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A quick Food Change That Will Lower Body Fat.

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Hi – Welcome back!!

Here is a quick food change that will lower your body fat:

It’s really quite simple – choose and eat more vegetables and fibrous fruits as your main carbohydrate sources and ditch the starchy foods.

Why?

Pizza sliced

Well every Carb you eat, no matter what type gets broken down to glucose (blood sugar).

So a slice of white bread, cup of rice, a pear , an apple a piece of broccoli or that iceberg lettuce all end up being processed by your body to end up as its’ preferred fuel source – glucose.

If this is the case then why is the type of carb we eat so important and how can it affect our body fat??

It’s really quite simple – different types of carbs are metabolised at different rates by your body. A couple of posts a go I referred to the Thermic Effect of Food and how different food types are processed at different rates by our bodies.

Processing food goes further than just macronutrient type though – different sub-types of macronutrients are processed at different rates. So with carbs some are processed more quickly than others.

This difference processing rate affects how quickly glucose is produced and even how much.
High Glycemic Index Carbs (ie those carbs that are closest to glucose already) are processed more quickly than Low GI carbs (the ones furthest away from glucose). The other way to look at these is processed versus lightly or un-processed carbs.

Processed carbs tend to be high GI and are processed rapidly whilst low GI carbs are digested more slowly.

So why does this matter? Well the quicker a carb is processed the quicker glucose is created and ‘dumped’ into the blood stream. This is handy for quick energy boosts. The slower carbs are digested, the slower glucose is released into the blood stream which leads to a more sustained the energy release.

Therefore complex carbohydrates should be your main choice for energy because they offer more of a sustained energy supply. Simple carbohydrates create a quick boost of energy followed by a rapid decline, almost like a “crash.”

Complex carbohydrates mainly come from those lightly or unprocessed foods which are high in fibre. Foods like nuts, broccoli, peas, and green beans.

Sidebar: Fruit is often called a simple carb – not true for all fruits. Those fruits with a significant amount of fibre are actually digested slowly. So yes grapes will be processed quickly but apples or kiwi fruit will not. On the other hand most types of breads are ‘quick carbs’ their lack of fibre means quick digestion, quick glucose release…

There are three reasons to switch from a diet full of starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and rice to a diet with more fibrous, leafy ones like vegetables. First is the metabolism raising effect of eating more fibrous carbs – we’ve already mentioned the Thermic Effect of Food.

Fibrous vegetables

Add more of these to your diet...

Secondly is that by switching away from starchy, processed carbs we will see a drop in the number of calories ingested without (more likely an increase!) a drop in nutrients. Starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta are more calorie dense than fibrous, leafy ones like vegetables.

The third reason to eat this way is the fact that sudden ‘spurts’ of glucose into the blood stream causes insulin to be released.

Insulin’s role in this case is to ensure that the glucose is shunted into storage as glycogen in the liver & the muscles. If the storage in these areas is full the glucose is stored in fat cells. Quick spurts of blood sugar are more likely to create this insulin response than slower sustained glucose release.

So what we want is to eat more of the foods that make us feel & stay full, that raise our metabolic rate, and at the same time giving us the nutrients that we need. Many processed starchy carbs are nutritional wastelands, quick to digest and do not promote feelings of fullness. Unprocessed carbs like fruit & vegetables are nutrient dense, fibre rich and calorie low – unless they are deep fried or drowned in margarine or butter..

I believe that for effective and permanent fat loss to occur it is important to choose foods that offer high fibre, high volume, high nutrient content, low calories and a sustained glucose release. Eating this way, you do not feel empty and because you are feeling full you tend to avoid developing the cravings that make staying on a change of diet so hard.

Look I know that you are thinking: ‘I can’t live without Bread / rice / pasta / biscuits etc’ Nor should you. But if you want to drop some fat and get your metabolism firing better you need to moderate the amount of High GI, starchy processed carbs that you eat. The sensible middle path to take here is to eat true multigrain breads, swap the white rice for brown and durum pasta for a more fibrous variety.

