 Water
makes up two-thirds of the human body. It
transports nutrients in and waste out of your body.
It is involved in your entire body functioning, including
absorption of water-soluble vitamins and body temperature
regulation.
You
need to consume 8-10 (8oz) cups of water each day, and
keep water flowing in on a regular basis so not to dehydrate
during exercise. While on a diet, you may restrict
your water intake before being weighed, in hopes of
having a lower scale weight. This actually works against
you. The reason is when your body detects a shortage
of water coming in, your body actually retains water,
as a survival mechanism.
But if much water is coming in on a regular basis, your
body lets water flow out just as easily. So, if you
are feeling bloated, don’t cut back on your water;
drink it.
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Carbohydrates
supply your body with energy, and
if carbohydrates are omitted from your diet, your body
then uses protein for repair and fat for energy (fuel).
There are two types of carbohydrates simple carbohydrates
and complex carbohydrates.
Simple
Carbohydrates
Simple Carbohydrates are just that; they break down
very simply and therefore are called simple
sugars.
They include lactose
(milk sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table
sugar),
and many other sugars.
Simple
Carbohydrates that should be avoided to help you
lose body fat and keep it off:
|
Sugar
|
|
Flour
|
|
Bread
|
|
Pasta
|
|
Potatoes
|
|
Rice
|
|
Fruit
Juices
|
|
Sports
Drinks w/sugar
|
|
Low-fat
snack foods
|
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Low-fat
ice cream
|
They
contain little or no fiber and break down extremely
quickly to sugar. They are also high on the Glycemic
List. (which is discussed in another section). A food
can seem to be low in
carbohydrates but still very HIGH on the Glycemic List.
The Glycemic List rates each food choice with a number
from 1 100. The higher the number, the quicker
the food breaks down to sugar. You want to choose a
food choice that is lower on the Glycemic List.
Being
that simple
carbohydrates have little or no fiber,
your body can break them down very easily. When simple
carbohydrates are broken down, they are converted into
glucose (sugar). This glucose raises your blood sugar,
which triggers the hormone, insulin, to be released
to take up all of this sugar from your blood stream.
The
excess sugar is now stored as body fat.
We
have just described the sugar
crash.
When simple sugar is consumed, your blood sugar rises.
This rise in blood sugar gives you quick energy. But
when the hormone, insulin, is released to take up this
influx of sugar from your blood stream, you crash. You
felt the results of high sugar, then low sugar. You
had energy, and then you could just go to sleep. So
guess what? You crave sugar again to bring you back
“up”. That is why you may say that you
are a carbohydrate addict, and that you always crave
sugar. You
always crave sugar because you always eat sugar.
You will always be going “up”, and then
“down”, and then needing that “up”
again. If you tried not to eat simple carbs (sugar),
your blood sugar would be stable and you would have
sustained energy all day long.
Children/Fat
Cells
Fat
Cells are created when you are a child. Then
as you became an adult, you now have these fat cells
from when you were younger. Now as an adult,
when you gain weight, your fat cells just plump up.
And when you lose weight, those same fat cells shrink
down.
If you knew then, what
you know now, you probably wouldn’t have many
fat cells to plump up. You would have made better choices
as a child (or your parents would have). Why not make
is easy for your kids, this next time around? You don’t
want your children battling weight like all of America
is now doing.
Plus,
watch the attitudes and personalities of your children
when sugar, juices, and refined, simple carbohydrate
treats are omitted from their daily diets, and replaced
with protein with each and every meal, plus complex
carbohydrates like nuts (which will keep them satisfied
and fuller longer), fruits, and vegetables. Start reading
labels for the amounts of carbohydrates and sugars in
each product. You are going to be shocked!
Complex
Carbohydrates
Complex
Carbohydrates are chains of simple glucose molecules
that need to be broken down before use. One of the big
differences between simple carbs and complex carbs is
that complex carbs also contain fiber, which helps to
slow down the absorption rate of simple sugars. The
more fiber a food contains, the slower your body takes
to break it down for energy. In turn, there aren’t
any spikes in your blood sugar, triggering your insulin
to be released; Therefore, your blood sugar (glucose)
stays level for a longer period of time, which then
gives your body more time to burn off that food energy,
with your everyday activities, instead of storing the
excess as body fat.
Complex
Carbohydrates include vegetables, some fruits, nuts,
and beans.
