I am always seeking good nutrition information and I found this article recently while searching the Web. While I know that the “no carb” way of eating is too limiting, and the “low-fat” way can be high in the wrong kinds of carbs, Shannon Clark explains the reasons the “slow carb” way is a smart way to go. Her website NewDiabeticLog has lots of great information.
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–By Shannon Clark, CPT
If you’re looking to lose weight, improve your health, and feel great, one thing that you must consider is using the slow carb diet set-up. Many people are quickly cutting out all carbohydrates from their diet plan and adopting these approaches that only set them up for extreme cravings and a slow metabolism.
The truth of the matter is that you definitely do not need to cut all carbs from your menu, you just need to choose the right ones so that your body can use them as a fuel source and help you maintain maximum energy rather than converting them straight to body fat stores.
If you’ve ever used a low carb diet plan before, you know just how energy draining these plans can be. Fortunately, the slow carb diet plan will change that so you have plenty of energy and still lose weight.
Let’s take a look at what the slow carb diet plan entails and how you can incorporate it into your menu set-up.
Understand the Difference Forms of Slow Carbs
The very first thing that you must do when setting up your diet with slow carbs is to keep in mind the different types of slow carbs out there. The name ‘slow carb’ essentially refers to how fast the particular carbohydrate-rich food is going to digest in the body.
Fast carbs (i.e. white rice) are going to break down very quickly, shooting your insulin levels upwards and causing extreme hunger to set in shortly after. These types of carbs are more likely to cause you to binge eat and suffer a consequential fat gain as a result.
Slow carbs (i.e. whole grain brown rice) on the other hand will break down much more slowly in the body, thus they’ll supply steady energy levels for hours at a time and prevent food cravings from appearing.
The Slow Carb Diet has Gained Popularity from the bestselling book “The 4-Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss
Since your body can slowly use these calories as a fuel source, they’re also less likely to get converted to body fat.
But that said, not all slow carbs are created equally. You’ll have energy dense slow carb sources, which includes foods like oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, bran cereal, quinoa, and sweet potatoes, and then you’ll have low energy dense slow carbs which refers to all your vegetables (apart from carrots, peas, and corn).
By eating the energy dense varieties earlier on in the day on your slow carb diet plan and then switching to the low energy dense varieties later on, you can ensure that you’re keeping your calorie intake reasonable.
Remember calories do still count at the end of the day and if you consume too many, you’ll still gain body fat. So by using this structure, you can maintain a better calorie intake, thus see rapid weight loss.
Cycle Your Calories
Another smart thing you can do with your slow carb diet is to consider cycling your calories for even better effects. What this means is that on some days, preferably the days when you have extra hard workouts planned, you eat a lot of the energy dense varieties of slow carbs.
Then on other days, cut back and make it mostly low energy dense slow carbs.
If you use this structure, you’ll see faster overall metabolic rates and superior fat loss since you’ll be burning up more calories at rest each and every day.
This is a very good approach also for those who are very serious about their workout sessions since it’ll provide you more energy when you need it.
Pair Your Slow Carbs With Proteins
Finally, the last thing to note about the slow carb diet is that you still must pair these slow carbs with a protein source in order to maintain proper nutrient balance and keep your energy level even more stable.
Protein is a major nutrient that must be consumed on any diet plan at each and every meal or snack you eat, so always ensure that regardless of what type of slow carb food you’re eating, it’s matched with a lean source of protein.
So there you have a few of the most important points about creating a slow carb nutrition plan. If you structure it properly, you can bring back carbohydrates into your menu without fear of gaining weight. In fact, most people often find they lose weight even better on a slow carb diet than a no carb diet due to the fact they can stick with it.
If you’re ready for a change, make sure you give it a try.
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