Thursday, April 1, 2010

For Fitness Or For Weight Loss, I Utilize This Information On Carbs

4 comments:

  1. Overview
    Carbohydrates are chemically composed of carbon, water and hydrogen. The main function of carbs is to deliver the body energy once they are consumed. Often, carbs are restricted from the diet to help promote weight loss. The theory behind this is that the body will go into a state of ketosis and burn stored fat for energy.

    Significance
    When you eat carbs, your blood sugar levels become elevated. To stabilize these levels, the pancreas releases insulin. Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas either releases small amounts of insulin or no insulin at all. Following a low-carb diet may make a significant impact in treating this diabetes.

    Types
    Protein comprises the chief source of intake in a low-carb diet. Foods such as chicken, beef, turkey, pork, venison, eggs, fish and dairy products are examples of high protein foods. Bread, pasta, bagels, cereal, cakes, cookies, candy and sweetened beverages are all carbohydrates that are reduced. Fruits, whole grains and starchy vegetables such as beans, potatoes and corn are also avoided or consumed in minimal amounts.

    Features
    Carb contents of food are determined by subtracting the total fiber content from the total carbs. This is known as the net carbs or low impact carbs. In essence, a food that may appear high in carbs may actually be low once the fiber is taken out. Take beans, for example. A half cup of pinto beans contains 21 g of carbs, but they also contain 7 g of fiber. So the net carb value is only 14 g.

    Products
    To complement a low-carb diet, there are many foods available that are produced low carb, but are not normally low in carbs. Breads, cereals, cakes, cookies and baking mixes are examples of these. They are made with special low carb flours such as soy and oat bran, which are also high in protein. There are also candy bars, gum and snack foods available that are produced with sugar alcohols. These give the foods a sweet taste, but do not cause an impact on blood sugar levels. Maltitol, sorbitol and mannitol are examples of these.

    Identification
    When carbs are consumed, they are converted to glycogen and used for immediate energy or stored in the muscles. Knowing this, bodybuilders often follow a low carb diet in the weeks before a contest. This is called "carb depletion." This causes the muscles to flatten out. Then on the days leading up to the competition, carbs are consumed in high amounts. This is called "carb loading." After depleting carbs, then overloading them, the muscles respond by looking full, defined and solid.

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  2. Cool--good information!! I agree that if and when I eat carbs, I would rather eat beans (high in fiber) than something else!

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  3. Should we start subtracting the fiber from the carbs then?

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