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Why You Shouldn’t Load Up on Carbs at Dinner

January 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A man eating lots of noodles.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from freelance writer Alvina Lopez. ----- I’m sure you’ve all heard the advice to avoid late-night snacks (particularly those full of carbohydrates) before bed, but I’ve found that many people don’t seem to understand why. Many people also don’t hold as much scrutiny over the carbs they eat at dinner when perhaps they should. There Is No Golden Rule Here I must first insert a disclaimer here that a lot the advice I’m giving in this article is meant for the general, average person. The average person usually comes home … [Read more...]

How To Use Carbs To Manipulate Your Body Into Extreme Fat Loss Mode

May 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A man with toned abs and a frying pan surrounded by food.

Hello everyone.  Today’s guest post comes from Johnny Palmer from How To Lose Body Fat Fast. ----- Carbs, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals... All of these are essential in the right amounts to a good, healthy diet - but what is the most important for fat loss? That is like asking what is more important to a human - the skin, the brain, the lungs, the blood... They are all equally important to fat loss, because if your body is not in perfect harmony, then it is not in a state to lose body fat - in fact it will cling to fat the less nourished you are. This is brutally (and … [Read more...]

3 Potential Side Effects of Carbohydrate Deficiency

September 11, 2010 By 10 Comments
A red apple with the label "bad apple" next to two green apples.

Low carbohydrate diets have become increasingly popular in recent years due to a large number of low carbohydrate diet plans (Atkins, South Beach, The Zone) getting high amounts of media attention.  The basic principle behind these diets is that by reducing your carbohydrate intake you force your body into a state of ketosis (where it burns fat for energy instead of glucose and glycogen).  As a result you burn more body fat and store less of it. Whilst these diets are very effective and in my opinion support good health (I have tried to reduce my carbohydrate intake over the last year), … [Read more...]

7 Healthy Carbohydrates That You Should Be Eating Regularly

June 13, 2009 By 2 Comments
A pile of apples and oranges.

In my last few articles I have been discussing carbohydrates in detail.  I have covered the benefits of consuming the right amount, the disadvantages of consuming too many and the methods to follow when choosing carbohydrates.  Today I want to make this advice a little more practical and supply you with seven healthy carbohydrates that you should be eating on a regular basis. 1) APPLES:- Apples are tasty and come in a variety of flavours.  They are also small and portable meaning that they can be eaten any time and anywhere.  On top of this apples are rich in a number of healthy … [Read more...]

The Disadvantages of Consuming Too Many Carbohydrates

June 10, 2009 By 15 Comments
An overweight man drinking beer and eating pizza.

My recent series of articles have focussed on carbohydrates.  Over the course of these articles I have come to the conclusion that carbohydrates have a number of benefits as long as you choose wisely.  However, even if you do choose the right carbohydrates you can still overindulge.  Today I am going to be discussing some of the potential drawbacks associated with consuming too many carbohydrates. 1) WEIGHT GAIN:- Carbohydrates are your body's preferred energy source.  When you eat any type of carbohydrates your body breaks them down into glucose in the digestive tract.  This glucose is … [Read more...]

The Benefits of Carbohydrates

June 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A red apple, green apple and orange.

In my last few articles I have been focussing on carbohydrates.  I started by explaining exactly what they are and then covered a number of related topics including the glycemic index and the steps you should take when choosing your carbohydrates.  In this article I am going to cover the benefits that carbohydrates can provide. 1) THEY ARE AN EXCELLENT ENERGY SOURCE:- The primary function of carbohydrates is to provide your body with energy.  When you ingest any form of carbohydrate (whether it be pure sugar, whole grain bread or a piece of fruit) it is broken down into glucose in the … [Read more...]

5 Top Tips To Consider When Choosing Carbohydrates

June 5, 2009 By 2 Comments
A woman holding a basket full of vegetables.

In my last couple of articles I discussed carbohydrates and the glycemic index (GI).  In my article on carbohydrates I discussed the different types and came to the conclusion that you should choose slow digesting, nutritionally dense carbohydrates where possible.  In the following article I looked at the glycemic index as a potential tool for selecting carbohydrates and came to the conclusion that whilst it is a useful starting point, it is flawed and is not something you should fully base your diet around.  In this article I will be bringing this information together and providing you … [Read more...]

The Glycemic Index Explained

June 1, 2009 By 2 Comments
A sandwich wrapped in a tape measure.

In my last article I discussed the different types of carbohydrates and the way that your body uses them.  At the end of that article I mentioned that you should choose slow digesting, nutritionally dense carbohydrates where possible.  However, sometimes it can be quite difficult to determine which carbohydrates these are.  That is why today I am going to be writing about one of the methods you can use to choose the best carbohydrates – the glycemic index (GI). WHAT IS THE GLYCEMIC INDEX? The glycemic index is a system which ranks foods based on how they affect blood glucose … [Read more...]

What are Carbohydrates?

February 23, 2009 By 5 Comments
A bowl of porridge with apple and blackcurrant.

In a number of my previous articles I have stated that you should go for complex carbohydrates where possible and minimise your consumption of simple carbohydrates.  After thinking about this for some time I realised that I had never fully understood or explained the difference between the two.  That's why today I am going to be discussing carbohydrates in greater detail. WHAT ARE CARBOHYDRATES? Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients with fats and protein being the other two.  They are made from a combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen hence the name 'carbo' (meaning … [Read more...]

Fibre: The Perfect Gym Food

September 18, 2008 By 15 Comments
A woman in workout gear holding an apple in one hand and a banana in the other

In my last few posts I have been discussing fibre, the benefits of getting enough, the potential disadvantages of getting too much and how to make sure you are getting enough.  Today, I'm going to explain why I think fibre is the perfect gym food and why you should consider making it part of your pre-workout meal. Personally, I never was one of the those people who enjoyed drinking high sugar sports drinks before working out.  I don't particularly like the taste and I didn't notice a significant energy boost after drinking them.  On top of this they're not cheap and can actually be quite … [Read more...]

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