With the prevalence of diets promoting low carb lifestyle, people are starting to clear their kitchen of carbs. But what many don't realize is that carbohydrates are macronutrients and are just as important as protein and fat for weight loss. Carbs, especially long chained complex carbs, provide us with energy and many important vitamins and minerals necessary for weight loss.
Here are five ways Complex carbs help you lose weight:
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1. They give you immediate energy: Carbs are the most preferred source of energy for your body. A diet devoid of any carbs will leave you very lethargic and weak, both mentally and physically. Unlike refined carbs, complex carbs is released slowly and constantly into our bloodstream, which prevents the sudden rise and fall of the blood sugar, preventing you from indulging in calorie dense foods.
2. They contain lots of fiber: Complex carbs are full of fiber which helps keep you full for a longer period of time. By preventing the sudden rise and fall of blood sugar, which can make you hungry frequently, the fiber content in whole foods that are rich in complex carbs, raise the sugar slowly. The fiber also keeps your bowel running smoothly and regularly. They get rid of bad cholesterol, stabilize sugar levels and aid weight loss.
3. They stimulate cognitive function: Thinking, learning, recalling … these activities take a lot of energy. Since glucose is our brain's primary fuel, without it we will feel exhausted and tired while doing any mental activity. A diet with no carbohydrates cuts off our brain's energy supply, and it feels almost impossible to even concentrate. Furthermore, it hinders the release of serotonin, making you more prone to depression and anxiety.
4. They boost our metabolic rate: A tactic popular in many fitness plans is cutting carbs. While this might reduce weight a little bit, a low carb diet will also slow down the metabolism, leaving you very hungry, tired, irritable and more importantly, it will cause muscle loss. Glucose, which is derived from carbs, is needed constantly by all our cells. When our body is deprived of this fuel source, the structure and function of the cells fail to be maintained, which forces our body to convert our own tissue into glucose. A low carb diet can only give you short term weight loss, but the side effects would be an out-of-whack metabolism with destroyed tissues and an overburdened liver.
5. They give you a good night's sleep: Complex carbs promote a healthy sleeping pattern by getting released into your blood stream slowly and preventing the sudden rise and fall of blood sugar, which can otherwise result in you waking up hungry. Furthermore, some foods that are high in complex carbs also contain tryptophan and melatonin that can help with muscle repair and a good night sleep. Sleep deprivation can affect your metabolism and lower your levels of hormone leptin, while increasing the presence of the appetite stimulant ghrelin. Complex carbohydrates solves that problem and keeps everything balanced.
Rather than slashing carbs completely, focus your attention to adding moderate amounts of complex carbs into your diet. This will contribute to a long term weight loss.
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