| The foods you eat contain three components: Proteins Fats Carbs Fats are the white products on your steak and maybe your belly and/or thighs and contain the most calories per gram. Theyre in: Meats Oils Fish Eggs Cheese Nuts Milk Ice cream They used for keeping the body warm, cushioning and energy storage for times when food isnt readily available. Proteins are the building blocks of all the cells in your body. The proteins are broken down in your body to smaller components called amino acids. There are 20 that you need to get from the foods you eat. Theyre used in your skin, organs, and muscles. The proteins come from: Meats Fish Nuts Vegetables Carbohydrates or carbs for short is where your body gets its energy from. Carbs are converted to glucose and then used by your cells. If you have excess glucose in your blood from the carbs you ate, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to remove it and store it as fat. Some of the carbs you probably eat are: Pasta Breads Bagels Potatoes Fruits Rice Vegetables Cakes Candies Chips Processed or packaged foods There is a number associated with each food to tell you how much insulin is needed. This is called the glycemic index. The common wisdom is to eat food with low glycemic indexes and avoid those with high ones. The rule I use is to eat a low-carb diet over a high-carb diet. That means eat basically meats and vegetables over bread, cakes, and candies. This type of eating was popularized by the Atkins diet and other diets. Even when shopping in a supermarket if you stay to the outside aisles your choices of foods appear to be healthier. The problem with foods that are high in carbs is that they dont make you as full as foods high in fats and proteins so you can easily overeat. |