Fiber Is the Odd Carb Out

Carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels more than consuming protein or fat, so monitoring your carb intake can help you manage your diet for effective weight loss. However, you need carb-containing foods for energy and good digestive health. Insoluble fiber doesn’t slow digestion like consuming a soluble carbohydrate. In fact, it hurries through your digestive system looking pretty much like the way it was consumed. In addition, sugars and starches are broken down for energy with the excess stored in our cells, tissues and organs. Fiber is the odd carb out as it passes through your body mostly undigested. However, insoluble sources of fiber move food through digestive pathways, while adding bulk to your stool for added pooping power.

Bad Carb Choices Can Cause Health Problems

Although sugar is primarily added to food products for its sweet taste, saccharides have other functions in food technology and acts as a preservative, texture modifier, fermentation substrate and coloring agent.

Bad carbohydrate choices cause problems, such as:

• Consuming too many bad carbs, such as refined sugars, sugary drinks, baked goods and processed foods, can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
• Rapidly digested simple carbohydrates that cause a spike in blood glucose levels. These spikes can trigger your pancreas to make more insulin. Insulin unlocks your cells and allows your body to store more fat.
• Processed carbohydrates are foods where the natural ingredients have been removed and include cakes, cookies and other bakery items made with white flour as well as processed rice and sweetened cereals.

Sugar is versatile and cannot be replaced by another single ingredient. But, practicing moderation, portion control and selection of carbohydrates is essential for health and well-being.

Fats Have Twice the Calories Per Gram

All the fuss over low-carb diets versus low-fat diets is completely irrelevant if neither menu plan will work for you. Although there are some differences in how the diets deliver a metabolic advantage, controlling food cravings and keeping hunger pangs at bay are critical for long-term weight loss success. Think of belly flab as a storage unit for your body. But, when you’re trying to lose weight, understand that these fat cells are programmed to store energy reserves and are resistant to just letting fat go. For decades, dieters were told to avoid eating fat to keep from being fat. After all, fat has twice the calories per gram than the same amount of carbohydrates or protein. Nonetheless, consuming both healthy fats and consuming healthy carbs can help you shed pounds.