If you put your mind to it this is surprisingly easy and the Bread etc becomes not only less important on a daily basis but more enjoyable when eaten less often.

I’ll be back in a couiple of days – in the meantime why not leave a comment, Tweet us or visit our Face Book Fan Page???

No More Excuses – Plan your new body using the New Financial year…

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Welcome back!!

Let’s put a new spin on the usual New Year’s Resolution  mess – let’s use the start of the new Financial Year (July 1st)  as the deadline to get our house in order and be ready and able to shed fat, refire our metabolisms and get healthier & fitter!!

This is how it works – it’s the 10th of June as I write this and you have until the 30th to get your kitchen prepared and ready for the next 12 months of right eating, exercising and living…You’ll have to hustle to get everything ready for the new, improved you…

Why wait for january 1st??

What will your fridge have inside of it? Your cupboards and your pantry? What will be in your freezer? Don’t forget – you cannot out train a poor diet so your health & leanness and fitness will depend upon on your kitchen and food supply…

The question is this. Is your kitchen prepared for the new you? Will they look inside your fridge and be impressed with your nutritional choices or will they cancel their developing path in your future? Will they have to call in a kitchen version of Extreme Makeover?

In this week’s blog I’m not going to try to give you an idea of what, where, when and why to eat – I presume that you’ve done enough research both here and on other blogs to have an idea of what works best for your body to become fit & lean…

Instead I’m going to try to give you an idea of the action-steps you need to take in order to execute your ‘new, leaner me’ plan effectively in  FY 2011/12.

Get Started- Create a Safe House

No – not one with safety bumpers and all sharp corners padded… Before the new Financial Year arrives you have to get the nerve centre of the house, the very heart of it in shape. We need to alter it so that it starts to resemble a place where Pro athletes and the lifelong lean come to eat. Let’s try to set a high standard from the get go. If you want a healthy lifestyle, a lean fit body then your kitchen has to become transformed into a place where you can eat like a champion.

The plan is to remove all foods that are not conducive to and supportive of your revitalised metabolic, lean body, fit goals and replace them with foods and a variety of better choices that do.

I’ve already made reference to the study that showed the closer candy is the ore you eat, the more visible junk food is the more folk eat…so if you get the junk food, the processed food out of the house you will not eat it. If it is there don’t try to kid yourself – you will eventually eat it.

If they're in your house you'll eat them sooner or later...

The key here is to view your home like a Neighbourhood Watch credentialed ‘safe house’ – that is a place where you can find sanctuary from poor foods & food choices. A safe place where you are free from all the temptations of the food we know do not support a reconditioned, fat free, lean physique. Everywhere else you go there will be temptation – fast food for the quick lunch, finger food at socials, alcoholic beverages at parties, sweets at a friend’s house or apartment, birthday cake at work and.. the list goes on. With all of this temptation, this potential for sabotage, you need to create a safe house you can return to each night.

Here’s how to do it right for  FY 2011/12:

The Fridge and Pantry Makeover

Okay – empty your fridge, pull everything out & put it on the kitchen counters. Look at the cornucopia of uncleanness you have brought into the light of day… and move it to one side for the moment. Now strip out the pantry – same drill put everything onto the kitchen counter, if you don’t have room then bring out the garbage bin, put a fresh liner into it and walk around and start to fill it…

Now you need to call your family, your wife, your husband, or your boy / girlfriend together ‘cause tis fridge & pantry cleaning time!

For some reason it is easier to re-stock a clean empty fridge with healthy food choices if it has been scrubbed within an inch of its life first. Don’t take my word for it – try it!!(if you are feeling really ambitious throw in an oven clean as well…)

What to put in the Bin

In reality there are few actually ‘bad ‘foods, just foods that are eaten at the wrong times. An occasional Big Mac or packet of crisps or Mars bar or handful of M&Ms will not hurt you – the trick is occasional.

