The human body is incredibly complex. Every second, millions of physiological and chemical reactions take place in order to maintain good health. The body both creates things (eg. heat, muscle, proteins, RNA, hair, nails, enzymes, fat tissue, bones) and breaks things down (food, stored fat, etc.). These anabolic and catabolic processes, along with all organs and systems, need fuel to enable them to function. The fuel or energy that the body uses, comes from the food and drink that we consume in our diet. In a nutshell, food is human gasoline.
Carbohydrate is one of the three macronutrients, the other two being protein and fat. Carbohydrates provide essential energy for the brain, red blood cells and a growing fetus. Carbohydrate is also the principal fuel source for strenuous muscular activity. The carb food group includes many foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (disease-protective plant chemicals). A healthy diet must include carbohydrates.
The brain's favorite fuel is carbohydrate. If absolutely necessary, the brain will utilize fat (in the form of ketones), but it performs less efficiently on this type of energy. Current evidence demonstrates a clear association between intellectual performance and the presence of carbs. For example, better performance was observed in all types of age and social groups after a carbohydrate meal. Although research is ongoing, it seems that for optimum intellectual activity, we need a regular intake of carbs.
In terms of chemical structure, the two main types are Simple Carbohydrate (or "simple sugars"), like Monosaccharides and Disaccharides; and Complex Carbohydrates (or "complex sugars"), like Oligosaccharides and Polysaccharides. Carbohydrate comes mainly from plant-food, such as vegetables, fruits, beans, and cereal grains, although the simple sugar lactose is found in milk and milk products.
Simple carbs include: glucose, fructose and lactose. Common sources include table sugar (sucrose), boiled sweets, syrups and honey.
Complex carbs comprise starches or fiber. Good sources of starches include, bread, pasta, rice, beans and some vegetables. Good sources of dietary fiber include: vegetables, fruits, beans, along with the indigestible part of the grain, like wheat bran and oatbran.
Our food fuel comprises the protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol we eat. But the exact mixture our body uses typically varies according to circumstances (eg. our physical activity, our last meal etc.). There is an "order of priority" that dictates which fuels are burned first. Alcohol calories are burned first. This is because we cannot store alcohol energy. Next, we burn protein, then carbohydrates, then fat. In practice, however, we typically burn a "mixture" of carbs and fat, with the ratio being dependent on meals. Just after meals we burn mainly carbohydrate, while between meals we burn more fat.
I was going to title this: How to Lose Weight in a Safe and Healthy Way, but I decided not to. My reasoning was that most of the people I have met who wanted to lose weight, were paying very little attention to, or were not aware of, the ultimate effects on health that most supposed weight loss solutions will have. As with so many things in our modern society, most of us are focused on attaining some immediate, simple, or relatively painless solution to our problem.
This attitude is what keeps an entire industry of fad diets, weight loss supplements, and diet pills afloat. One sad aspect of this is that most of these weight loss solutions either have a minimal effect on the problem for most people, or have no effect at all. Since most people seeking to lose weight are driven by hope, rather than knowledge, as they try one product or diet after another, not only do they fail to lose weight, but they begin to lose hope as well.
Sadder still is the fact that, in many instances, not only do the pills and promises fail to deliver, but may actually affect health in a negative way! When you consider that one major reason to lose weight is to acquire better health, to find yourself going in the opposite direction can be devastating. Yet, as hope springs eternal, the individual continues to place trust, and money, in the next fad diet, the next diet pill, the next weight loss supplement.
Probably, the saddest part of all is that healthy and permanent weight loss is very simple to achieve, and there is often little need to invest much, if any, money at all!
Still another sad fact to consider is that even though permanent and healthy weight loss is simple to achieve (and I did not say "immediate" or "easy") most people who fail under any weight loss plan will do so simply because of a combination of unrealistic expectations and a lack of the basic knowledge of how their body works.
Unrealistic expectations and lack of knowledge are the two main reasons that people turn to diet pills, fad diets, weight loss supplements and other purveyors of false hope.
The basic weight loss equation is:
More calories in than used = Weight gain
More calories used than taken in = weight loss
Most diet pills, and other weight loss supplements "work" by causing either more calories to be burned, or by causing fewer calories to be taken in. To put it another way, they will either rev up the metabolism for a while, or they will suppress the appetite. Some act to interfere with body's ability to absorb fats.
Most diets, fad or otherwise, act on the assumption that merely decreasing the calories you eat will cause you to lose weight. Some add the idea that certain foods will contribute to the weight loss process by filling you up, providing fewer calories than other foods, or by stimulating your basic metabolic rate in order to burn more calories.
Almost all of these diets and products will commonly include a remark or warning that the product or plan will work best, or only work at all, when combined with regular exercise and sensible eating habits.
Now, there are many reasons why diets don't work, and that discussion is too long to go into here. I have written several articles on this subject, and they can be found on many sites around the Internet, including my own. One major fact to remember about diets is that once you cut your calories to a low enough level to produce a weight loss, your body is going to reduce its basic metabolism so that you will simply establish a new point at which your weight will be maintained. This normally occurs after only a few pounds are lost, so, in order to lose more weight, you have to cut your calorie intake farther.
When the time comes that you "fall off the wagon" and go back to eating the way you did before the diet, your body needs fewer calories to function, so even more calories get stored as fat.
Diet pills (generally appetite suppressants) and other weight loss supplements, which all work by altering the normal functions of the digestive system, merely relieve you of taking responsibility for eating properly, may cause health issues, and will usually stop being effective the moment you quit taking them.
Neither method, diet pill or diet, improves health, or teaches and encourages a healthy lifestyle in which weight loss and weight management is a normal byproduct. Even when, as instructed, they are used in conjunction with regular exercise and sensible eating and living habits, they only contribute a small portion to overall weight loss. The actual weight loss process is carried by the exercise and sensible eating, while the pills and potions just help.
Additionally, whether a diet pill which obstructs or alters the normal function of the body, or a diet which curtails the ingestion of the broad range of nutrients necessary for a healthy body and mind, interfering with the normal nutritional needs of a healthy body is, almost by definition...unhealthy.
Since the purpose of weight loss should at least partly be to be healthy, incorporating some moderate, regular exercise into one's life while taking the initiative to eat more sensibly, the two steps that are the most effective weight loss tips around, should be the basis for any weight loss program. In fact, regular exercise and sensible nutritional decisions will completely negate the need for weight loss supplements, diet pills, or fad diets. The individual opting for a healthy lifestyle in which these two important facts are given the importance they deserve...and are acted upon...will learn that they have uncovered a genuine secret of how to lose weight.
Both Daniel J.fox & Donovan Baldwin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Daniel J.fox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Anger Control and Sauna. Which Diet Pill works? That is a million dollar question! Find out about at. Daniel J.fox's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.
Donovan Baldwin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Women, Health and Bodybuilding Supplements. Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer currently living in central Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. He has published many of his. Donovan Baldwin's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.