Written on Saturday, August 16th, 2008 by Miroslav Nikolov
Good foods, bad foods and carbohydrate enemies
It is correct – carbohydrates are weight loss biggest enemy. Not so fats or lack of physical exercises, but big carbohydrate meals and nutrition without protein rich food.
Why? I will tell you why, just a second.
First I want to explain you what “glycemic index (GI)” is and how it references to weight loss.
Simple words - carbohydrate foods with low GI cause small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels. This means that your stomach digests these foods slowly, preventing radically fat store.
Vice versa carbohydrate foods with high GI absorb very fast. Your body can’t store all these carbohydrates in your liver so fast, that why it stores the rest of them as fats.
Low GI foods – brown rice, potatoes, cereal foods. I will call these foods “good” foods.
High GI foods – sugar foods, some fruits, bread. As much processed the food is, as higher GI it has. I will call these foods “bad” foods
Why carbohydrates are so big enemy of your weight loss diet.
1) “Carbohydrate (glucose) window”.
You are in the middle of this condition in the morning and after training. This condition gives you opportunity to take “bad” foods without big consequences.
Explanation:
After wake up your organism needs quick energy, because it was spend all carbohydrates stored in the liver.
So, the liver is empty – the window is opened – and “bad” foods are not so bad anymore.
After training your liver is empty too (a window is opened), your muscles need stuff for recovery and “bad” foods are not so bad again.
Here comes the other side of the coin.
During the day you haven’t more carbohydrate windows and when you take “bad” food it is really bad.
Explanation:
Your liver has space for more carbohydrates, but most of it is already full. When you take sweet food it gives its energy quickly, carbohydrates start to fill the liver and when it is full they start turning into fats.
2) You have enemies - you have friends.
If carbohydrates are your enemies, then protein is your friend.
There is a little trick you can do.
If you combine protein rich food with “bad” carbohydrate food, bad food become a little bit “better”.
So remember that protein always helps. Take protein rich foods with every meal you have and the weight loss effect will be stronger.
The best choice is to combine “good” foods with protein, which will make these foods absorption slower.
Carbos are bad if you take them during the evening. No matter if food has low or high GI – once you filled your liver with carbohydrates, your body will use them for energy during you sleep.
That why you should eat only protein foods and veggies on dinner to prevent filling liver with carbos and use fats for energy.
Summary:
- When carbohydrate windows is closed you should eat “good” foods.
- When carbohydrate windows is open you can eat “bad” foods, but be reasonable.
- Use protein, because it is not your enemy, but friend.
Footnote:
“I wont forget to learn more about which foods are “good” and “bad”, and more about glycemic index.”
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