Here are some guidelines that, if you follow them, will get you into a smaller pair of jeans sooner…

SODAS AND JUICES – Both are essentially water and sugar – if you want fruit eat the real thing or juice your own.

PROCESSED MEAT – store pre-made burgers, sausages, pepperoni, bacon and related foods are

Fats, Nitrates & sodium - not what you want to be eating...

absolutely full of fat. We know that all fat is not bad for us but heaps of saturated fat with lots of nitrates (just one of the 10+ preservatives used in the meat processing industry) lots of sodium and you have a heap of protein that will set your health & quest for leanness way back. These foods are NOT good sources of protein.

FROZEN DESSERTS AND ICE CREAM – Sugar, artificial colours, preservatives, fats – nothing here is a good choice to eat. Want some dessert try Greek yoghurt with some peanut butter whipped in…

SAUCES & DRESSINGS – doesn’t matter the name if it falls into the categories of ketchup, barbecue or mustard sauce, mayonnaise, French, Italian or greek dressing most of these are really just another way to get a lot of HFCS. Use pan juices or homemade. You’re much better off spicing up your meals naturally with spices and herbs and just avoiding all the sugar and extra empty calories commercial sauces & dressings provide.

PROCESSED FOODS – View with suspicion anything that is in a box, a wrapper or bag. Especially beware those with lots of bright colours and which proclaim ‘Low Fat’ or ‘Reduced’ something… You should hear an air raid siren when you look at these types of ‘food’ choices. Rule of thumb – if sugar (any type) is in the top 5 ingredients, if it appears in more than 1 form or if the label has more than half a dozen ingredients that sound like they belong in a Lab – then out it goes.

More likely than not what you were looking at was de-natured, processed, nutrient-sparse and not really fit for humans to eat. Most of these foods have a long list of binders and fillers that give a longer shelf life but add nothing nutritionally. The other test is if your Grandmother would not recognise it as  food then out it goes… Avoid this processed stuff at all cost!

SAVOURY BISCUITS & CRACKERS – As per the above – but with the delights of added sodium and more than likely a helping of trans fats…

BISCUITS & COOKIES – Fat, sugars, flavourings, binders, fillers, artificial creams – just a disaster..

White flour as an ingredient - not what we want...

WHITE FLOUR & WHITE FLOUR PRODUCTS – Let’s see white bread, bagels & rolls, packet cake mixes, muffins, etc etc. Denatured, nutrient sparse and bad for you. Whilst there is a growing view (supported by science) that we are not meant to eat grains or grain products the ones we do eat come from sources where the nutritional value has been all but removed in the processing. The removal in milling of a wheat seed’s bran and its ‘germ’ sees over 70% of the nutrients also taken out. (0+% of fibre is lost and then the resulting denatured mess is bleached to get that lovely, deathly shade of white so it looks attractive and has a long shelf life…

Then of course they add back vitamins & minerals & fibre – they call this enriching – but use the cheapest materials possible to supposedly add nutritional value when really all that is occurring is a shell game to cover up the paucity of real nutrients present.

PASTA – unless it is wholemeal (and even then it is a bit suspect) out it goes for all of the reasons pertaining to white flour.

POTATO CHIPS – Loads of saturated fat? Lots of sodium? Lots of laboratory designed ‘nature identical’ flavourings? Colourings? Preservatives? Yep – they’ve got them all…If you have to have potato chips use your oven & make your own. The chemical load from these store bought ones put one heck of a strain on your body…

ANY ‘SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS’ IN CONTAINERS – TUPPERWARE OR OTHERWISE – Good rule of thumb, great lamb roast or not, terrific stir fry ot stew if it has been in the fridge for more than a day after it was first served up it is time to go…Likewise check the ‘Use By’ or ‘Best By’ dates on foods as well. If they are past it throw them.

