Are you eating the right carbs to eliminate belly fat?
Belly fat loss and reducing carbohydrate consumption go hand in hand. The single largest reason we have too much abdominal fat is that we eat too many bad carbohydrates in the form of things like high fructose corn sweeteners, processed foods, honey, fast foods, sugar, soft drinks and some “energy” drinks. Eat too many of these carbohydrates and they are quickly stored as fat! Carbohydrates (carbs) are necessary in your diet. They are the body’s preferred source for energy production, and are the brain’s only food! Carbs are broken down by the body into simple sugars. Simple sugars are broken down into glucose by the liver. Insulin is released by the pancreas to transport glucose in the blood to muscles and tissues for energy production. Taking in too many carbs in one meal can produce too much simple sugar which can spike blood glucose levels. Blood glucose levels above 110 mg/dc, can cause excess glucose to be stored as belly fat. Too much glucose also causes the body to overproduce insulin in an attempt to normalize glucose levels. This can lead to lowered energy levels as the body over produces insulin to get rid of excess glucose. High blood “sugar” levels can cause a host of health problems in addition to belly fat storage such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. The best way to control blood glucose levels is to eat complete proteins, fat (good) and complex carbohydrates throughout the day. This helps keeps blood glucose levels normal (70-110 mg/dc).
Complex Carbohydrates In a perfect world all of the carbs we eat would be what are called complex. These are the good carbs which come from vegetables, fruits, grains rice and beans These are considered complex carbs because they contain good things like soluble fiber which slows down the rate in which their sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream. The majority of the carbohydrates we eat should be complex. They are better for you. Simple Carbohydrates Simple carbohydrates are closely associated with increasing body fat stores. They contain no soluble fiber and are more quickly absorbed in the blood and stored as fat. Eating too many simple carbs can lead to hypoglycemia and type II diabetes, mood swings, depression and several other mental impairments. These carbs should be avoided as much as possible.
Glycemic Index (GI) vs Glycemic Load (GL) The rate at which sugar enters the bloodstream is indicated by what is called the GI. The higher the number, the quicker the food source is converted to simple sugars in your blood. High GI is anything above 70, with sugar being at the top with a value of 100. Low glycemic foods are great for belly fat loss and are rated at 55 or below. These type of foods are best because they don’t drastically affect blood sugar levels. Glycemic load is another way to measure how quickly food is converted to simple sugars in your blood. The difference between GL and GI is that the GL takes into consideration the amount of fiber a food has. The more fiber, the slower the conversion to simple sugar. For GL high is 20 and low is 10 or below. GL=GI divided by 100 x grams of carbs (carbs-the fiber in grams per serving of the food) If you were to eat ½ cups of carrots, the GI would be 92. Pretty high, huh? But due to the amount of fiber in carrots, the GL would only be 5 which is low. You can read food labels for both GI and GL values so you can look like a genius when you explain this to friends!
Again, belly fat loss and reducing carbohydrate consumption go hand in hand. The goal is not to eliminate carbs from the diet. Instead concentrate on eating complex carbs over simple ones. Even just doing this will go a long way towards reducing your waist line.
“Truly successful people have learned to do what
does not come naturally.”
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