Saturday, October 18, 2008

A Healthy Diet for Optimum Health, The Truth About Carbs

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.

Sugars are digested quickly, while starches take longer. Simple carbs are foods such as pizza, chocolate, cake, and other processed food with sugar additives. Healthier foods like apples, grapes, bananas, and raisins are also considered to be simple carbs as well. Complex carbs are found in breads, cereals, nuts, pasta, and vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and corn. Since starches take longer to digest, they release energy more slowly and will make it last longer throughout your body.

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.

If you are looking to lose weight you need to incorporate exercise into your life. Building muscle not only boots your metabolism, but it also helps you burn more calories. More lean muscle means there's less fat to burn, even while resting.

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.

Those looking for a "quick fix" may find that cutting out carbs will help them quickly lose a couple of pounds. But, eventually the result will be that you are likely to regain the weight later. A combination of exercise and healthy eating will give the long-term results you desire.

When you decide not to eat certain foods, your body craves it more and more. Good health will follow if you watch what you eat and increase your activity level. - 15252

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