In the midst of the low carbohydrate diet phenomenon, many people may be left with a confused outlook on what a carbohydrate actually is and how it affects your weight loss program. With all the negativity surround carbohydrates, such as the Atkin's Diet or the South Beach Diet, it is difficult to discern all the information you may read.
A carbohydrate is the primary and ideal source of energy for the body. When ingested, carbohydrates are converted into glucose, a breakdown of sugar, which is transported through the bloodstream and is much easier to process than protein or fat. There are two different types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Depending on which you ingest, it dictates the speed at which the body can break it down into energy.
Complex carbohydrates, which include whole grain products, oats, and bran products, take longer to break down into glucose than simple carbohydrates. The lengthy digestion period allows glucose to be released slowly into the body. This keeps your energy levels relatively stabilized and allows some of the glucose to be used during the digestion process.
Simple carbohydrates, on the other hand, include white bread, white potatoes, and sugar. These types of carbohydrates have been processed already and therefore take less time to digest. This creates an almost immediate spike in glucose levels which raises your blood sugar levels and causes insulin spikes. Too many spikes in your blood sugar levels can increase your risk of diabetes.
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to the glucose breakdown. Insulin is also called the storage hormone because when it's not helping to break down stored sugar, it causes cells to take up glucose in the bloodstream and store it as glycogen. When the body goes into storage mode, the hunger response is often stimulated. This causes a vicious cycle of insulin spikes over and over.
When you eat complex carbohydrates, you will improve the reaction of insulin in response to the slower release of glucose. This can help you lose weight by keeping you out of storage mode and helping you to directly tap into fat stores as a main source of energy. That is why it isn't necessary to constantly count and restrict carbohydrates. It's primarily the source of your carbohydrates that is the issue at hand.
In order to pick healthier choices of carbohydrates:
o Choose whole grain products over white, refined products.
o Choose fruits and vegetables over processed snacks
o Avoid high fructose corn syrup.
Author Resource:
Terry likes to write on various topics and has been doing so for several years. His latest website has information on purchasing an electric heating pad and which is the best heating pad .
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