Clear and Concise

Scott Schwab:

I received an email the other day from our friend Jason Reddick and I thought that it was excellent for anyone that is looking to have a guide or detailed information on the facts vs fiction as it relates to dieting and the types of food to eat. Check it out. It has very helpful hints for meal planning.

I want to express the importance of a low carb/high protein diet. The goal of this is to avoid raising blood sugar levels too fast. To understand how to avoid raising blood sugar levels too fast, you must first understand the difference in starches/carbohydrates and which some digest faster than others. The slower digesting carbs are better for keeping blood sugar levels low, which obviously means the faster digesting carbs will raise blood sugar levels faster and higher. Then you have some starch’s that are called “resistant starch” which means they are not digested in the small intestine at all, therefore they cause little or no rise in blood sugar.

Plants make their own carbohydrates and store them as “saccharides”, a fancy name for sugars. These are used primarily for energy in the body. As I explained to you before, if you don’t use a carbohydrate as energy, a small amount of it can be stored in the liver and muscle, however the majority of it will be stored as fat. This is the reason why you need to take your carbs in early in the day, and taper off throughout the day, taking very little if any carbs at night. By doing this your body will use the carbs as energy during the day and will not have an opportunity to store them as fat. Taking carbs in at night will cause them to be stored as fat because you are not burning them off during your sleep. Your body can get along fine with very little carbohydrates; however protein and essential fats are absolutely necessary.

*Here are some facts about some different food groups and the best way to incorporate them

Grains: (wheat, rice, barley, and oats), potatoes, corn, and beans are all high in starch/carbs. The way a starch/carb is digested in our bodies depends on how it is prepared. For example, by processing wheat so thoroughly (grinding it, puffing it, flaking it, etc…) we end up doing some of the digestion work before we even eat it, in turn causing the grain to have a faster digestion rate in the body. By doing so, this will cause the grain to turn into sugar within minutes of being in our body. The most rapidly digested starches are those made from flour and breakfast cereal because they have been altered or processed so much. This is why you need to stick to whole grains such as beans (not canned), brown rice, whole barley, or any other whole grain item. In other words, the less processed the grain, the better it will be for you. Note that “new potatoes” have a different kind of starch than other potatoes and are less glycemic, meaning they don’t break down into sugar as readily as others. As a guide when shopping you need to buy whole beans to be cooked from a dried state, as canned beans are more fully digested and a lot of the nutrients have been cooked out of them. Stick to brown rice, or other grains that are whole and intact. Avoid baked goods or anything made with flour. Choose specially marked low carb breads that contain less starch and more fiber. Avoid processed cereals!!!! Try to choose All-Bran or similar style cereals if you eat them.

Vegetables: When choosing vegetables, here is a “shopping list” of low carb veggies for you to choose from. Sprouts, Greens (lettuce, spinach), Hearty Greens (collards), Radicchio, Herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme), Celery, Radishes, Cabbage, Mushrooms, Avocado, Cucumbers, Asparagus, Green Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Peppers, Squash, Zucchini, Scallions, Brussels Sprouts, Snow Peas, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Onions, Okra, and Carrots. High carb veggies include Beets, Corn, Peas, Plantains, Potatoes, and Winter Squash.

Fruits: I will list some fruits from lowest in sugar to highest. Lowest: Lemon or Lime, Rhubarb, Raspberries, Blackberries, and Cranberries. These fruits have some of the highest levels of antioxidants which is good, although they are lowest in sugar. Low to medium levels include: Strawberries, Papaya, Watermelon, Peaches, Nectarines, Blueberries, Cantaloupes, Honeydew, Apples, Apricots, and Grapefruit. Fruits fairly high in sugar: Plums, Oranges, Kiwi, Pears, and Pineapple. Fruits highest in sugar: Tangerines, Cherries, Grapes, Pomegranates, Mangos, Figs, Bananas, and any dried fruits.

*It is recommended to eat any fruits at the low to medium levels.

Meats: Fish is the best choice, then white meat chicken, turkey, and last lean low fat beef.

Dairy: Low fat cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt

* Why do popular high protein diets work when others fail? Through dieting, the body experiences a negative caloric intake. To compensate it takes from both its fat stores and lean body tissue to maintain its energy requirements. To preserve lean body mass and lose weight from our unwanted fat stores, protein supplementation is necessary. Consistent protein intake on a daily basis with a restricted calorie diet is essential. To accomplish this, your protein supplement must contain adequate amounts of high-quality protein, yet remain low in overall carbohydrates and fat.