O.K., I warned you we were going to make some adjustments! But be honest, up until now there have not been any really hard changes - have there? All right, then! We're just going to take another step toward a healthier lifestyle.
It's time to start eating more healthy breads and sweets. We don't want to cut them out completely, just make some changes that make it possible to continue eating them in a way that will cause your body to lose rather than gain weight. Are you with me? Good!
Since we want to focus on the foods that accelerate fat burning and avoid those that slow things down, it will be necessary to start reading labels. In order to really get the metabolism going, we will do our best to avoid foods and beverages that have refined sugars (aka The Dirty Dozen), as well as white, enriched and bleached flours listed among the first four ingredients on the nutrition label (not counting those in parentheses). Nutrition labels list ingredients in order by amount. So if a product lists sugar or "high fructose corn syrup " as the first ingredient, then it has more sugar in it than anything else! We want to start looking for foods made with 100% whole grains and sweetened with no-calorie or less refined sweeteners.
Enemy #1 of fat loss is processed and refined carbohydrates - sugar and white flour are at the top of the list. Sugar, whether it is straight from the sugar bowl, or in the form of candy, soda, or baked goods may have started out in a 'whole' or 'natural' form, but has been refined to the point that all of its fiber and nutrition was stripped away and what is left goes straight to the bloodsteam and spikes your insulin level putting your body into fat storing mode. Unbelievable, I know! So here is a list of things we want to watch out for:
THE DIRTY DOZEN
1. Sugar (sucrose)
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup
3. Brown Sugar
4. Dextrose
5. Maltose
6. Corn Syrup
7. Malt Syrup
8. Maple Syrup
9. Maltitol (Sugar Alcohol)
10. Matitol Syrup (Sugar Alcohol)
11. Modified Corn Starch
12. Corn Starch
Yea, I know! What's left? There are so many more choices out there now with low or no calorie alternatives like Splenda, Stevia or Neotame. And for baking, there are a lot more healthy substitutes like evaporated cane juice, whole fruit and fruit juices, raw or organic agave nectar, xylitol, brown rice syrup and Sucanat.
Now for the BREAD! The ingredients to watch out for are 'bleached, enriched or white flour'. Foods and bread made with 100% whole wheat flour and cereals made with whole grains are healthy, high in fiber, and aid in weight loss as well as the prevention of many diseases.
DON'T LET THE LABEL FOOL YOU! Just because it says 100% Whole Wheat on the front, doesn't mean it is healthy! Remember to check the first four ingredients. If it lists 'enriched flour' and/or 'corn syrup' there, than it probably has no whole grains and is LOADED with sugar!
Label reading may take a little getting used to, but you will soon become an expert "Label Detective", and will benefit in the long run. (Did I say "long run"? - Oh, we'll talk about that later! LOL!)
Before we wrap this up, I want to put out a little Disclaimer/Promo here: The basic information I am sharing with you here comes from Nutrition expert Robert Ferguson's "Food Lovers Fat Loss System", and I would highly recommend his weight loss regimin to anyone. What I have been sharing here is just a small part of what his program offers. All I am really looking to do is pass along some of the valuable health tips I have learned with a few friends.
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