will completely disappear and you will notice that your energy levels and endurance dramatically increase. Stay on it for a month and then gradually begin adding healthy carbohydrates (low-glycemic-index fruits and vegetables) back to your diet.
HIGH-FIBER FOODS ARE THE BEST CARBOHYDRATES
Fiber is vitally important—especially if you want to lose fat without jeopardizing your muscle mass and, at the same time, improve your overall health. On average, American men consume around 10 grams to 12 grams per day, and the recommended intake is 25 grams to 50 grams per day—preferably around 35 grams. In a major study published in the
Journal of the American Heart Association
in October 1999, it was shown that a high intake of fiber reduces not only obesity, but also reduces high blood pressure, other heart disease risk factors, and the risk of many cancers. Some experts even believe fiber plays a greater role in determining heart disease risk than total or saturated fat intake.
Dietary fiber does all of this by remaining mostly undigested in your gastrointestinal tract. This provides bulk to the foods you eat so that undigested food stays in the stomach longer, making you feel fuller and delaying hunger and cravings. Once the food reaches your intestines, it moves along at a faster rate, which slows the release of carbohydrates and cholesterol-raising fats into your bloodstream. Since sugars are slowly absorbed rather than mainlined into your bloodstream, blood sugar levels remain well controlled, and insulin secretion is reduced. Many experts now believe fiber’s effect on blood sugar levels is the main reason for its “fat-fighting” properties and other health benefits.
Because fiber makes you feel full, you eat much less without even thinking about it. This was really brought to light in a recent study from Penn State that showed how people eat about the same
weight
of food on a daily basis. In other words, it is not the total number of calories consumed that controls how much you eat; instead, it’s the volume or weight of the food that you eat that determines when you think you’ve have had enough. When you eat high-fiber foods, you consume a higher volume or weight of food with fewer calories—and you won’t feel the least bit deprived.
The best fiber sources include whole natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Avoid processed foods at all costs. Processed foods have had their fiber (along with many nutrients) removed, but not the calories, which will keep insulin levels high and add inches to your spare tire.
CARBOHYDRATE SENSITIVITY
Carbohydrate sensitivity is a term that researchers use to describe a volatile increase in blood sugar as a result of eating carbohydrates (especially those with a high glycemic index, such as the cookies and white bread you crave). As blood sugars rise, carbohydrate-sensitive individuals have very sensitive pancreatic tissue that overreacts and produces excessive amounts of insulin—rapidly driving their blood sugars down. As blood sugars plummet, extreme hunger and cravings, mostly for sweets, take over and this vicious cycle is repeated. Over time this can progress to full-blown insulin resistance syndrome, resulting in diabetes and serious blood vessel disease, hypertension, and premature death.
As many as 75 percent of overweight individuals are thought to be carbohydrate sensitive. Worse, as people with carbohydrate sensitivity age, their sensitivity also increases, and many prominent authorities now believe that this condition can progress to an actual chemical addiction similar to that seen with alcohol, nicotine, and drugs. They recommend that carbohydrate sensitivity be treated very much like these addictions—with abstinence.
The best way to determine if you are carbohydrate sensitive and, if so, to what degree, is by writing down in your food journal your reaction (both physical and emotional) to the foods you eat. This will
HIGH-FIBER FOODS ARE THE BEST CARBOHYDRATES
Fiber is vitally important—especially if you want to lose fat without jeopardizing your muscle mass and, at the same time, improve your overall health. On average, American men consume around 10 grams to 12 grams per day, and the recommended intake is 25 grams to 50 grams per day—preferably around 35 grams. In a major study published in the
Journal of the American Heart Association
in October 1999, it was shown that a high intake of fiber reduces not only obesity, but also reduces high blood pressure, other heart disease risk factors, and the risk of many cancers. Some experts even believe fiber plays a greater role in determining heart disease risk than total or saturated fat intake.
Dietary fiber does all of this by remaining mostly undigested in your gastrointestinal tract. This provides bulk to the foods you eat so that undigested food stays in the stomach longer, making you feel fuller and delaying hunger and cravings. Once the food reaches your intestines, it moves along at a faster rate, which slows the release of carbohydrates and cholesterol-raising fats into your bloodstream. Since sugars are slowly absorbed rather than mainlined into your bloodstream, blood sugar levels remain well controlled, and insulin secretion is reduced. Many experts now believe fiber’s effect on blood sugar levels is the main reason for its “fat-fighting” properties and other health benefits.
Because fiber makes you feel full, you eat much less without even thinking about it. This was really brought to light in a recent study from Penn State that showed how people eat about the same
weight
of food on a daily basis. In other words, it is not the total number of calories consumed that controls how much you eat; instead, it’s the volume or weight of the food that you eat that determines when you think you’ve have had enough. When you eat high-fiber foods, you consume a higher volume or weight of food with fewer calories—and you won’t feel the least bit deprived.
The best fiber sources include whole natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Avoid processed foods at all costs. Processed foods have had their fiber (along with many nutrients) removed, but not the calories, which will keep insulin levels high and add inches to your spare tire.
CARBOHYDRATE SENSITIVITY
Carbohydrate sensitivity is a term that researchers use to describe a volatile increase in blood sugar as a result of eating carbohydrates (especially those with a high glycemic index, such as the cookies and white bread you crave). As blood sugars rise, carbohydrate-sensitive individuals have very sensitive pancreatic tissue that overreacts and produces excessive amounts of insulin—rapidly driving their blood sugars down. As blood sugars plummet, extreme hunger and cravings, mostly for sweets, take over and this vicious cycle is repeated. Over time this can progress to full-blown insulin resistance syndrome, resulting in diabetes and serious blood vessel disease, hypertension, and premature death.
As many as 75 percent of overweight individuals are thought to be carbohydrate sensitive. Worse, as people with carbohydrate sensitivity age, their sensitivity also increases, and many prominent authorities now believe that this condition can progress to an actual chemical addiction similar to that seen with alcohol, nicotine, and drugs. They recommend that carbohydrate sensitivity be treated very much like these addictions—with abstinence.
The best way to determine if you are carbohydrate sensitive and, if so, to what degree, is by writing down in your food journal your reaction (both physical and emotional) to the foods you eat. This will
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