Timing your carbs intake for greater weight loss

Timing your carbs intake for greater weight loss

In the Caribbean, where I lived for some time, white bread, white rice and ground provisions (root vegetables such as yams, cassava and dasheen root, etc.) are staples.  It’s a starch heavy diet.  Up until the 1990s, Caribbean people walked a lot, because there was not a proliferation of personal vehicles.  Children played outside, as most families did not own a television.  Caribbean people at meals primarily at home.  The food was naturally organic.  Produce were grown on family-owned farms or individual’s personal gardens.  Our daily activities were our workout program; walking, gardening, strolling, standing, talking, most of which were done outdoors.  

Today, life in the Caribbean mirrors that of the United States, but to a lesser extent.  Farming is on the decline. Junk foods and fast food restaurants are commonplace.  Most families have at least one vehicle.  Caribbean people still enjoy home cooked meals but their intake of junk foods and fast food have increased significantly while their activity levels have declined precipitously, resulting in an increase in Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.   

Conventional thinking today is that carbohydrates are the antithesis of a healthy diet.  We are told to substitute white bread for whole wheat, ditch white rice for brown rice and white potatoes for sweet potatoes.  I get it and I agree, to a certain extent.  Let me explain.  When individuals completely eliminate a food they enjoy from their diet, they usually end up binging on that food.  But before we go further, let us look into the various types of carbs and when it’s best to incorporate them into our diet.  

Simply put, carbohydrates are sugars which your body breaks down into blood sugar (glucose).  When you eat carbs, the rate at which your body converts those carbs into glucose is called a glycemic index.  For example, fruits such as mango or pineapple, which have a high sugar content will have a high glycemic index.  Glycemic load takes serving size into consideration.  How much of that fruit do you need to have for your glucose level to increase to a certain level.  

Glucose is the body’s usable form of energy, meaning it is energy that is immediately available to be used. Think about feeling tired and have a candybar.  Boom!  I’m up.  That’s glucose.

There are two types of carbohydrates and one sub-type.  They are simple, complex and fibrous carbs.  Simple carbs, which are sugar found in fruits (fructose) and milk (lactose), are the fast energy carbs.  They are quickly digested and absorbed into the body, resulting in an immediate spike in your blood sugar level and in energy.  Unfortunately this spike in energy is followed by a precipitous drop in energy.  Therefore, requiring more carbs to bring the energy back up and the cycle continues.  Think  cookies, cakes and candy bars.  

Complex carbs take longer to digest, so they make you feel full longer and provide energy for a longer period.  Brown rice, beans, oats, pasta, whole wheat bread and quinoa are examples of complex carbs.  Fibrous carbs are complex carbs that contain primarily fiber.  Foods such as artichoke, berries (blueberry, blackberry and raspberry), broccoli and asparagus are examples of fibrous carbs.  

Timing your carbs for greater weight loss.  It is important to know what type of carbs to have when.  If you are trying to lose weight, eat your simple and starchy carbs (see Appendix A) first thing in the morning or after your workout. First thing in the morning because your body is coming off a fast, hence the word breakfast, as in break fast.  Simple carbs first thing in the morning give your body the energy boost it needs to get going.  Right after a workout is the other time to have simple carbs.  During workout your muscles use glucose (usable energy) and glycogen (stored energy) for energy.  Simple carbs replenish both.  

Complex and fibrous carbs can be eaten anytime.  To maximize your weight loss, eat your heaviest meals for breakfast and lunch and have a lighter meal for dinner.  A dinner suggestion would be a hardy salad and sauteed vegetables.  If you feel peckish a few hours after dinner, have a cup of herbal tea.  This can help curb your hunger and calm your mood.  

Please note - food breaks down into glucose which the body uses for energy.  Unused glucose is stored in the body as fat.  Some individuals can eat almost anything and not gain weight.  They more than likely have a high metabolism, meaning their body needs a lot of energy to function. If you’re not one of those individuals and you live a sedentary life, limit your consumption of simple carbs.  Make cakes, cookies and candybars celebratory foods.  They should be your “once-in-awhile,” a long while, foods.

T. Colin Campbell, PhD, after 40 years of biomedical research, proved that eating right can save your life.  A simple concept that takes a herculean effort to implement and maintain on a consistent basis.  However, two thirds of Americans are overweight and over 15 million Americans have diabetes, the Standard American Diet is slowly killing us.  Dr. Campbell concludes that eating right is eating a plant-based whole foods diet.  For most Americans, this diet is unthinkable.  I hear you.  My suggestion is that you start with increasing the amount of plant-based whole foods you consume.