Check your labels – Trans fats – in the bin, Sugar in the top 5 ingredients? In the bin. Sugar over 12

Now stage 2...

grams per serve – in the bin. You know what to look for – really look at the packaged food labels & don’t be surprised if most of it you throw out (or put in a box and give you your neighbours or your son’s girlfriend’s family – whatever, whomever – just get it out of the house!!

Now What to Add to the Kitchen

Feeling virtuous now? In charge? A little guilty perhaps – no matter here is what you need to use to replace all of the non-goal supporting food stuffs. Your pantry & fridge probably look like Old Mother Hubbard’s place and that means that it is time to re-stock it.

BEVERAGES – Water, water & more water – get several litres / quarts a day into you. Drink filtered or boiled and avoid tap water unless you live in an area with safe supplies. Don’t buy bottled water – it is more expensive than petrol or scotch, and bad for the environment.

Have some green tea, make some of your own juices and perhaps a glass of red wine (a glass not several)…If you must have a zero calorie soda but if you can avoid all sodas, store bought fruit juices, flavoured milk, store bought iced teas, etc etc

BEEF, LAMB, FISH – go for lean cuts, use a slow cooker for cheaper cuts, get creative on the barbeque or watch Master Chef. Fresh Salmon is great!Lean protein is an absolute must!

BONELESS CHICKEN THIGH FILLETS & BREASTS – Essential, wonderful, versatile, low fat high protein. The thigh fillets stay moister and have more flavour but are a little fattier.

LEAN TURKEY OR CHICKEN SAUSAGES – Great for a change and for breakfast – again go for low processed ones. (My local butcher makes his own)

Lean protein is on the list to keep!!

LEAN TURKEY AND CHICKEN MINCE – Another great way to add variety to meals.

TINNED SALMON OR TUNA – water packed and low salt. Great for a snack or a standby…

COOKING SPRAY – Olive oil is best, canola second, nothing else is third or below…

CHEESE – Use in moderation but am important source of calcium, protein minerals and more. Have a variety of soft & hard, use as a garnish or to flavour salad. Beware parmesan that is not bought in a block – check the label. Avoid processed cheddars – you know the ones the soft, yellow plastic like ones…

NUTS & DRIED FRUIT – Brazil nuts for their zinc (men you need this – trust me!), walnuts for their ‘best of all nuts’ antioxidant profile, macadamias for their beneficial fats. No salted or roasted, no mixed or sugar coated…Dried fruits are packed with energy & calories. Use to head off sweet cravings and for a snack replacement, Use sparingly – they are calorie heavy. Also be careful – many dried fruits have an ingredient profile to match food from a box. Read the labels.

EGGS – For the socially conscious & well heeled chose free range, for the rest of us aim to get Omega 3 eggs in preference to others. Bottomline, no matter the source eggs are the closest thing nature has produced to the perfect convenience food.

FRUIT – Get an assortment of types & colours. Aim for at least a couple of pieces everyday and yes – one of them should be an apple of some variety.

A VARIETY OF GREEN TEAS – Plain green tea is great but  like the peppermint variety – up to you. Again just check your labels because even tea can be stuffed up.

GRAINS & GRAIN BASED FOODS – I love my bread – especially the ‘rustic’ styles and a bacon &

Get ready to drink lots of this...

cheese pull apart…But I indulge in these white flour products at Sunday brunch only. The rest of the time it is real wholemeal, seeded or rye. In every case it is used sparingly.

In terms of grain foods – oats, steel curt in preference to instant 9additives) but oats for breakfast along with an egg, a coffee and fesh juice is the best way I know to start off a working day…

PASTA, NOODLES & RICE – Not eaten very often, always wholemeal for pasta, brown for rice and as low preservative / low additive as possible for noodles. Never white rice or ‘normal’ pasta.

