The human body has a high demand for carbohydrates. If you do not consume carbohydrates for a long time, it will lead to a deficiency of carbohydrates in the body, causing hypoglycemia and affecting your health. In fact, some carbohydrates not only won't make you fat but can also help with weight loss.
At the same time, during exercise, carbohydrates are the main source of energy, and exercise intensity also depends on the body's carbohydrate stores. However, because carbohydrates cannot be stored in the body in large amounts like protein and fat, once the supply is insufficient, you may experience physical exhaustion and fatigue, which greatly reduces your motivation to exercise.
Actually, appropriate and reasonable intake of carbohydrates will not cause you to gain weight; it might even help you in your fat loss journey.
Carbohydrates are an important substance that constitutes body tissues. They are foods that our body can easily break down, absorb, and convert into energy, and they are our biggest source of vitality. Simply put, without consuming carbohydrates, you won't have enough energy to exercise. But if you consume too many carbohydrates and your exercise level doesn't keep up, the excess carbohydrates can easily be converted and stored as fat.
So, if you want to lose fat, how you eat carbohydrates is very important!
Step 1 to eating the right carbohydrates: Choose the "right" staples
You need to eat carbohydrates, but not too much. Choosing the "right" carbohydrates is key to losing weight and staying healthy.
There are two types of carbohydrates: complex carbohydrates (such as the starches in grains, legumes, and vegetables) and simple carbohydrates (such as fruits, milk, and processed sugar). Our diet should include both types of carbohydrates. The "right" carbohydrates are whole grains, legumes, fiber-rich vegetables, and low-GI fruits. The relatively "bad" carbohydrates are common refined and low-fiber ones, such as white bread, white rice, and cakes, which can easily lead to weight gain.
Step 2 to eating the right carbohydrates: Know how to eat
① Chewing is important.
For sugary foods like rice and bread, it's important to chew them well. By absorbing them after thorough chewing, you can suppress the rise in blood sugar, making it harder for them to be converted into fat.
② Don't eat too late.
At night, the body's and brain's activity levels decrease, and so does sugar consumption. This is when you should especially control your sugar intake.
Which carbohydrates won't make you fat
③ Pairing with chives, garlic, and scallions is more effective.
When carbohydrates are consumed together with vitamins B1 and B2, the efficiency of converting sugar into energy is improved. Chives, garlic, and scallions are all ingredients rich in vitamin B1, so you can use them generously.
Step 3 to eating the right carbohydrates: Timing
Consuming enough carbohydrates before exercise can improve exercise quality. It is recommended to consume complex carbohydrates more than 1 hour before training, such as whole grain foods like oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and corn. Between 30-60 minutes before, you can consume easily digestible simple carbohydrates, such as fruits, juice, sucrose, syrup, honey, and white rice.
After exercise, you can replenish with simple carbohydrates to help quickly restore the body's glycogen reserves and quickly awaken your body. This stimulates insulin secretion, slows down protein breakdown, transports more nutrients to the damaged muscle groups, and promotes muscle growth.
10 Recommended High-Quality Carbohydrates
Top 1: Brown Rice
As a green food, brown rice has excellent effects on obesity and gastrointestinal dysfunction patients, and can improve physical constitution and boost metabolism. In Japan, eating brown rice is a very popular weight loss method. It is understood that after consuming brown rice, the body's blood sugar rises more slowly, and since blood sugar is less likely to spike and cell absorption is reduced, it can achieve a weight loss effect.
In addition, brown rice retains the bran layer and germ layer that white rice lacks. This part contains a large amount of dietary fiber that helps with weight loss, not only preventing cardiovascular diseases and anemia but also improving constipation and promoting metabolism.
Top 2: Oatmeal
Oats grow in high-altitude areas above 1000 meters in a very cold environment. This creates the characteristic of oats being high in protein and low in calories. At the same time, oatmeal is rich in large amounts of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, which can absorb a lot of cholesterol in the human body and expel it. Moreover, the high-viscosity soluble fiber in oatmeal slows down gastric digestion time, making people feel full. So many people feel full for a long time after eating oatmeal, which is completely different from the feeling after a regular meal. With less fat intake, the body will naturally slim down.
