Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have been given a bad rep' lately, especially with the recent "high protein, low carb" fads and promotional campaigns.

It's important to note that there are two kinds of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbs come from processed foods and foods high in sugar (donuts, pastries, or any other products made from white flour and processed sugar.) Complex carbs come from natural sources (whole grains, vegetables, most fruits) or foods that have gone through minimal processing (wheat bread and other whole wheat products, brown rice, etc.)

The fact is, your body needs carbohydrates for energy. Unfortunately, most of us fill it up with the bad carbs, which is inferior fuel. And, the results are pretty obvious.

The less processed the carbs are, the better they are for you. Brown is much better than white. Brown/unprocessed alternatives also usually have high fiber content - an added benefit.

If most of your carbs are coming from fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and cereals, and nuts, you're actually doing your body a huge favor. All of those foods have the added benefit of providing your body with nutrients that it needs to function optimally.

If most of your carbs are coming from processed foods (white flour products, pastries and other high-sugars foods, sodas, certain juices, etc.) they will often be turned into fat very easily, especially if they're eaten in excess. They will also fill you up (as far as "hunger" is concerned) without providing any of the nutrients that your body needs.

This is very similar to filling your vehicle up with cheap, inferior gasoline... obviously the performance will suffer, and the engine will be damaged over time.

If you really feel like having a donut or pastry today, have a little, and then make up for it by eating more nutrient-rich foods for the rest of the day.

Often times, we eat certain foods out of habit, not because our body needs it. We just have to retrain ourselves to make better choices, without sacrificing much flavor or taste. (Yes, it's possible to do, with a little bit of training.)

Protein

Every living body cell contains protein; and all body fluids, except urine and bile, contain protein. Protein is the main component of our organs, muscles, and the glands of the immune system. It is also essential for proper hormone function and immune system health.

Protein is also vital to your body. Make it a point to have some protein with every meal, especially breakfast. It's easy to do, and you'll find out how in another section. The best sources are egg whites, soymilk or low fat milk, fish, chicken or any other meat really. Go for the leaner cuts as much as possible.

Protein is pass to determining carbohydrate cravings. A RDA of protein for women is 60 grams a day. Protein is essential for most bodily functions and important for maintaining muscle mass. It will help to manage your weight by maintaining optimum protein intake to help avoid hunger. Protein is made up of small building blocks called amino acids. When your body takes in protein it breaks it down to these amino acids, which then go through your blood to all parts of your body.

Fat

Believe it or not, your body does require fat as well. But, very little is needed. And... unlike protein and healthy carbs, we don't have to go looking for fat. In fact, fat seems to find us most of the time. If you're eating healthy, even if you're a vegetarian, you're probably getting enough fat already.

The reality is that most of us need to cut saturated fats (from animal sources) from our diets dramatically. (Obesity is the second leading cause of cancer! Tobacco is the first.)

What we should focus on are certain fatty acids that many of us don't get any (or enough) of. Two great sources are fish and flaxseeds. You can also take fish oil capsules as an alternative.

As you read through this report, you will notice that some of the foods (like fish, nuts, seeds, etc.) are mentioned more than once - it's because they offer numerous health benefits and are therefore discussed in multiple sections. This is actually great because it allows us to eat a handful of foods and get almost every nutrient that our body needs. If I were to list 100 different foods for you to consume regularly, it would be very difficult to maintain a diet that provides all of those foods.

The above section on nutrition is just the basics that you should be doing. We will build on what we discussed above, in later chapters.

Labels: carbohydrates, fat, natural sex foods, protein