works well with you and I am glad that you dont eat fried foods all the time. The challenge with us as humans is that we like to pick on something and label it as bad. In all, food items in themselves are not bad but the way we process them before we eventually eat them usually causes most of the problems we experience with them. You can get my e mail adress from my blog or from Sobo as well so that we can talk in private if you still need any other clarification. Really glad to meet you Fredi and congrats on your weight loss, kindly keep it up. Ciao.
ReplyDeleteHi Sola,
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog and thanks for sharing. Like Fredi, I also happen to achieve significant weight loss and maintain my weight only when I cut down on carbs. A hight protein eating plan with lots of vegetables and fruit works wonders for my body. I came to this conclusion after struggling for so long to shed my pregnancy weight after I had Ame...I tried many different things from injections to pills etc. But all I needed to do was change my eating habits. I even tried the low fat route with whole grain and high fiber carbs...that didnt work! Until I decided to try the Atkins diet...I dont know if you've heard about that one. I dont follow it to the last letter anymore but the concept of having as much protein as I want and cutting down carbs and sugar really does work for my body. I still have my meat lean because I have never been a fan of fat anyway, and like Fredi sometimes I do fry my meat but most of the time I prefer to grill or roast in the oven because that also drains fat from the meat.
As soon as I slip a little and start having stews which require to be accompanied by carbs...then the weight comes right back on! But of course I still get my carb intake from the vegetables/fruit/legumes and that is enough for my body. I have learnt that my enemy is sugars and carbs and I do my best to steer clear of those!
Rose.
Hi Rose,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for sharing as well, I've equally heard about Atkin's diet. Grilling/Roasting the meat is a good way of processing it. Like i said earlier, the way we process our foods make a whole lot of difference.