BEANS / LEGUMES – Kidney beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils are excellent sources of fibre, a great way to add body to a stew or casserole of substance to a salad. Look for tinned with few ingredients beyond the beans & water or go frozen.

SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS – Make your own (it’s worth the trouble) use vinegar, olive oil infused with spices, wine or again – low ingredient ones from the store. Look in the Asian section of your supermarket – try adding coconut milk or even using some of the green or yellow curries.

SPICES – Rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, mints, chilli, coriander, oregano – the list is almost endless – not only do ‘hot’ spices give your metabolism a boost but spices in general add flavour, lift a dish and also boost your immune system. Grow them yourself or get fresh ones…

VEGETABLES – Easy lots & lots of these with as wide a variety of type & colours as you can find. 4 or

Spices - boost immune systems, metabolism & flavour!!

5 servings a day. Buy often to ensure freshness. Greengrocer in preference to supermarket, market in preference to greengrocer. Staples to have are: spinach, broccoli, capsicum / peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, Spanish onions, cucumbers, sweet potato, Bok Choy, fresh garlic & ginger, celery and carrots.

Planning & then Shopping Smart

Create a weekly meal plan based along sound nutritional (ie low processed carbs, high lean protein, high natural carbs) and shop to this. On average you will be eating between 21 and 42 times a week, every week depending whether or not you are eating 3 or 6 (recommended) times a day.

Aim for a 90% success rate. When, if, you fall short and eat some crap don’t berate yourself, enjoy the fact that you are indeed human and then get back into the right food right action saddle.

It can be hard replacing old behaviours with new habits (that’s all habits are – repeated behaviours) but once you have done something 21 times in a row it becomes a new habit. This is not as easy as it sounds but it holds enough truth for you to use it as a guideline! Add in the 90% compliance target and eating better is not as daunting as it first seems.

Use a list when shopping. Develop the list from your meal plan. Plan to buy fresh foods a couple of times during the week. Plan to buy non-perishable foods in bulk to cut down on expenses & time.

Shop the periphery of the supermarket (the fresh, frozen & refrigerated food departments) first then dive – fleetingly – into the aisles for other essentials. Avoid the soda & sweet aisles.

There you have it – clean out the crap, clean the kitchen and bring in the new!!!

Whatever body you are living in now – perhaps it is too fat or too thin, not tight enough or too tight, soft flabby or muscular – it doesn’t matter. What matters is that if you are not happy with it a new FY kick off starting in the kitchen could be all you need to transform your body for the better. You are, in the end, responsible for how you look & feel.

Your shape ultimately is up to you.

Remember how you are now is the direct result of the person you are, and the decisions you have made. Stay the same and you’ll stay the same

Make the new Financial year – 2011 /12, not only the year that you master your meal plan – but the year that you stick to your resolutions and create a new body and a new life!

See you next time!!

A Simple Swap To Lower Body Fat

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Hi & Wecome back!!

This week’s post is relatively short because the message is simple – to lose body fat and get healthier alter the source & types of carbs you eat.

Regular readers will know that I am not anti-carb, but anti- processed, denatured, nutrient sparse carbs. Our bodies need carbs and the micronutrient that come with natural source carbs, so the whole ‘no

Swapping these for simple carbs...

carb’ thing does not make any sense to me except for specific and strategic short term use – but that is another post.

So here is the message short & sharp – replace starchy, processed carbs with vegetables and fruit. Yep just like your Mum & her Mum and her… used to say. They were & are right – fruit & veggies are the best sources of carbs and the co-factors and micronutrients that our bodies need for peak efficiency.

Vegetables should be the main type of carb you eat with fruit also essential but insmaller quantities because of the effects of fructose.(quick side note fructose from fruit is not a problem except in a society that add high fructose corn syrup to damn near everything – this creates a sensitivity to fructose that leads to various not so good halth effects. Fruit is good but in moderation…)

Here’s why you choose these natural sources:

Lots of carbs here - just not the ones that are good for you...

