The new nutrisystem diet views food as fuel. It’s there to provide power for your life. And one major source of this fuel is carbohydrates. I know that there are many diets out there talking about low-carb or nocarb approaches, and that for many people carb has actually become a fearsome foe. But I’m not willing to feed this fear of carbohydrates. Instead, I’m going to let you in on why this plan is The Good Carb Answer. I’m going to tell you about some good carb choices and encourage you to eat the right kinds of carbohydrates that will support your metabolism, your mood, and your overall health and well-being.
The #1 thing you need to know about all carbohydrates is that they have a direct connection to insulin in your body, and that insulin affects the way you gain weight. Your pancreas produces the hormone insulin in response to an increase of sugar in the bloodstream.When your pancreas notices that the level of sugar in your body has suddenly risen, such as after you’ve eaten some ice cream or a cookie, it kicks in and sends out insulin to help your body utilize the sugar for energy. When this insulin is sent out, it converts the sugar to glycogen, which your body needs and stores in your liver for later use. However, only so much of that glycogen can be stored up, and once those stores become full, the rest of the sugar that’s being converted has nowhere to go, yet the insulin continues converting it - at this point, into fat.
Once those stores are full, your body and all fat-burning systems shut down and all you do is store fat - the very fat that keeps you from fitting into those favorite jeans. And in addition to adding inches to your waistline, this storage of fat affects your body in other detrimental ways, like decreasing the release of your muscle-building hormones, weakening your immune system, and raising cholesterol and triglycerides - all a direct result of consuming too much sugar.
That’s why balancing your blood sugar levels - something you can do through the nutrisystem diet - is the key. This includes carbohydrates, too, because as they’re metabolized, carbohydrates are converted by your body into sugar, which enters your bloodstream to be used as energy. It’s imperative to choose good ones - those carbs that are metabolized slowly into sugar - because they enter the bloodstream more slowly, which keeps your blood sugar levels normal, so you don’t send out too much insulin and start storing fat.
Now you can see why we’re on the hunt for the kind of carbohydrates that trigger the least amount of insulin to be released, so fat doesn’t get stored. These are good carbs and there’s a simple way to find out what foods they’re in.
Somewhere along the line, researchers began testing foods and carbohydrates to see how various types were quickly broken down into sugar, then absorbed into the bloodstream. They knew that the more slowly a carb breaks down as sugar the better, because then it doesn’t spike your insulin level as much and encourage the storage of fat. From their research they established a ranking of carbohydrates in foods based on their effect on blood sugar, and they called it the glycemic index. Those carbohydrates that broke down slowly were given a lower number on the glycemic index and were identified as better for the body. Those carbohydrates that broke down more quickly and caused insulin levels to spike and fat to be stored were given a higher number on the index and identified as worse for the body.
Although two meals may contain the same number of carbohydrates (in grams), they might actually produce quite different effects on blood sugar and sugar levels in the body, depending on whether good or bad carbs were eaten. This is extremely important for all of us to know - especially those who are overweight or have high triglycerides, diabetes, or syndrome X (insulin resistance). With the exception of elite endurance athletes, carbohydrates that have a high-glycemic-index value are a problem for anyone trying to burn fat, optimize energy levels, and lower cholesterol. The World Health Organization recommends that people in industrialized countries base their diets on low-glycemic-index foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
The higher the glycemic index of the food, the quicker the lift - and the faster the fall. And when your blood sugar levels drop, you feel hungry. That is why it is important to maintain normal blood sugar levels. For longburning, sustained energy, you need to choose foods with lower-glycemicindex values, as we did when creating the new nutrisystem diet. By doing so, you will find it easier to lose weight fast and healty, since carbohydrates will be used up for energy in fueling your body and your metabolism, rather than being stored as fat.
Examples of good low-glycemic food choices are fresh fruit, green vegetables, multigrain breads, sweet potatoes, broccoli, all-bran cereals, regular oatmeal, and even pasta cooked al dente. Examples of high-glycemic foods to avoid include white bread, mashed potatoes, white rice, and corn flakes.
Do you crave or eat cookies a little too often? If you’re a cookie person, all the wheels do not need to come off when you indulge in your favorite treat. Instead, do these things to keep from creating a total dietary disaster:
Here are quick ways to help balance your blood sugar levels even if you’re eating sweets:
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02242010
1. Maximise Your Fat Loss
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