Made Moon Blog

Foods high in carbs are a disaster for many dieters, but it is important to know that without a supply of nutrients from carbohydrates, our body turns to it’s own sources of protein and fat to meet its energy requirements. And yes, we want our body to burn fat, that’s the key to losing weight, but we do not want our body to burn the protein from our muscles.

Not all carbohydrates are alike. The enemy of our waist line is not carbohydrates themselves, but certain types of carbohydrates and their manner of metabolization in our system. We can best understand this difference in terms of simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs we find in sugary and processed foods, complex carbohydrates are found in whole, natural foods like fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes.

Weight Loss Secret #1: Go for the complex carbs.

While we’re still on the subject of carbohydrate foods, another extremely important factor to understand is the glycemic index of foods. The glycemic index is a quantitative designation that tells us how quickly the sugars in a food break down into glucose in the digestive process. Glucose enters our bloodstream, increases our blood sugar level and then triggers the production of insulin in order to keep our blood sugar from getting too high. Insulin, as well as lowering blood sugar, tells our body to store fat. If there is an adversary to your waistline, it is not carbohydrates, but high insulin levels.

Weight Loss Secret #2: Eat low glycemic foods

Carbs are not the only factor to consider. We don’t want to ignore the other basic food groups, proteins and fat. Contrary to popular opinion, fat restriction does not inevitably lead to weight loss. We need nutritious fats in our diet or we will start to crave fatty foods. Good fats help our bodies utilize our food more efficiently and thereby actually enhances fat burn, ironic as it might seem. What are the healthy fats? These are a group of fats called essential fatty acids, the omega-3 and omega-6 oils. You can find them in nuts (especially walnuts), seeds (the best of which is flax), salmon, avocado, and olive oil.

Weight Loss Secret #3: Eat healthy fats every day

Finally, protein. Like fat, we need it every day, but not too much. Protein is essential in weight loss because it keeps our blood glucose levels proportionate, thus keeping insulin levels ideal. The best sources of protein are legumes, chicken (not fried!), fish (not fried!), and lean beef.

Weight Loss Secret #4: Eat your protein: not too much, not too little

To summarize, a healthy diet detox of low carbs, low glycemic foods, healthy fats and lean protein will help you lose weight and keep you well nourished in the process.