What are GI, slow and fast carbohydrates, calories, metabolism and GI

Cakes and cakes, sugar and candy, ice cream and pasta, white rice and bread, desserts – everything that beckons by its appearance and smell are simple or slow carbohydrates. They get their name from their structure. They have such a simple structure that it does not take much time or energy to digest these carbohydrates. They are also to blame for the fact that many thinners consider absolutely all carbohydrates to be the enemy of the waistline. 

In fact, this is certainly not the case. Without carbohydrates in the diet we will have no energy at all, and drowsiness, lack of energy and irritability will make any diet unbearable. So always include in your diet the main sources of energy – carbohydrates, but only those that are satiating, have a small caloric content and give the opportunity to move a lot or work and not get tired at the same time.

Let’s understand in more detail how some carbohydrates prevent us from losing weight and others help. 

Glycemic Index 

To distinguish between fast and slow carbs, nutritionists and scientists use the concept of the glycemic index (GI). Foods with a high GI are considered fast carbohydrates; foods with a low GI are considered slow carbohydrates. GI is also used to control the nutrition of diabetic patients. 

The glycemic index shows the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed. High GI foods include white bread, sugar, rolls, pancakes, potatoes, beets, honey, dumplings, and semolina. In general, all those foods that cause a sharp increase in sugar levels. Low GI foods do not cause sugar spikes, which means they are not followed by a rapid attack of hunger and are safe for the waistline. Avocados, brown rice, whole-grain bread, apples, nectarines, beans, mushrooms, soybeans and spinach have low GI. 

How are fast or simple carbohydrates absorbed?

Once in our bloodstream, fast carbohydrates are broken down in a few minutes. Then blood sugar levels rise and insulin is produced to digest them. The energy of such carbohydrates is released too quickly, and if you do not immediately spend 400 calories eaten in the form of a slice of cake, these calories will be deposited on your waist and flanks in the form of fat. Fast carbohydrates spike blood sugar levels, and then there is an equally spike in blood sugar levels. At this point, we feel a loss of energy and a false sense of hunger. 

Therefore, besides being overweight, fast carbohydrates are also dangerous for overeating. If you eat white rice, sugar, jam and cakes, you will want to eat all the time. If you eat a bowl of brown rice with vegetables or a chicken breast, you will have enough energy for a long time. 

At the same time, fast carbohydrates can be our helpers. For example, half an hour before a power or cardio workout you can eat a banana or bread with a teaspoon of honey. Such food will quickly give you energy, it is a great breakfast option if you are training early in the morning. 

In all other cases, fast carbs only cause bouts of hunger and deposit extra pounds on our bodies. 

Slow or complex carbohydrates

The name explains how these carbohydrates work in our bodies. Their molecules have a complex structure, such carbohydrates take a long time to digest and also keep us satiated for a long time. 

Slow carbohydrates contain fiber and starch. Fiber helps the gastrointestinal tract. The main sources of fiber are coarse grain bread, brown rice, fruits and vegetables, bran, legumes, almonds, and greens. Each of these foods may have a different amount of fiber. For example, bran has a percentage of fiber of 44 and potatoes have 2. Starch prevents spikes in blood sugar levels and is found in legumes, grains, and root crops.

Risk to the body 

Our body absorbs carbohydrates in the form of glucose. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin to digest it. People with impaired insulin production get diabetes. There are different types of diabetes, the most common being types 1 and 2. Sometimes the onset of the disease has nothing to do with diet and lifestyle. But those who eat a lot of simple carbohydrates have a much higher risk of getting diabetes. 

The pancreas may one day simply not be able to handle the amount of insulin it needs to produce to absorb sugar. Unfortunately, diabetes is incurable today. Those who have it must have their sugar levels measured every day and use artificial insulin to help them absorb the glucose. 

When and what complex carbohydrates to eat for weight loss

The best time for carbs is at breakfast. Slow carbs need time to digest, so dinner is not the best time for them. But if you eat them for breakfast, they will give you more energy and won’t accumulate as fat. 

Choose buckwheat, herkules (not instant), brown rice, durum wheat pasta, pearl barley, bulgur, chickpeas and lentils. In addition, these foods have a low GI, which means they don’t cause spikes in blood sugar levels. 

With these cereals and legumes you can prepare different dietary dishes. For example, white rice can be substituted for bulgur and brown rice in pilaf and stuffed cabbage. They can also be added to soups instead of potatoes, which have a high GI. Chickpeas and lentils can be used to make soup, puree soup, and cutlets. Perlovka, buckwheat, and hercules are porridges that can be eaten for breakfast every day.

