Best Foods For Weight Loss

When we start and stop many types of diets it can have an adverse effect on our metabolism. Each time you start and stop a new diet plan, it becomes increasingly difficult. Here’s the reason why:

When you drastically cut calories, your body goes into starvation mode. Your metabolism slows to a snail’s pace, because it thinks that there is a period of famine, and it is trying to conserve energy. This makes it hard to lose the fat you desire, because your body is trying to store it. To make this problem even worse, your body will tend to drop muscle and try to store fat. It does this because muscle consumes much more energy than fat. This will cause you to lose muscle and store fat, which is the opposite of what you want to do.

We are going to focus here on which are the best foods to consume for your weight loss program. Very few of us are going to limit ourselves to eating all of the foods we should all of the time. However, a good knowledge of what we should eat will help us in making the better food choices the majority of the time. Of course, the better our diet, the more successful our weight loss program will be. This would apply to any weight loss program. Let’s start with a short description of the type of foods we we’ll be talking about:

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are simple and complex sugars that the body uses as energy. Simple Carbohydrates or simple sugars are typically sweet-tasting glucose and are rapidly metabolized by the body and converted into energy. In fact, simple sugars need almost no digesting – they can enter the bloodstream immediately.

Examples are: table sugar, fruit juice, candy, fruit, syrups etc. Simple carbs or simple sugars are typically high on the glycemic index, so they tend to cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. Simple carbohydrates are ideal for energy, but not so good for appetite and blood glucose control.

Complex Carbohydrates or complex sugars are many sugars put together. Because the molecular structure of complex carbohydrates is more complicated, the body cannot metabolize them (convert them) into energy as quickly as simple carbs. This means complex carbs raise blood glucose levels more slowly which is called a low glycemic food. The most common form of polysaccharide complex carb is starch, which is found in plants. Common plant-based starchy foods include breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.

Good Carbohydrates: The more natural, the better. Fruit (limited amount due to high sugar content), vegetables (as much as you want), yams, and whole grains, such as oats, are all great carbs to eat.

Bad Carbohydrates: White flour, enriched products, pasta, and anything that has refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Word of Caution: Consumption of too many carbohydrates will send your blood sugar hormones through the roof! Too much insulin leads to fat storage and subsequently to type II diabetes. The best way to prevent this disease is by not overloading yourself with bad carbohydrates.

Proteins

Proteins are the basic building block needed to build strong muscles, joints and ligaments. They are essential for the body to heal, repair and grow. Protein has a low glycemic index and doesn’t cause your body to store fat. Great sources of protein are chicken, turkey, fish and lean red meats. Whey protein from health food store is also great. Bad protein sources are those that also contain a lot of fat include hot dogs, cheese, most cold cuts, hamburgers etc…

Fiber

Fiber has many benefits. Fiber is good for clearing your digestive tract of toxins and also to keep your bowels moving. Fiber helps prevent colon cancer by keeping an optimal pH in your intestines. Fiber prolongs stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed slowly preventing sugar spikes and release of the fat storing hormone insulin. Fiber lowers total and LDL cholesterol and therefore reduces the risk of heart disease, and fills up your stomach reducing your appetite. Fiber also binds with fatty acids in your intestines to help you lose weight. As you can see, a lot of fiber in your diet is a great way to lose unwanted weight and improve your overall health!

Some great sources of fiber include:
 - Green vegetables and lettuce
 - All types of dark green leafy vegetables
 - Whole grains - Corn bran - Seeds and nuts
 - Apples and citrus fruits - Broccoli
 - Many types of beans like black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, and many others
 - Lentils
 - Figs

 FATS

 Some fat is essential for a human being to survive. There are two essential fatty acids that we cannot live without. The others can be made by your body. The essential fats are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA). The remainder of the necessary fats can normally be made by your body. All the cells of your body need fat. Fats supply insulation and protections for your organs (heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas). Fats help store and transport fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K). Fats assist in mineral absorption, slow the absorption of carbohydrates in your intestines thereby helping to manage blood sugar levels and reduce hunger, making your feel “full”. A large body of scientific research suggests that higher dietary omega-3 fatty acid intakes are associated with reductions in cardiovascular disease risk. Thus, the American Heart Association recommends that all adults eat fish, particularly oily fish, at least twice weekly.

Good Fats:
 • Omega 3 fatty acids: cold water fish.
 • Naturally raised grass and vegetable-fed animals
 • Flaxseed, almonds, and walnuts.
 • Extra virgin olive oil (cook with at low heat).
 • Coconut oil (cook at high heat).
 • Note: Oils become damaged and go rancid when cooked, causing destructive effects to the body.

Use only olive oil and coconut oil, because they are stable under heat and healthy to use.

Fats To Avoid:
 • Omega 6 fats
 • Hydrogenated oils
 • Trans fats
 • Cooking oils (vegetable, nut, seed)