Complex
Carbohydrate Choices to include in your Meal Plans:
Vegetables |
Fruits |
Nuts |
Beans
|
|
|
|
|
Artichokes
|
Apples |
Almonds
|
Chickpeas
|
Asparagus |
Berries
(all) |
Brazil
Nuts |
Hummus
|
Bean
Sprouts |
Cherries |
Macadamias
|
Kidney
Beans
|
Broccoli
|
Cranberries
|
Pecans |
Lentils
|
Brussel
Sprouts |
Grapefruits |
Pistachios |
Navy
Beans
|
Cabbage
|
Grapefruit
Juice |
Pumpkin
Seeds |
Soybeans
|
Cauliflower |
Oranges
|
Sesame
Seeds
|
|
Celery
|
Peaches
|
Sunflower
Seeds |
|
Collard
Greens |
Pears |
Walnuts
|
|
Cucumbers |
Plums
|
|
|
Eggplant
|
|
|
|
Green
Beans |
|
|
|
Green
Peppers |
|
|
|
Lettuce
|
|
|
|
Lima
Beans
|
|
|
|
Mushrooms
|
|
|
|
Okra
|
|
|
|
Onions
|
|
|
|
Radishes
|
|
|
|
Red
Peppers
|
|
|
|
Sauerkraut
|
|
|
|
Snow
Peas
|
|
|
|
Spinach
|
|
|
|
Tomatoes
|
|
|
|
Water
Chestnuts
|
|
|
|
Zucchini
Squash
|
|
|
|
I
personally, take the Starbodies™ Psyllium Fiber
Capsules when I am going to consume a special treat
that might be considered a simple carbohydrate. This
way, I add fiber, in addition to the simple carbohydrate
treat, to make it more of a complex carbohydrate. This
fiber will slow down the absorption rate of the sugar,
giving my body more time to burn off the sugar, instead
of spiking my insulin and storing this excess sugar
as body fat! (Though, I do only eat simple carbs on
special occasions.)
What
is one of the major differences again between a simple
carbohydrate and a complex carbohydrate? The fiber.
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Protein
is needed for building tissue in the human body. Protein
is made up of amino acids. Your body can synthesize
11 amino acids itself, but then has to consume the other
9, which are called essential amino acids. There are
a total of twenty amino acids.
Protein is supplied from fish, chicken, meat, eggs, dairy, nuts, and Starbodies Whey to MUSCLE Protein Shakes.
(Also, some plant proteins can be combined to make a complete protein).
Protein
Choices Include:
Beef
|
Peanut
Butter
|
Cheese
(all)
|
Pork
|
Chicken
|
Tuna
Fish
|
Cottage
Cheese
|
Turkey
|
Eggs
|
Veal
|
Fish
|
Starbodies Whey to MUSCLE
|
Protein
helps build your muscles.
Like a tree needs water to grow, your muscles need protein
to grow.
If
you lift weights and train hard to build your muscles,
but then do not eat the adequate amounts of protein
to feed those muscles, they will never grow. Why do
all the hard work in the gym, then not do the easy part
by eating adequate amounts of protein to help build
and repair those muscles that you just tore down?
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Fats
are actually needed
in your body,
although you’ve been trained to think that fats
are not
good for you. Fats are your concentrated forms of energy,
which keep you satiated, or satisfied, for longer periods
of time, because they take longer to digest. Your
body will burn fat for energy, and protein to build
and repair, as long as carbohydrates are not present.
With any food, though, if you take in more calories
than your body can burn, you will store body fat.
Fats are also necessary for transporting your fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E, and K. There are three different types
of fatty acids saturated,
polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated.
Saturated
Fatty Acids
Saturated
Fatty Acids are solid at room temperature and are found
in:
Animal
products
(like
beef, pork, ham, veal, dairy products, cheese, whole
milk, & cream)
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
Vegetable Shortening
Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids
Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids are liquid at room temperature and are found
in:
Canola
Oil
Corn Oil
Flax Seed Oil
Safflower Oil
Soybean Oil
Sunflower Oil
Monounsaturated
Fatty Acids
Monounsaturated
Fatty Acids have shown to reduce your low-density lipoproteins
(LDL’s), which are the bad ones, and not affect
your HDL’s. They are liquid at room temperature
and are found in:
Almond
Oil
Avocados
Olive Oil
Peanut Oil
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