The main enemies of our waistline 

There are food systems or diets that allow you to consume fast carbohydrates in the first half of the day. But such a dieting system is unlikely to help you achieve fast weight loss results. In addition, the habit of eating white bread, sweets or cakes is unlikely to help maintain weight loss results. 

Scientists have concluded that sugar is addictive, and also causes anxiety and affects fatigue too quickly. Sugar addiction is similar to nicotine addiction. Every bite of sugar makes us want to eat the next one. This is why we never stop at one square of chocolate and cannot stop until the whole bar is eaten. 

Therefore, a breakfast of sweets will only aggravate your diet, during the day you will have the desire to eat something else sweet, you will have to fight it, in one moment you may have a breakdown. 

Cook yourself healthy treats of dried fruit, eat more fruit and slow carbohydrates. If you completely eliminate white bread, sweets, sugar, and all fast carbohydrates, already on the fourth day you will feel lightness, a burst of energy. You will simply have no desire for sweets. 

Also, to overcome sugar addiction, it helps to be aware of what your favorite desserts consist of. For example, ice cream is fat and sugar. Imagine if someone offered you a piece of lard in sugar – would it be as tempting? Cakes appeal to us because of their appearance, and today there are so many recipes with figure-safe cakes, desserts, candies and even chocolate. 

Any food can be served beautifully, serve your breakfast, lunch and dinner, and try to eat leisurely. Instead of slices of beautiful cake or tempting bars of chocolate, think about your reflection in the mirror, which will very soon make you happy every day. And the lightness in your body will help you feel inspired by life.

Calories, Metabolism and GI

BZU is protein, fat, and carbohydrates within the body’s daily allowance. We usually find out what calories, metabolism and unhealthy fats are when it comes time to lose weight. That’s when many people make big discoveries. It turns out that one lunch at a fast food joint has the caloric value of an entire day’s ration, and a pound of zucchini has less calories than a cup of yogurt you ate for breakfast. 

For a half-hour exhausting HIIT workout you don’t spend more than 200 calories, while a glass of coffee with cream and syrup is worth 250 calories at once. We tell you what calories are, why you should eat protein, and why you shouldn’t be afraid of carbs and fats.

What are Calories, Metabolism, and Daily Calorie Allowance

Caloric value is a unit of measure of the energy that a food can provide. Calories are usually listed on the package of a product. In addition to calories, each product contains a certain amount of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. There are foods that have no carbohydrates or fats at all, such as egg whites. Or foods that contain only fats. These are vegetable oils. 

If you have never been interested in the caloric content of foods, you are likely to be surprised. For example, 100 grams of cucumbers has about 12-15 calories, and bananas have 89 calories. 100 grams of pork has 242 calories and 21 grams of fat, and chicken breast has 113 calories and about two grams of fat. Low-calorie foods can be made super-calorie if you add mayonnaise, fatty sour cream or sweet sauces to them. And a very fatty piece of cake can exceed the calories of a full and healthy lunch.  

Daily Calorie Allowance

We need calories to live, without them the body simply can not function. After all, even while we sleep, we spend calories. There is a daily calorie allowance for everyone, which can be calculated individually. 

How to Calculate How Many Calories You Need to Live

For men

Metabolic rate = 88.36 + (13.4 x weight, kg) + (4.8 x height, cm) – (5.7 x age, years)

Let’s take as an example a man 30 years old who is 178 cm tall and weighs 80 kg.

88.36 + (13.4 x 80) + (4.8 x 178) – (5.7 x 30) = 

For women, the formula is slightly different.

Metabolic rate = 447.6 + (9.2 x weight, kg) + (3.1 x height, cm) – (4.3 x age, years)

Deficiency and Surplus

If your weight is completely fine with you, then eat with your calorie corridor in mind. Some days you can eat 100-200 calories more, some days less. But if you don’t systematically overeat, the weight won’t go up. 

If you want to lose weight, only a caloric deficit will work. You will need to eat less than your body needs. In this case, the body will begin to burn fat that has had time to be deposited on your waist, flanks and hips. This is not a quick process, of course, unless you are going to arrange an extreme weight loss of 12 kilograms in two weeks. Set yourself up to work for a few months to six months to a year. It all depends on the number of pounds you want to lose. 

If you “malnourish” 300-500 calories, the results will appear very soon. In some cases, to lose weight, you just need to add physical activity, forget about sweets and saturated fats and not exceed your daily calorie allowance.

