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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...]

The Free Fitness Tips Christmas Diet Checklist

December 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A fork next to a Christmas bauble on a plate.

Christmas is a time when your diet usually takes a back seat. Tasty treats are always on offer, alcohol is flowing constantly and you will probably eat more 3 course dinners this month than you will have done for the entire year. Whist it is almost inevitable that your diet will suffer over Christmas, if you follow a few simple steps you can make sure it does not completely fall apart. Today I am going to give you those steps with the Free Fitness Tips Christmas Diet Checklist. 1) CONSUME LOW CALORIE ALCOHOL Don’t get too excited when reading this. I’m not saying you need to make … [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...]

How Much of Each Macronutrient Should You Consume?

February 25, 2010 By 2 Comments
A woman weighing food on scales.

In my recent post on the macronutrients one of my readers asked the question “how much is too much?” when it comes to these nutrients.  Today I am going to answer that very question and discuss how much of each macronutrient you should consume. HOW MUCH CARBOHYDRATES, FAT AND PROTEIN SHOULD YOU CONSUME? After doing some research I quickly found that there is no concrete answer when it comes to macronutrient consumption.  Some sources suggest going for a high carbohydrate approach.  Others suggest getting the majority of your calories from protein.  Contrastingly, some people believe … [Read more...]

The 3 Macronutrients Explained: Carbohydrates, Fats & Protein

February 16, 2010 By 13 Comments
Raw meat and vegetables on a white background.

Over the last few months I have been covering the macronutrients in great detail.  I have discussed what each of them do, the health benefits they provide, the possible drawbacks of consuming too much and some of the top food sources for each.  Today I am going to bring all this information together and tell you everything you need to know about macronturients. WHAT ARE THE MACRONUTRIENTS? The macronutrients are the three main nutrients your body needs need to survive.  Your body needs each macronutrient in relatively large quantities to function properly.  So what are the three … [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...]

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