Are You a Carb Addict?

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Many people have trouble understanding how their comfort foods – the breads, pastas, cookies and cakes, are contributing to their weight problem. It makes sense to people to decrease the fat in their diet in order to lose fat (which, surprisingly, does not usually help), but the connection with grains and sugars is not as easy to understand.

Grains like breads, cereals, potatoes and pasta convert easily to fat, especially when you eat too much. Also, you’re more likely to eat too much starch because it tastes good, is not very filling, it doesn’t trigger your satiety hormones (the hormones that tell you when you’re full) and has a pleasant texture in the mouth. Carbohydrates tend to be foods that "trigger" overeating for many individuals because they taste good and are comforting and they increase neurotransmitters in the brain that make you feel happy.

On the other hand, most people eat grains in the form of white flour, white rice, and pasta. These high-carb foods are processed and refined, which removes much of its natural fiber and vitamins. Fiber is extremely important in weight loss because it is filling and helps the digestive system to function properly.
White breads and pastas also have a high glycemic index, which means it converts to sugar (and then to fat) much faster. The result is a faster increase in blood sugar and insulin release. This release causes your blood sugar to quickly drop down, so you require another ’hit’ of carbohydrates to maintain your energy. Long-term insulin increase leads to greater fat storage and leaves you vulnerable to many chronic diseases.

Many people even have carbohydrate “addictions” which can lead to obvious problems like weight gain, but also to insulin resistance, diabetes and heart disease. Are you a carb addict? Ask yourself if any of the following statements apply to you:

1. I get tired and/or hungry in the afternoon.
2. I feel lethargic after a meal.
3. I have a hard time stopping once I eat my favorite carb foods (starches, sweets, snacks).
4. When I feel stressed, my first response is to want to eat something.
5. I can’t live without my favorite carb foods.
6. I have a tendency to binge.
7. I frequently crave high-carb foods (sweets, pasta, bread etc.)
8. I am a compulsive eater. I wish I could control my eating.
9. I am overweight even though I don’t really eat that much.

If you answered yes to any of these questions you are a likely candidate for carbohydrate addiction and unlocking your addiction will be part of the key to unlocking your weight loss.

Carbohydrate addicts need to minimize their grain and sugar intake in order to break their addiction. If you are a carb addict you should focus on getting your carbs from vegetables and small amounts of fruit.

If you eat grains, it best to eat whole grains that you cook such as brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, teff, amaranth, barely, oat groats, kasha. These whole grains require a lot of chewing and the digestive enzymes have to work hard to get through the different layers of the grain to break it down. Unlike flour based products (baked goods and pasta) which cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, whole grains are slowly converted into glucose and causes a more moderate increase in blood sugars. This is beneficial for you because it keeping blood sugars in the normal range is one of the keys to weight loss.

If you are a carbohydrate addict it is important to have the most accurate information available. Join the Enlita Weight Loss Program today and you will discover:

1. The best ways to curb your cravings
2. Carbohydrates that you can eat guilt-free
3. Many important ways to support your insulin balance
4. Simple steps you can take to prevent intense hunger
5. How to use healthy low-carb substitutions such as :

• Low-glycemic coconut flour instead of grain flour
  
• Shredded zucchini instead of pasta
  
• Nori wraps instead of bread

If you are a carb addict (like most people) we look forward to helping you break this vicious cycle and become free of your carbohydrate addiction for good!
Join Enlita today and start losing the weight tomorrow.

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