How Calorie Counters Helpful

Calorie counters are applications for your phone that allow you to keep a food diary. The app has information about the caloric content of most foods and their protein, fat, and carbohydrate content. You can enter your weight, height, age and set your calorie range into the calorie counter. Handy charts tell you how much you’ve already eaten and how much you can eat more, showing the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your diet. 

Calorie counters help you see a picture of your diet. You may think you’re not eating enough, and the counter will show you the opposite picture. A calorie counter also teaches you discipline and analysis of what you eat. By keeping a food diary, you can change your eating habits and make more conscious food choices. 

Protein, or protein, is the building material for our muscles. Protein is made up of complex chemical compounds based on carbon. When broken down, proteins are converted into specific proteins, which the body then uses to build new cells, to complete those that have been destroyed, to assimilate enzymes and hormones. It is protein that the body needs to grow muscle mass. And if you have decided not only to lose weight, but also to tighten the body, be sure to include protein products in your diet. Ideally, if a third of your diet will consist of it. 

What is protein in? 

It is customary to divide proteins into complete and incomplete. The first contain all the amino acids that our body does not produce. These proteins are found in meat, fish, caviar, milk, and mushrooms. The so-called incomplete proteins are proteins that we get from plant foods. 

1 gram of protein produces 4 calories, which means that the body also uses it for energy. But too much protein overloads the body

The first thing that comes to mind is meat. Indeed, meat contains a lot of protein (20-25 grams per 100 grams). Protein is found in dairy products such as cottage cheese and milk. Choose only lean meats and cottage cheese with no more than 5% fat content. Bake meat in foil without adding fat. Otherwise you will eat a lot of fat together with protein. 

Egg whites can be used to make omelets. In this case you will have few calories (the protein of one egg is about 20 calories) and a lot of protein. Add herbs, bell peppers, and mushrooms to these omelets to vary the taste. 

There is a lot of protein in legumes, nuts, and many cereals. Peas and beans, quinoa, soybeans (35%!), and peanuts have it. 

Protein is preferably eaten for dinner, but not late in the day. A baked chicken breast with fresh vegetables, baked fish with vegetables, unsweetened cottage cheese casserole or a protein omelet is a good dinner that will satiate you and not deposit on your waistline. Eat protein after your workout, too, to support your muscles. Be sure to drink plenty of water to avoid constipation. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the foundation of our diet and the easiest way to get energy. Carbohydrates are involved in metabolism and are part of cells. Excessive amounts of carbohydrates, unfortunately, turn into fat. 

Carbohydrates can be slow and fast. The former take a long time to digest, releasing energy over a long period of time. Fast ones instantly raise blood sugar levels, which is followed by a sharp drop in energy and a desire to eat again. 

There are diets in which carbohydrates are reduced to a minimum, but it can simply be dangerous and fraught with frustration. It is better to eat a balanced diet and exercise than to lose weight quickly, after which you will pounce on everything that contains carbohydrates. 

What are Carbohydrates in

Fast carbs are wheat bread, chocolate, cakes, pastries, cookies, and candy. Slow carbs are buckwheat, brown rice, durum wheat pasta, millet, corn grits. 

It is preferable to eat carbohydrate-rich foods for breakfast. They give a lot of energy and keep you full for a long time, which is especially important in the first half of the day. About foods that contain fast carbohydrates, for the time of weight loss is better to just forget. Because they will cause a feeling of hunger, and the energy that gives even one piece of cake is very difficult to spend. For this purpose, you need an active strength training or an hour-long jog at a fast pace.

Fats 

Fats, or lipids, are organic compounds composed of fatty acids and glycerol. Fats, like carbohydrates, are a source of energy. Moreover, the oxidation of 1 gram of fat provides more energy than the oxidation of carbohydrates. Fats are also a part of body cells, are responsible for keeping the body warm, and are needed for the absorption of several vitamins. During exercise and other physical activity, the body uses energy from carbohydrates first, and then begins to oxidize fats. 

Fats come in saturated and unsaturated forms. The former are bad for the body and raise blood cholesterol levels. The latter have a beneficial effect on the body and improve the cardiovascular system.  

What foods contain fats

Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, avocados, fatty fish, cheese, nuts and egg yolks. The avocado contains up to 80% of fats and vitamin K, this fruit has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and can be a good substitute for butter and mayonnaise. Nuts are another vegetable source of fat. In addition to fats they contain proteins, vitamin E and magnesium. 

Consumption of even vegetable fats needs to be controlled because they contain many calories. For example, a chicken egg consists of a protein and a fatty yolk. In this case, the caloric value of one egg white is about 20 calories, and the yolk of one egg is 80 calories. 
So, to maintain metabolism and get energy, he needs to eat 1843 calories a day.