Saturday, October 25, 2008

How to Design a Healthy Diet, Carb Related Facts

By Ricardo d Argence

Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. Once your body's intake of carbs is depleted, you are left feeling lethargic and drowsy. There are two kinds of carbohydrates. The first are sugars, or simple carbohydrates. The second are starches, or complex carbohydrates. The difference between the two is the length of time it takes your body to digest them.

Starches take longer to digest than sugars which digest fast. Simple carbs are foods such as pizza, chocolate, cake, and other processed food with sugar additives. Certain highly nutritious fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes, and raisins fall in the category of simple carbohydrates too. Complex carbs are found in breads, cereals, nuts, pasta, and vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and corn. Starches release energy a lot slower because they stay in the body for long periods of time.

Without energy the body doesn't want to exercise, and this is why low-carb diets usually do not work. Dieters may become depressed and tired frequently. Typically the results from a low-carb diet plan are not long-lasting, since the dieter will be frustrated within a short period. Why? People usually eat healthier to get more energy, not less.

Weight loss and superior health can be contributed to excercise. It is possible to burn more calories by building muscle and boosting your metabolism. Even while resting, you will burn more fat if you have more lean muscle.

Quick fix, fad diets usually only succeed is losing the water weight and lean muscle that you already have built up. This is why they do not work long-term. Starving and depriving yourself of needed carbohydrates simply slows your metabolism down to preserve the fat stores you already have in case of future nutrition shortage.

Consuming smaller, healthy sized meals in the course of the day maintains your metabolic rate and provides the energy required to be active. Studies demonstrate that if individuals combine a healthy diet with physical activity they reduce their weight as well as fat by a greater amount than those who only restrict their diet.

The bottom line is this: if you are looking for a quick fix and want to lose just a couple of pounds fast, then cutting out carbs might help you do that. However, the long-term effects will probably cause you to gain the weight back at a later time. Combining healthy eating habits and exercise will produce much more effective results long-term.

The more you resist it, the more you want it. So, Depriving your body of any particular food can only make you crave it more. To be a healthier individual you should practice moderation and be more active.

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