When we eat, our body converts digestible carbohydrates into
blood sugar
(glucose), our main source of energy. Our blood sugar level can affect
how hungry and how energetic we feel, both important factors when we are
watching
how we eat and exercise. It also determines whether we burn fat or store it.
Our pancreas creates a hormone called insulin that transports
blood sugar into our body's cells where it is used for energy. When we
eat refined grains that have had most of their fiber stripped away,
sugar, or other carbohydrate-rich foods that are quickly processed into
blood sugar, the pancreas goes into overtime to produce the insulin
necessary for all this blood sugar to be used for energy. This insulin
surge tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that
it should stop
burning fat and start storing it.
However, the greater concern with the insulin surge is not that
it tells our body to start storing fat. Whatever we eat and don't burn
up eventually gets turned into fat anyway.
The greater concern is that the insulin surge causes too much
blood sugar to be transported out of our blood and this results in our
blood sugar and insulin levels dropping below normal. This leaves us
feeling tired and hungry and wanting to eat more. The unfortunate result
of this scenario is that it makes us want to eat something else with a
high sugar content. When we do, we start the cycle all over again.
It is also important to understand what happens when you skip a meal or go on a crash
diet.
When you skip a meal your metabolism slows to conserve your energy. And
when you lose weight too quickly for a few days, your body thinks it is
threatened with starvation and goes into survival mode. It fights to
conserve your fat stores, and any weight loss comes mostly from water and muscle.
Regulating your blood sugar level is the most effective way to maintain your
fat-burning capacity. Never skip a meal, especially breakfast, and eat healthy
snacks between meals. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs and the
binges that follow, provides consistent energy, and may be the single
most effective way to maintain metabolism efficiency.
Bottom line: Eat too much sugar and you put your body into fat-storing mode.. don't eat enough and you put your body into fat-storing mode! Solution: Eat lots of small meals that contain limited amounts of sugar.
Keep in mind that this does not just mean obvious sugar like cookies. It includes anything that is considered a simple carb. Here is a list of simple carbs along with a list of good carbs!
Simple (not good) Carbs
- Table sugar
- Corn syrup
- Fruit juice
- Candy
- Cake
- Bread made with white flour
- Pasta made with white flour
- Soda pop
- Candy
- All baked goods made with white flour
- Most packaged cereals
- Honey
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Jam
- Chocolate
- Biscuit
Complex (good) Carbs
- Spinach
- Grapefruit
- Apples
- Lettuce
- Water Cress
- Oat bran bread
- Dried apricots
- Zucchini
- Oatmeal
- Pears
- Asparagus
- Oat bran cereal
- Plums
- Artichokes
- Strawberries
- Wild rice
- Oranges
- Cabbage
- Brown rice
- Yams
- Celery
- Multi-grain bread
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Pinto beans
- Potatoes
- Dill Pickles
- Low fat yogurt
- Radishes
- Skim milk
- Broccoli
- Garbanzo beans
- Brussels
- Sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Kidney beans
- Eggplant
- Onions
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1107314
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_sugar.php
