Many dieters view starch as the enemy, afraid to take a bite, but the more weight they lose, the fatter they become. In fact, you need to eat starch to lose weight, and you need to eat the right starch to lose weight in a healthy and lasting way.
Normal human metabolism requires carbohydrates, and both sugar and starch are carbohydrates that are broken down into glucose during digestion. Whether you are running or resting, your body needs glucose as a source of energy. Unused glucose is first converted to hepatic glucose and stored in the liver and muscles, and if there is any left over, it is converted to fat. Therefore, we should pay attention to the amount of carbohydrate intake.
“As long as you choose a good starch and eat it in moderation, you can make weight loss twice as effective with half the effort,” notes Dr. Xiaowei Chen, a food scientist and nutritionist, adding that not eating starch at all violates the body’s normal metabolic mechanism. On the contrary, there are several reasons why eating starch is more helpful for weight loss.
Top 5 reasons to eat starch when losing weight
1.Get lean and healthy and avoid ketoacidosis
Cutting out starch will cause the body to break down ketones, which can overload the kidneys and cause ketoacidosis if too many ketones accumulate.
Internationally recognized journals such as the Lancet have published case reports of ketoacidosis caused by the ketogenic diet in non-diabetic patients. The requirements of the ketogenic diet are to consume very little starch and to use fats as the main source of energy, but this diet is not suitable for long-term implementation. People who want to adopt the ketogenic diet must be very clear about their physical condition, and it is safer to do so under the guidance of a physician and nutritionist.
Patients with epilepsy on a long-term ketogenic diet often have diarrhea, constipation, nausea and vomiting, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, and kidney stones, and may also have abnormal blood tests, such as high uric acid, low blood magnesium, and low blood sodium.
In addition, improper weight loss methods that cause metabolic and hormonal imbalances will not only make it more difficult to lose weight later, but will also result in weakened immunity, susceptibility to colds, anxiety, insomnia, and confusion during menstruation.
2.Lean and beautiful without lowering your basal metabolic rate
The extreme starch-free diet, which initially forces the body to dehydrate to lose weight, will switch to muscle consumption when its own sugars are depleted.
“The worst thing is to consume muscle,” Chen said, adding that when muscle is consumed, the basal metabolic rate drops, making it easier for calories from food to be stored as fat on the body.
Basal metabolic rate is the minimum amount of calories the body burns at rest. Increasing muscle mass increases the basal metabolic rate, which increases calorie burning and helps to reduce body fat.
Weight loss requires a certain amount of carbohydrates to help the body maintain basal metabolism. Chen Xiaowei stressed that “muscle plays a very important role in basal metabolism, strong muscles, slim lines are beautiful.
3.The weight is not likely to rebound if you lose it for a long time
The body has a self-protection mechanism, and extreme dieting can give the body the illusion of starvation, so it finds ways to store calories and automatically lower its basal metabolic rate.
4.Leaner and more efficient, burn more fat after exercise
Exercise helps to lose weight, and the weight loss effect is better when protein and carbohydrate are added after exercise. Because exercise consumes glucose and metabolism continues after exercise, it is necessary to supplement with the right amount of carbohydrates to make the metabolic activity more active to burn more fat.
The ratio of protein to carbohydrate is 1:2 or 1:3, with a total limit of 300 calories. For example, a cup of unsweetened soy milk with a banana or an egg with a banana.
5.Have fun losing weight and make your weight loss diet last longer
Carbohydrates can help increase serotonin. Serotonin is a mood chemical that makes people feel cheerful and happy. When serotonin decreases, it causes insomnia and depression. Brown rice and oats contain vitamin B complex, which also helps serotonin synthesis.
Eating sweets such as carbohydrates will stimulate the secretion of curry in the brain, which can also produce a sense of pleasure. Chen Xiaowei suggested that you can set one day a week as a “happy day”, in this time to lightly taste the favorite foods, such as desserts. Not only can improve the mood, but also to avoid prohibiting these foods for too long, the emergence of retaliatory eating.
Eat the right starch, choose the right staples, and count the portions
Good starches include unrefined grains and root vegetables such as brown rice, oats, corn, red beans, green beans, black beans, peanuts, and potatoes. These foods also contain resistant starch, which is not easily digested and absorbed, provides a sense of satiety, and can promote postprandial lipid oxidation to reduce fat storage and aid in weight loss. Green bananas and pasta are also foods high in resistant starch.
The resistant starch in food will increase after cooling, but cold rice and cold noodles are a bit painful to eat, but baked peanuts are good for cooling before eating.
The real starches to avoid are bread, pastries, desserts, and other foods high in oil and sugar. Chen Xiaowei pointed out that these foods should only be eaten in moderation on “happy days.
What specific amount of starch should a dieter consume? This can be measured using a low or reduced sugar scale.
Low-sugar diet for active weight loss: strictly control the amount of starch, but at least 50 grams of carbohydrates a day to avoid affecting the body’s metabolism. For example, a strip of peanuts for breakfast, chicken breast and hot clear vegetables for lunch and dinner, and a good source of fats, such as eating fish for omega-3.
Gentle weight loss of reduced sugar diet: a day of carbohydrate control to 130 grams, properly distributed and consistent, after 1 to 3 months, the slimming effect can also be very significant. Chen Xiaowei said: “I have some friends who actually operate it and found that after a week the body has become relaxed and healthy”.