Find out how eating the right carbs can reduce your belly fat

Find out how eating the right carbs can reduce your belly fat

When it comes to losing weight, choosing the right diet becomes one of the most important aspects. With intermittent fasting and low-carb diets gaining a lot of popularity, carbs have earned a bad reputation amongst people looking to get rid of the extra inches around their bellies. However, not all carbs are bad and surprisingly some carbs even aid the process of weight loss. It all depends on the kind of carbs you choose to eat.

Complex carbs versus simple carbs: Which is better?

Complex or good carbs are the nutrient rich carbohydrates that contain high fiber and are used for producing energy for the body. While it’s loaded with nutrients, it keeps the blood sugar levels stable and avoids various types of health risk. On the contrary, bad carbs are refined carbohydrates with low fiber amounts that often lead to digestive problems and weight gain. It leads to spikes in blood sugar levels, which in turn ignites cravings and hunger for more high-calorie foods.

Eating the right carbs may aid in weight loss

Going on a low-carb diet may help you shed some kilos, but it can deprive your body of the necessary nutrients needed to perform other activities. Therefore, rather than cutting off carb-intake, resort to complex carbohydrates that are rich in fibre and help boost your metabolism. Besides helping you reduce some weight, you will also be able to keep off high-calorie foods too.

Fibre-rich carbs can reduce bloating

According to a study published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, it was found that people who consumed fibre-rich carbs experienced lower amounts of bloating around the abdominal region as compared to those who ate a low-fat diet. Therefore, eating carbs rich in fibre can improve your digestive health and reduce bloating significantly, which can in turn lead to a flat belly.

Good carbs help reduce visceral fat

Belly fat consists mainly of visceral fats which are stubborn and highly dangerous for your health. While these fats surround the organs in the body, it can lead to chronic heart diseases. That said, by upping your intake of good carbs and lowering on other high-calorie foods along with regular exercises, you can see a considerable decrease in the fat around your belly.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

 

5 acupressure points to reduce cravings

5 acupressure points to reduce cravings

For people trying to lose weight, the biggest challenge is to keep away cravings. Some of these people cannot lose weight because they cannot stop overeating. If you are also worried about the same problem, here is a simple solution.

If you can regulate the hypothalamus, the part of your brain that controls hunger, appetite, digestion and hunger hormones, you can lose weight quickly. Here are five acupressure points which can control your cravings. 

Abdomen point

Find the point two inches below your belly button. Now use your index finger and middle finger to massage the point in a circular motion for two minutes. Do this for two minutes every day. This point focuses on the digestive system and enhances its function by boosting your immune system at the same time. Massaging this point also helps relieve constipation.

Ear point

Place your finger on your jaw and move the jaw up and down. Then press the point where your jaw and ear meets and press for a minute. Doing this will help control your appetite and ease the stress related to the neck and back.

Knee point

Find the point two inches below your kneecap. You have found the right spot if the muscles move under your finger when you flex your foot. Start massaging the point and then press for two minutes.

Massaging this point helps improve digestion and nourishes your blood. Do this every day to beat cravings.

Elbow point

Find the point on the inside of the elbow and the side towards the ribs. Massaging this point stimulates intestinal function and helps remove the excess heat and unwanted moisture from the body. Press the point every day for a minute using your thumb to apply enough pressure.

Ankle point

Find the point two inches above your ankle on the inside of your leg. Stimulating the point will help boost your digestive system and help you metabolise your meals.

Use the thumb to apply pressure and do it daily. 

labels-acupressure points, reduce, cravings, stimulate, boosts, digestive system, metabolise meals, ankle point, elblow point, knee point, ear point, abdomen point, 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

 

7 Steps to Break Your Sugar Addiction

Most of us are aware that sugar is not the best substance to load into our body, but many of us struggle with breaking free from it - many of us are even addicted to it.

In fact, one study found that a greater neurological reward was provided by intense sweetness than by cocaine. Similar findings are also made when we look at withdrawal from sweetness as well, indicating that weaning off sugar may cause the same neurological symptoms as withdrawing from alcohol, nicotine, and morphine.

Additionally, we all face the reality that sugar is readily available in our food as a cheap fix for our cravings, 24 hours a day, in thousands of different venues and forms. Furthermore, we often use sugar as a reward and it’s the main food substance during celebrations.

So, given these studies and the vast availability of sugar, is there any hope for us? Can we really break free from the chains of our sugar addiction? The answer is yes, and it doesn’t include admitting yourself to a rehab facility for six weeks. The start of your sugarless healing can come in the shape of seven easy steps:

Step 1: Don’t replace real sugar with artificial sugar

In an attempt to provide us all with the sweetness we crave without the excess calories we dread, companies created artificial sweeteners. The first, saccharin, was discovered in the 1870s by a scientist at John Hopkins University.

He wasn’t actually trying to come up with a way to sweeten our foods, he was working on coal tar derivatives and some white substance spilled onto his hand. Later that evening, when he was eating dinner, some of the substances transferred to a roll, making it exceptionally sweet.  After this fateful contamination, the world of food has never been the same.

Artificial sweeteners have been blamed for a lot of things that ail us – but more recently, their effect on our ability to lose weight has come into focus. As it turns out, a lack of calories doesn’t always mean a lack of consequences. A study published in the journal Diabetes Care back in 2013 found that artificial sweeteners can actually alter the way the body metabolizes sugar.

