Carbohydrates are the single most important food you can eat.
That statement probably goes against everything you've ever
heard, so let me explain.
If you don't believe me, take this little test. Think of a
carb!
If you're like most Americans, bread, pasta, soft drinks,
French fries, sugar, and similar foods probably flew into your
mind. Yes, these foods are carbs -- highly processed and
refined ones.
And if these are the kinds of carbs you consume on a regular
basis, let me warn you, (unless you regularly run marathons),
you're most likely either overweight or heading down the road
to weight gain.
You may like them, you may consider them "comfort foods," you
may think that they couldn't be so bad since they are so
predominant in our current diet. But the biological bottom line
is that human beings have not evolved to metabolize these types
of carbohydrates.
They slow down your metabolism and contribute to every one of
the major diseases associated with aging including diabetes,
heart disease, dementia and cancer.
In most, cases they are also "empty" calorie foods-the worst
possible combination -- high caloric foods, low in nutrients.
They deprive you of vital nutrients as well as burden your body
with the task of digesting food molecules that aren't giving you
anything you need.
Eating them (especially in excess) is a prescription for weight
gain. But they're not the end of the carb story. If you're like
most people, you may not realize that the wide world of carbs
is actually much, much bigger than this limited crowd of
processed carbs.
In contrast, natural carbohydrates, which come to your table
just like Mother Nature made them, contain many essential
nutrients and specialized chemicals that turn up your
metabolism via newly discovered plant chemicals call
phytonutrients.
So you have a choice: use phytonutrients to spark your
metabolism into action, or drown your metabolism with
indigestible nutrient-poor carbs.
Our genetic nutritional template goes back 20,000 years. Our
ancestors foraged for wild food, like wild berries, grasses,
roots, and mushrooms to find life-giving phytonutrients that
all humans are designed by nature to eat.
On a recent vacation I found myself in a sea of phytonutrients
in the wild islands of Southeast Alaska. I was foraging along
with the grizzly bears for bog cranberries, blueberries,
nagoonberries, raspberries, and strawberries. These scrumptious
berries, bursting with phytonutrients, were smaller, richer in
color and taste, (and lower in sugar) than their domestic berry
cousins.
Here's a tip: The greater variety and the deeper the color of
plant foods you eat, the higher their concentration of
phytonutrients. The key is to learn which phytonutrient-dense
foods can prevent disease and promote weight loss.
Want phytonutrient power?
Here 's a small sample of the many superfoods that contain
these powerful phytonutrients: isoflavones in soy foods,
lignans in flax seeds, catechins in green tea, polyphenols in
cocoa (yes, chocolate!), glucosinolates in broccoli, carnosol
in rosemary, and resveratrol in red wine.
And there are hundreds more that can help you unlock the secret
to natural weight loss. All of these compounds -- and dozens
more -- will help you fight disease and obesity. These special
compounds literally communicate with your genes and turn on
messages of health and weight loss. They are key to the success
people experience in losing weight on a program I've developed
during my 20-years practicing medicine, called UltraMetabolism.
Before you reach for that Cinnabon, know that phytonutrients
only occur in whole, unrefined, unprocessed plant foods. All
vegetables (and many fruits) score high in phytonutrients,
while processed carbs, like bread and pasta, have virtually
none.
Here's a shorthand to distinguish between the metabolism
boosters and the processed carbs that will only weigh you down:
Anything that has been packaged or put through a machine is
processed (like a potato chip). Anything that comes right out
of the earth is natural (like a plum).
Don't let all the terminology -- high fat, low-fat, high-carb,
low-carb, high glycemic index, low glycemic index, complex
carbs and simple carbs -- confuse you. The key is eating whole,
real, unprocessed, food found as close to nature as possible.
Now you know why your grandmother always told you to eat your
vegetables!
Folk wisdom passed down the generations showed how to give the
body what it needs. In the early twenty-first century, that
wisdom is being confirmed in the research of leading edge
scientists. So you can follow these recommendations I offer
with total confidence that the latest medical science backs
them up.
This new science reveals why you should never do what some
ill-advised diets suggest: cut out all carbs. Not a good
idea-because you also cut out all the phytonutrients (and the
fiber) that only comes from whole plant foods.
Along with their obesity fighting chemicals, vitamins, and
minerals to accelerate your metabolism, most whole
carbohydrates are filled with healthy plant fiber to slow the
absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.
And for super fast weight loss, you'll want to eat some special
"super" fiber foods which I use as my secret weapon with many
patients who have had difficulty losing weight. Once you
incorporate them into your diet, you'll feel full, experience
steady energy, and will never be tempted to overeat.
Here's a guarantee: If you've been consuming highly processed
foods such as sodas, chips, and crackers, and you decide to
boost your intake of those powerful phytonutrients that I've
reviewed, you'll be taking the first step towards
re-programming your body for automatic weight loss and health.
My dirty little secret as a doctor is that I never treat
anybody specifically to lose weight; I simply help them become
healthy using these and other techniques and the weight
automatically comes off.
So remember, eat your carbs, but make them the right carbs!
