How can you eat enough carbohydrates to give you energy without gaining fat?
You need to balance the carbohydrates you eat with the energy you expend. This involves being active, not overeating carbohydrates and choosing less processed carbohydrates that release their energy slowly.
However, not overeating carbohydrates is tough for some people. When we were hunter gathers, carbohydrates were in short supply. Because they offered us a quick burst of energy and potential for fat storage, our bodies have evolved to crave carbohydrates, especially high glycemic index carbohydrates.
The refined and processed foods we have developed in the contemporary world are designed to give us what we crave: a quick burst of energy in the form of high glycemic index carbohydrates. With processed carbohydrates we tend to overeat to get energy and store fat. Even worse, some processed carbohydrates like high fructose corn syrup actually can make you feel hungry even when you are full.
So the question now is what food items are actually highly processed carbohydrates?
Here is a list of some of such items:
-White Bread/ White Flour
-High Fructose Corn Syrup
-Sugar
-White Rice
-Potato chips/ french fries
Another question that I get often is which Carbohydrates are Good?
The simple answer to this is, most of our carbohydrates should be from fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. These less processed carbohydrates are generally high in fiber so they make you feel fuller sooner and take longer to digest. The fiber also keeps food and waste moving quickly through your digestive system.
Less processed carbohydrates usually also have a lower glycemic index than similar processed carbs. Thus, they release their energy slowly enough so if you are leading an active lifestyle you can use the energy from them instead of storing it as fat.
Remember: Carbohydrates are sugars and starches that your body can easily convert into energy. For physically active people it is important to have carbohydrates for energy. However, unused calories from carbohydrates can be easily stored as fat. So, if you eat more carbohydrates than your body can use as energy, you will gain weight in the form of fat.
Did I miss on something?
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