A HEALTHY DAY
Weight Loss Guide
Last week I discussed the good and bad aspects of fat and this week I am going to talk about carbohydrates. In the media, we hear different opinions pertaining to diet, weight loss, and reasons for weight gain. Most of these opinions revolve around the concept of carbohydrate consumption. In this article, I am going to discuss what “carbs” to include in your diet and which ones to avoid.
The first thing I need to do is define what carbohydrates really are. Carbohydrates are chains of carbon and water that function as an energy source, energy storage, surface cell communicators on immune regulator cells, and structural component in some organisms. There are several types of “carbs” including
monosaccharide/disaccharides (simple sugars), and polysaccharides (complex sugars). In our daily diet, we usually consume complex carbs from foods like vegetables and meats. When we consume raw forms of sugars from sweets and fruits, those are considered monosaccharide or simple sugars which is what our diet mainly consists of these days (about 15-20% in the western diet from fructose). Monosaccharide include glucose and fructose. Glucose is abundant in fruits, sweet corn, corn syrup, and honey. Fructose is also found as a free monosaccharide in fruits, vegetables, and honey. In fact, fructose does not need insulin to be carried into tissues like in case with glucose. Disaccharides include sucrose (glucose+ fructose) lactose (glucose + galactose), and maltose (glucose + glucose). Sucrose is your table sugar and is found in molasses and maple syrup. Lactose is found in milk. Maltose is found in beer and malt liquor. Americans consume about 80 lbs. of sugar/person/year which represents around 11% of the daily caloric intake. Complex carbs do not have a wet taste. For example, starch is found in plants like wheat, grains, potatoes, dried peas and beans, and vegetables. Dietary fiber is considered a carbohydrate but are non-digestible. These include cellulose, lignin, and pectin. These can be obtained from whole grained cereals, breads, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Overall, carbohydrates are not inherently fattening because they yield 4 calories/gram (the same as protein and less than half of that as fat) but will result in fat synthesis only when consumption is in excess of the body’s energy needs. In today’s society, our current diet in the US consists of 46% carbohydrates, 12% protein, 7% poly-unsaturated, 19% monounsaturated, and 16% saturated. A good dietary goal is to maintain 58% carbohydrates (mostly complex carbs listed above), 12% protein, and 30% fats (10% of each). I recommend even limiting your saturated fat intake by at least 2% more.
Yes, I know this is all boring, but at least use it as a reference. So after all of this mumbo-jumbo you must be asking yourself, “Why do we get fat?” Well, it is from a combination of things. Mainly from a high caloric diet in fats combined with simple carbohydrates and a low metabolism from lack of exercise. You see, when you are inactive and consume high caloric diets, rich in simple carbs and saturated fats, our bodies have no use for the energy producing foods and they are broken down and stored as fat. This lowers your metabolism more and you gain weight. Look at a baby for instance. They are cute and chubby because they are consuming high contents of fat storing energy source carbohydrate lactose. Eventually they lose the weight when they grow, which consists of high energy demand, and it is “burned” off. Yes, there is a genetic factor to all of this and is consistent with a set metabolic rate passed down. There are other, more severe genetic faults but are not going to be discussed here. Overall, a good diet consists of this. Increase your meals to 5 small ones per day. This will allow for your body to break down the foods easier along with balancing out the amount of energy needed to go throughout your day without having to store any. These meals should consist of a shake in the morning (8 am skim milk or water with 1 scoop of whey protein and frozen fruits). You get fat, protein, carbs, fiber, and nutrients. Follow this by a fruit and plain yogurt snack in about 2 hours (10 am). Then a light lunch (12pm) consisting of a salad with fruit or tuna or a wrap with whole wheat shell etc. Then in 2 more hours (2pm), have another snack (leftovers from lunch or maybe nuts or some more fruit). Then go to the gym or do some sort of physical activity after work (M/W/F weights and T/TH/Sat Cardio). After you get home, make a protein shake if hungry or start to prepare for dinner. Dinner should consist of a protein source (fish, pork, chicken, beef or beans/tofu if vegetarian), combined with vegetables (uncooked or steamed), a potato, and a piece of whole grained bread with a salad. To jump start your diet, you may want to decrease your carbohydrate intake while increasing your protein to help your body reset its metabolic rate since the demand for carbs would be low at first. Then maintain your new weight with the diet mentioned above. If you try hard to follow this diet, then you will more than likely lose weight along with gaining more energy and self esteem. I tried it and it worked for me.
I also wanted to let you know that we have a new promotion here at Nill Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center. From now until June1st, for any new patient who comes in for a treatment, a FREE 15-minute massage will be given. So come on in, even if you are in pain or not, and take advantage of this opportunity. Remember that chiropractic is good for not only treating pain but preventing it as well. Studies show that chiropractic can help the immune system and prevent other diseases like arthritis. We accept all insurance and if you’re a cash patient who doesn’t have insurance, or their insurance doesn’t cover chiropractic, call and ask how you can get 25% off of your bill.
Until next time, I am Dr James P. Nill DC.
Take care and have a healthy day.
If you or anyone you know has any questions or would like to know more of what I can do for you, then give me a call to set up your FREE initial consultation. Again, please contact me by phone at 260-459-2205 or by e-mail at drnill@nillfamilychiropractic.com. Also, feel free to check out our website to see all that we have to offer at www.nillfamilychiropractic.com. Reference: Champe P.C. & Harvey R.A. Biochemistry 2nd Edition: Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: 1994. pp. 312-316.
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