All of the carbs that you eat end up as glucose (blood sugar) after your body has processed them, taken out the vitamins & minerals, the antioxidants & co-factors; the fibre and leaves only its preferred energy source.

So after processing by your body; a piece of bread, an apple, a tomato, some potato or broccoli; a spoonful of sugar, a soda, a strawberry or even an Oreo are turned into your body’s main fuel source, blood sugar.

In other words – any carb, no matter its source, ends up in your blood stream as glucose.

What makes a spectacular difference to your health and body fat is the rate at which the carbs you feed your body are processed and metabolised.

Tim Ferriss talks about ‘Fast’ & ‘Slow’ Carbs in his book the ‘4 Hour Body’ and diabetics (and savvy folk) are familiar with the Glycemic Index which lists carbs as being high ‘GI’ (fast to break down to glucose) and low ‘GI” (slower to break down to glucose).

Simple / Fast carbs are those with a high GI and tend be starchy carbs. They are easy to spot – they have been processed and often are white in colour (no not cauliflower – but white flour products, white rice, white sugar, etc etc – all processed, starchy high GI foods) Some fruits fall into this category as well – especially dried fruits. Simple carbs are converted more rapidly into glucose for a quick energy boost.

Only a little goodness here

Complex / Slow carbs are those with high levels of fibre, generally a low GI rating, can often be imagined as coming from a farm or an orchard and tend to come in many colours with green being the predominant one. Oats is an example of a processed carb that is low GI (Steel cut, NOT instant). Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down into glucose and therefore offer a more sustained supply of energy for your body.

This sustained energy supply is why you must choose complex carbohydrates as your main carb source. Blood sugar spikes from simple, fast carbs cause insulin spiking and fat storage. Slow carbs do not.

However this is a simplistic view – ‘Fast’ versus ‘Slow’ carbs, high ‘GI’ versus low ‘GI’ the truth is more complex than this. It always is when we begin to look at the processes of our bodies – they overlap & interact at so many levels that simplistic approaches can be dangerous at worst or just misleading at beast.

Why? Well take watermelon. It is a high GI food but eating it actually has a negligible effect on glucose levels – even in large quantities.

Watermelon may have a high GI, but compared to other carb foods you might eat, it doesn’t have as much carbohydrate because it is mainly water.

Hi GI or not???

There is a small amount of carbohydrate in watermelon. This amount is processed into glucose very quickly making it a high-GI food, but because there is so little of it, it just doesn’t have much of an effect on your blood glucose levels, so in terms of impact, it is very low. This impact of the amount of carbs in a food is called the ‘Glycaemic Load’.

This is an important point – it is the amount of carbohydrate in a food that matters, not just the speed at which it is processed into glucose. We know that all carbs are turned into glucose – so it follows that the more carbs in a food, the more glucose that will be produced from it. Again this by itself is not  clear guide – what is needed is a method that takes into account the amount of carbs in a food and the speed at which those carbs are metabolised into glucose by our body. This measure is the Glycaemic Load (GL) which considers the amount of carbohydrate in a food as well as its GI. Both of these factors acting together determine the blood glucose response from any food.

To work out glycaemic load (GL), multiply the GI x the grams of carbohydrate, then divide by 100.

For example:

  • 1 cup of watermelon: (GI of 72 x 9 grams carb) / 100 = 6.5.
  • 1 cup of sweetcorn (GI of 37 x 32 grams carb) / 100 = 11.8.

Your body’s glucose response to the same amount of these 2 foods will be quite different because the amount of carb present in each. The differing amount of carbohydrate affects the glycaemic load. Portion size is another way to affect the glycaemic load of a food. For example, one cup of sweetcorn has a GL of 11.8 but half a cup only has a GL of 5.9.