Top 3: Barley
Barley is relatively rich in dietary fiber, and its nutritional content is similar to other grains. It can be used as a staple food during a weight loss period. At the same time, making barley tea is also a good choice. The dietary fiber in barley tea can regulate the digestive and absorption functions, thereby slowing down the absorption of nutrients. Dietary fiber can also produce a feeling of fullness, preventing excessive intake of energy, fat, and carbohydrates, and has the effect of preventing and treating obesity.
Top 4: Wild Rice
Wild rice, also known as wild rice, water bamboo rice, or Zizania latifolia, is a food that is high in carbohydrates, fiber, and protein, suitable for consumption in moderation during weight loss. Wild rice is actually the seed of a grass, with its outer hull not polished, appearing in a grayish-black color and containing extremely high nutritional value. The protein, various trace elements, and dietary fiber in wild rice are much higher than in regular rice, making it a rare health food, worthy of being called the "king of rice."
Top 5: Wheat Bran
What is wheat bran? Wheat bran is the seed coat left after wheat is milled into flour. It is rich in fiber and can limit the absorption of some sugars and fats in the gastrointestinal tract, increasing the body's fat consumption. In addition, it has water-absorbing properties, which absorb water and harmful substances in the feces in the large intestine, improving colon function and helping to clear out old stool. Someone once lost 10 jin in a month with a wheat bran weight loss method. Are you tempted?
Top 6: Corn
Corn contains a relatively high amount of coarse fiber, 4-10 times higher than polished rice and refined flour. Corn also contains a large amount of magnesium, which can strengthen intestinal wall peristalsis and promote the excretion of waste from the body. It is rich in calcium, phosphorus, selenium, lecithin, vitamin E, etc., all of which have the effect of lowering serum cholesterol. The above components and functions of corn are very beneficial for weight loss. At the same time, the corn silk (the tassel when corn matures) has a diuretic effect and is also a great helper for weight loss.
Top 7: Job's Tears (Coix Seed)
Job's tears have high fiber and potassium content, which has a certain effect on reducing edema. In addition, they contain relatively rich magnesium, making them a must-have for people with edema-type obesity! Moreover, Job's tears contain a certain amount of vitamin E, making it a beauty food. Regular consumption can maintain the skin's radiance and delicateness, eliminate acne and freckles, improve skin tone, and it also has a certain therapeutic effect on warts caused by viral infections.
Top 8: Millet
Millet is a common grain often used to make porridge. It has high potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium content and extremely low sodium content. It can be eaten as a coarse grain to be paired with refined grains during weight loss. Actually, millet is also a coarse grain, rich in dietary fiber, low in calories, and easy to create a feeling of fullness when eaten. It is recommended to eat more of it. Not only can women maintain their figure, but their skin can also remain smooth.
Top 9: Purple Rice
The black rice ten-day weight loss method was once popular, but have you tried the purple rice ten-day weight loss method? The principle is the same, but purple rice weight loss is even better than black rice. Why?
1. It provides a stronger sense of fullness.
2. It contains a wider range of nutrients.
3. Its amino acids can support your physical constitution.
4. Excess acid in the body can easily lead to weight gain, while alkaline purple rice can neutralize it.
Top 10: Buckwheat
There are four varieties of buckwheat: sweet buckwheat, tartary buckwheat, winged buckwheat, and rice buckwheat. People usually eat tartary buckwheat and sweet buckwheat. On the market, there are "buckwheat flakes," "buckwheat porridge," "buckwheat noodles," and "buckwheat bread" for sale. The niacin component in buckwheat can promote the body's metabolism, enhance detoxification ability, and also has the effect of dilating small blood vessels and lowering blood cholesterol.