Who can resist the temptation of biting into a bar of rich chocolate or fight the urge to keep hands out of the cookie jar? All these treats satisfy intense sugar cravings, but they spell doom for your weight loss efforts because they are majorly made of refined carbs that health experts and dieticians warn you to stay away from if you are trying to get lean. Candies, white bread, pizza, doughnuts, cookies, burgers, chocolates, etc. have refined carbs that spike blood sugar and trigger an insulin response, and all the extra empty calories are tehn directed by insulin to be stored as fat in the body. The worse thing is that food with refined carbs (pizza, chocolates, cookies, biscuits, sweets, etc.) are highly addictive in nature since they spark up the reward center in the brain, and make trigger cravings for sugar and sweet stuff intense, and you keep craving for such food all through the day. On the other hand, complex carbs such as legumes, whole grains, vegetables, have comparatively lower glycemic index, get slowly digested, are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and help with weight loss. For losing weight, it’s important that you eat the right kind of carbs, and cut down refined carbs as much as you can. Wondering how carbs can help you get lean and healthy, we list out 8 Changes in Body you Can See After Giving up Refined Carbs.
1. You Start Losing Weight: When you cut down carbs, especially refined carbs, the body starts to utilize stored fat to burn to release energy. Refined carbs are considered as number #1 enemy for people trying to lose weight because they lead to rapid weight gain by directing excessive glucose to be stored as fat and also by raising inflammation in the body, making it extremely difficult to lose weight.
2. You Have Lots of Energy To Motor Through the Day: When refined carbs enter the body, they get broken down into glucose and raise the insulin levels, and simple carbs cause sharp rise in insulin levels, giving you short bursts of energy. The subsequent drop in insulin levels will leave you feeling tired and exhausted. When you have too much refined carbs at regular intervals, you will get short spurts of energy followed by long periods of exhaustion and fatigue.
3. Less Bloating: The healthy bacteria in our gut thrives on fiber and the unhealthy gut bacteria loves sugar which is what happens when carbs get broken down during the digestion process. As a result, the healthy gut microbes that keep us lean have nothing to break down whereas the unhealthy microbes that thrive on sugar, take over. Refined carbs also leave your belly bloated.
4. Corrects Insulin Resistance: Insulin, which is a blood sugar regulating hormone, also plays a huge role in fat metabolism. When we eat high-glycemic foods (sugar, refined carbs, etc), the level of blood glucose rises. When that happens, insulin is released by pancreas to regulate and bring down glucose levels and also to carry glucose into body cells to be used as an energy source. However, when there is high amount of glucose circulating in the bloodstream on a steady basis, after a point, body cells become less responsive to the efforts of insulin. When that happens, all extra circulating glucose is directed to be stored as body fat. If you are insulin resistant, it can prevent weight loss and encourage storage of body fat. In fact, high and frequent insulin secretion will block fat burning (aka lipolysis). Insulin resistance also lowers metabolism, leading to weight gain. To correct insulin resistance, stay away from refined carbs, white sugar, eat veggies, increase protein intake, and also correct magnesium deficiency if any.
5. Less Frequent Headaches: With too much refined carbs in the body, you can develop something called as “carb headache,” and can occur after eating refined foods and sugary treats. Too much refined carbs can spike blood glucose and the subsequent slump can lower down blood glucose considerably, triggering carb headache. Glucose made available through carbs is the primary source of fuel for the brain and low blood glucose can trigger such headaches. On the other hand, excessive amount of glucose in the blood can cause hyperglycemia which can also cause headaches. Instead of refined carbs, switch to whole carbs or go low carb to avoid such headaches.
6. Improved Gut Health, Better Immunity: Refined carbs lack fiber content and too much of such carbs can cause digestive issues such as constipation, bloating, cramping, and excessive gas. Switch to a balanced diet that would provide you adequate fiber, prebiotics, and probiotic content, check out Rati Beauty diet to find such healthy diets.
7. No More Frequent Hunger Pangs: Refined carbs get digested quickly and do not promote feelings of fullness or satiety – eating high protein and fiber meals would help you feel fuller for longer periods of time.
8. Improved Skin Texture: Cutting down refined carbs will have an amazing reaction on your skin because insulin spikes caused by refined carbs and excessive sugar in the body causes inflammation of skin which leads to premature ageing, wrinkles, acne, and uneven skin tone. If you want to look 10 years younger, then the first thing you should do is eliminate sugar from your system. Sugar in the bloodstream leads to a process called “glycation,” in which sugar molecules damage the collagen and elastin (responsible for suppleness and firmness) in our skin. Cutting down refined carbs will eliminate sharp insulin spikes which will eventually lower down inflammation of the skin and you can get your youthful glow back within two weeks. So, when you cut back on sugar, you can say bye bye to acne and wrinkles for as long as you want.
If weight loss is on your mind, eliminate refined carbs, and start eating the right kind of food through meal plans on the Rati Beauty diet. Download the Rati Beauty app for more details.
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