Carbohydrates are not the enemy

A little food for thought...

A staggering 63% of dieters are convinced that cutting carbohydrates is the only way to eliminate excess weight.

Despite being deemed every dieters enemy, carbohydrates will only contribute to an accumulation of additional weight if they are consumed in excess - we fail to control our overall caloric intake - and/or we obtain excess energy from the wrong food and drink sources - think refined (white) carbohydrates and fat fuelled food sources.

In fact, by cutting carbohydrates - the body and minds preferred and primarily source of fuel - from a healthy, balanced diet in an attempt to eliminate excess weight, we can expect to experience a multitude of disadvantages including nutritional deficiencies, uncontrollable cravings and diminished energy levels as our body and mind struggle to sustain basic bodily functions, physical activity and daily tasks - the average adult burns 1.1 units of energy per minute just breathing, keeping warm and ensuring that their heart continues to beat.

Although carbohydrates alone may not be the core culprit responsible for our expanding waistlines, choosing to consume refined carbohydrates - white bread, pasta and rice, sugary sweet treats and calorie fuelled food sources such as pizza, pies and pre-packed ready meals - as opposed to complex carbohydrates - granary bread, brown rice and wholemeal pasta - can not only leave us struggling to control our cravings and stabilise our blood sugar as a result of their influential impact on blood glucose and insulin levels, but obtain an adequate intake of essential nutrients - refined carbohydrates are stripped of their fibre and many of their beneficial nutrients during processing leaving them nutritionally redundant.

Take home tip: the consumption of excess energy - be it from carbohydrates, fats, protein or alcohol - is responsible for additional weight gain, not the consumption of carbohydrates alone. If you're struggling to shed excess weight, reducing your overall caloric intake - by eating less (crap) - and the elimination of excess energy - by moving more - will aid weight loss. Cutting carbohydrates on the other hand, will leave you battling to banish bothersome binges, physical and psychological fatigue, rapid blood sugar fluctuations and uncontrollable cravings to name but a very few.