Eating a healthy diet is an important part of any body builder's life, but with the number of new diets popping up on the market every day, it's hard to know which ones are based on fact and which ones are just money making schemes. Many diets have one thing in common-they encourage dieters to count carbohydrates, with the understanding that eating less or none at all will help cut fat and build muscle. This is not entirely true. Before beginning a diet that is based on carb counting, learn a little about the different between good carbs and bad carbs, which is shown with the glycemic index.



The glycemic index is simply a rating system used by doctors and other health professionals to explain the way a carbohydrate works in the body. Using a scale from 0 to 100, understanding the glycemic index is important for people who are serious about losing fat and staying healthy. Generally, carbs with lower ratings, like pasta, whole grains, green vegetables, and oats, are good for your body. In fact, your body needs these kinds of carbs to survive, so diets that recommend cutting carbs completely are unhealthy and potentially dangerous. However, you should try to cut bad carbs from your diet. These are foods with higher glycemic index ratings, such as potatoes.

But how are glycemic index ratings assigned to foods? It all begins with the digestion process. Foods with higher numbers are digested quickly, while foods with lower numbers leave you feeling full longer. The sugars of higher-rated foods are absorbed quickly into the blood stream, causing your glucose levels to spike and then quickly drop, which can be dangerous for people with health problems such as diabetes. On the other hand, foods with lower ratings gently raise and lower your blood sugar, which is much healthier for the body. Good carbs, therefore, are especially useful for replenishing energy after a hard workout.

In the near future, the glycemic index and a food's rating will probably be published on the nutritional value panel on packages of food. For now, however, it is up to the consumer to do some research on the foods he or she eats. Your doctor can help you with this by recommending specific foods to eat and specific foods to cut from your diet. By following this advice and continuing to build muscle, you should be able to see fat losing results, making your muscles more defined.