What this shows is that using the GI by itself is okay as a rough rule of thumb, but it does not give you the full story. You need to also take into account the amount of carbohydrate in the food you are eating.  For this reason, the GI is most useful when choosing between foods with a high percentage of carbohydrate and but becomes fairly irrelevant when foods contain a low percentage of carbohydrate.

However the carb content should be taken one step further – the amount of carbs in a food that comes from fibre also affects your body’s speed of metabolising carbs to glucose. The Atkins people introduced the idea of ‘Nett’ carbs years ago and this was arrived at by subtracting the amount of fibre in a food from its total carb count. The remaining amount is the ‘Nett’ carbs and you apply the GL to this.

This is important because foods with a high carb% that also contain a high fibre % will convert to glucose to more slowly than high carb / low fibre foods. This also highlights that when a food has a low GI it does not mean you can eat huge volumes of it.

Bottomline – fibre counts – big time! And fibre comes from lightly to unprocessed foods, not factory processed ones.

So when considering a low- or high-GI food we need to also take into account how much carbohydrate a food contains and how much of that is fibre.

Bread, rice, pasta and cereals are mainly carbohydrate so choosing low-GI varieties makes a difference – but only if they are high fibre varieties.

All fruit and vegetables are fantastic for health because they are packed full of antioxidants and nutrients. But some fruits are low in fibre but high in carb content and therefore should be eaten sparingly.

Go for lots of colours when you are getting your fibre...

The biggest reason to switch from a diet full of starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and rice to a diet with more fibrous, leafy ones like vegetables is the calories involved.

By ‘swapping’ out starchy, fast, simple carbs and replacing them with slow, complex, fibrous ones you will create a significant drop in calories. To lose fat we know we need to create a calorie deficit so fewer calories with more stable blood sugar will certainly assist in leading to a significant drop in body fat.

Just like it’s wise to moderate fats because they are very calorie dense, starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta are more calorie dense (and definitely more nutrient sparse!!) than fibrous, carb sources like vegetables in general and leafy ones in particular.

What you want to do is eat a lot of calorie sparse, nutrient dense foods that makes us feel full without over-doing it with the calories. (See my earlier post – February I think – on achieving healthy satiety)

For effective, permanent fat loss, I feel it’s important to choose foods that are in high fibre are nutritionally dense but low in calories. This way you do not feel hungry because you are full from the fibre of the carbs, you don’t feel too deprived as the improved nutritional impact will help you cope with any cravings that arise from a ‘fast’ carb withdrawal. You will still be eating a lot of food but you’ll be getting a lot fewer calories.

Vegetables & most fruits offer this luxury. You can eat a lot in volume, but you just don’t get a lot of calories in return. (Unless you deep fry them, drench them in honey or drown them in butter on a consistent basis…)

Increased Complex Carbs = Fat Loss

This high volume, low calorie luxury doesn’t exist with starchy carbohydrates.

A small serving of starchy carbs like pasta, bread, and rice is still high in calories.

For example, a 1/4-cup of rice has approximately 150 calories, but you can eat an entire bag of carrots or 8 or more cups of broccoli and still have ingested fewer calories than if you the 1/4 cup of rice.

Look I love bread as much as the next person, especially Sunday morning brunch with a fresh loaf from the local bakery, and I am not suggesting that you stop eating grains, pasta, oatmeal or rices. I am however suggesting that you eat less of them, swap them out for more vegetables, reduce their serving size at your meals and add some leafy green stuff!

Supplement smaller servings of simple, fast carbs with more vegetables.

Your body absolutely needs carbohydrates. Carbs are the body’s main source of glucose. Your brain cannot function without glucose; in fact, you’d die without blood sugar.

Cut down on these don't cut them out...

So to start cutting excess calories from your diet, start to limit the amount of starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, bagels, that you eat and swap them instead for more vegetables like broccoli, carrots, green beans, spinach. lettuce, peas, and so on.

You’ll lose fat. Your skin will improve and so will a lot of other health indicators.

Be well, see you next time.