A 2008 study found that rats which were given artificial sweeteners ate more calories throughout the day and gained weight as a result. The researchers carrying out this study found that the ingestion of artificial sweeteners essentially caused confusion between the gut and the brain. The author of the study stated that, “sweet foods provide a salient orosensory stimulus that strongly predicts someone is about to take in a lot of calories. Ingestive and digestive reflexes gear up for that intake but when false sweetness isn’t followed by a lot of calories, the system gets confused. Thus, people may eat more or expend less energy than they otherwise would.”

While these studies give incentive from a weight loss approach to kick the fake sugar habit, it’s what artificial sweeteners are doing to your sugar-laden diet that is most concerning for a sugar addict. Why? Studies show that replacing regular sugar with artificial sweeteners is like kicking your cigarette habit by switching to cigars. You’re still getting the sweetness you crave, so you’re not really taking away that sweet taste which is damaging your health.

If you stick to a no-sugar plan, your cravings for sweetness will eventually stop.

Step 2: Start an exercise regimen and add milk to your diet
Eating a lot of sugar has been shown to enhance reward mechanisms in the brain, thus making it hard to break the habit. For example, rats that were given sucrose wanted more of it and self-fed with it if it was available in their cage. This really is no different to an individual who keeps candy bars and cookies in their home or office desk.  If it’s there, and you have a preference for it, there’s a good chance that you’ll eat it, and you’ll probably feel pretty good after eating it – until you crash and need more. But what if you could replicate these feel-good effects through other foods?

Well, one study, for example, found that consumption of whey protein (a major protein found in milk) increased serotonin (a feel-good hormone that is associated with mood elevation). Other studies have found a link between exercise and increased serotonin production.

Step 3. Say “no” to fat-free products
Here’s the low down on fat-free foods. Fat gets removed and sugar gets added. This is because manufacturers are selling you on the fact that the product is fat-free, not sugar-free. Major culprits include fat-free salad dressing, cookies, cakes, muffins and peanut butter.

The solution to this? Buy full-fat salad dressings and peanut butter. The monounsaturated fats in them will actually help to increase your overall sense of satisfaction.

Step 4: Improve your sleep habits
A 2013 study found that our circadian sleep cycles have a whole lot more to do with when we reach for a sugary snack late at night. Another study found that when individuals were sleep-deprived, their reward activation centers in the brain were increased, thereby making it more difficult to say no to some candy. The bottom line is this – while diet and exercise help a lot with staying away from sweets, neither of them will be as effective if you don’t get enough sleep.

 Step 5: Keep healthy snacks close by
One tactic that seems to work is to keep healthy snacks on hand. Therefore, when you have an urge for a sugary treat, you can distract yourself by taking a few mouthfuls of something healthy. Figure out what your trigger is and have something on hand to distract yourself. It could be an apple, a bag of healthy popcorn, or even string cheese.

Step 6. Chew gum
A 2009 study found that individuals who chewed gum for at least three hours in the afternoon reduced their cravings for sweet snacks. While the study used a sugar-free gum variety, which contains artificial sweeteners, it nonetheless provides an interesting tactic to decrease your sweet cravings.

Step 7: Never forget the benefit to your body
If you remain constantly aware of the damage that sugar is doing to your body, you should be able to convince yourself to stay away from it. Remain focused and never forget that decreasing your sugar intake has benefits well beyond the perfect body.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement 

Source: huffingtonpost

Is carb addiction real? Here is all you need to know

Are you addicted to carbs?

Are you one of those who cannot resist junk food? Every time you walk by a bakery, you start feeling hungry even if you just had your meal? Or you cannot imagine your life without pasta or pizza? If you are shaking your head in approval with each question, you are addicted to carbs. It might seem like a normal thing to you, but carb addiction is a breeding ground for numerous problems including weight gain and cardiovascular issues.

What are carbs?
Carbohydrate is the primary source of food our body uses for energy. Made up of three primary elements like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, carbs help as a precursor to ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). When we talk about carb addiction, the first thing that comes to our mind is refined carbs like pasta, pizza and cookies. However, there are numerous healthy sources of crab-like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain bread, pasta, and rice. Every food items contain some amount of carbs.

Are carbs addictive?
Yes! Carb addiction is real, especially for the one that contains refined sugar, salt and fat. As per a 2008 study published in "Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews," a lot of people are addicted to carbs, which is a major obstacle to optimal health. Excess intake of carbs from grains and sugar in your diet can disrupt normal body function, leading to weight gain, rise in blood sugar level and an eating disorder. Another study revealed that eating high-carb meals stimulate certain regions of the brain that are linked with cravings and rewards.

Tips to deal with carb addiction

The first step to get over carb addiction is to recognise that you are suffering from this problem. Here are 4 easy way to get rid of this addiction:

-Rather than filling your plate with carb-rich food, eat more protein-rich food items. Both plant and animal source of proteins are considered good for health and will help you keep fuller for longer.

-Sometimes when you feel hungry untimely, your body might actually want water. Most of the time people confuse dehydration with hunger. So drink plenty of water.

-To get rid of carb addiction, you must first recognise your triggers. What you cannot resist at all- pizza or pasta. This will make it easier for you to avoid those trigger foods.

-Do not be too hard on yourself. Shunning carb is not an appropriate solution to this problem. Controlling is good, but do not shun carbs. Just be mindful and eat in moderation.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement