Repeat after me, “Carbs are my friend!”. Yep, that’s what I said … carbs are not the enemy, people.
Well, not when you eat the right amount for your body, because, newsflash, we all have an individual tolerance to the amount of carbohydrates we can consume without ill effects.
So, while an over-consumption of carbs is not good for you (sorry pasta lovers – don’t hate me), especially if you’re wanting to lose weight (and gain life), a carb-free existence is not the answer. Nope.
For a long time, fat was the enemy, with grocery store shelves overflowing with low-fat this, and fat-free that. As a society, we blamed our ever-expanding waistlines on dietary fat.
An increased understanding of the biological functions of the body has shown that dietary fat is not the villain it was made out to be.
Then carbs became the enemy. Bread … evil. Rice … hell no. Pasta … the devil (but so yummy). No-carb and extremely low-carb diets were the next fad, which, again, wasn’t the answer.
We’ve all heard the advice, “Weight loss is just about energy balance – eating less and moving more”. Unfortunately, this advice rarely works as it leads to hunger, which makes us abandon our plan (and get super hangry).
Let’s talk science for a minute … I’m such a nerd.
We know most people who are carrying extra body fat do not actually have access to the energy stored in their body fat.
If the hormone insulin is too high, it blocks fat release. To release fat, you need to normalise your insulin levels. The only way to do this is to eat less carbohydrate than their body’s individual tolerance.
In addition to carbohydrates, the fat content (amount and type) of your diet can make a difference based upon your individual fat threshold.
Good fats (avocados, nuts, oils) are fabulous. Bad fats (hot chips, deep fried anything) – not so much.
So, there you have it! Carbs are an essential part of a balanced, healthy diet. Discovering your individual carb tolerance is crucial to weight loss and life gain.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to make friends with carbs by discovering your tolerance levels, head to weightloz.com.au.