About The Author: Mark Hyman, M.D. is a NY Times bestselling
author, lecturer, and practicing physician. Discover how you
can program your body to automatically lose weight and find out
what special super fiber can help by grabbing an exclusive sneak
preview of UltraMetabolism at
http://www.ultrametabolism.com/article6
That statement probably goes against everything you've ever
heard, so let me explain.
If you don't believe me, take this little test. Think of a
carb!
If you're like most Americans, bread, pasta, soft drinks,
French fries, sugar, and similar foods probably flew into your
mind. Yes, these foods are carbs -- highly processed and
refined ones.
And if these are the kinds of carbs you consume on a regular
basis, let me warn you, (unless you regularly run marathons),
you're most likely either overweight or heading down the road
to weight gain.
You may like them, you may consider them "comfort foods," you
may think that they couldn't be so bad since they are so
predominant in our current diet. But the biological bottom line
is that human beings have not evolved to metabolize these types
of carbohydrates.
They slow down your metabolism and contribute to every one of
the major diseases associated with aging including diabetes,
heart disease, dementia and cancer.
In most, cases they are also "empty" calorie foods-the worst
possible combination -- high caloric foods, low in nutrients.
They deprive you of vital nutrients as well as burden your body
with the task of digesting food molecules that aren't giving you
anything you need.
Eating them (especially in excess) is a prescription for weight
gain. But they're not the end of the carb story. If you're like
most people, you may not realize that the wide world of carbs
is actually much, much bigger than this limited crowd of
processed carbs.
In contrast, natural carbohydrates, which come to your table
just like Mother Nature made them, contain many essential
nutrients and specialized chemicals that turn up your
metabolism via newly discovered plant chemicals call
phytonutrients.
So you have a choice: use phytonutrients to spark your
metabolism into action, or drown your metabolism with
indigestible nutrient-poor carbs.
Our genetic nutritional template goes back 20,000 years. Our
ancestors foraged for wild food, like wild berries, grasses,
roots, and mushrooms to find life-giving phytonutrients that
all humans are designed by nature to eat.
On a recent vacation I found myself in a sea of phytonutrients
in the wild islands of Southeast Alaska. I was foraging along
with the grizzly bears for bog cranberries, blueberries,
nagoonberries, raspberries, and strawberries. These scrumptious
berries, bursting with phytonutrients, were smaller, richer in
color and taste, (and lower in sugar) than their domestic berry
cousins.
Here's a tip: The greater variety and the deeper the color of
plant foods you eat, the higher their concentration of
phytonutrients. The key is to learn which phytonutrient-dense
foods can prevent disease and promote weight loss.
Want phytonutrient power?
Here 's a small sample of the many superfoods that contain
these powerful phytonutrients: isoflavones in soy foods,
lignans in flax seeds, catechins in green tea, polyphenols in
cocoa (yes, chocolate!), glucosinolates in broccoli, carnosol
in rosemary, and resveratrol in red wine.
And there are hundreds more that can help you unlock the secret
to natural weight loss. All of these compounds -- and dozens
more -- will help you fight disease and obesity. These special
compounds literally communicate with your genes and turn on
messages of health and weight loss. They are key to the success
people experience in losing weight on a program I've developed
during my 20-years practicing medicine, called UltraMetabolism.
Before you reach for that Cinnabon, know that phytonutrients
only occur in whole, unrefined, unprocessed plant foods. All
vegetables (and many fruits) score high in phytonutrients,
while processed carbs, like bread and pasta, have virtually
none.
Here's a shorthand to distinguish between the metabolism
boosters and the processed carbs that will only weigh you down:
Anything that has been packaged or put through a machine is
processed (like a potato chip). Anything that comes right out
of the earth is natural (like a plum).
Don't let all the terminology -- high fat, low-fat, high-carb,
low-carb, high glycemic index, low glycemic index, complex
carbs and simple carbs -- confuse you. The key is eating whole,
real, unprocessed, food found as close to nature as possible.
Now you know why your grandmother always told you to eat your
vegetables!
Folk wisdom passed down the generations showed how to give the
body what it needs. In the early twenty-first century, that
wisdom is being confirmed in the research of leading edge
scientists. So you can follow these recommendations I offer
with total confidence that the latest medical science backs
them up.
This new science reveals why you should never do what some
ill-advised diets suggest: cut out all carbs. Not a good
idea-because you also cut out all the phytonutrients (and the
fiber) that only comes from whole plant foods.
Along with their obesity fighting chemicals, vitamins, and
minerals to accelerate your metabolism, most whole
carbohydrates are filled with healthy plant fiber to slow the
absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.
And for super fast weight loss, you'll want to eat some special
"super" fiber foods which I use as my secret weapon with many
patients who have had difficulty losing weight. Once you
incorporate them into your diet, you'll feel full, experience
steady energy, and will never be tempted to overeat.
Here's a guarantee: If you've been consuming highly processed
foods such as sodas, chips, and crackers, and you decide to
boost your intake of those powerful phytonutrients that I've
reviewed, you'll be taking the first step towards
re-programming your body for automatic weight loss and health.
My dirty little secret as a doctor is that I never treat
anybody specifically to lose weight; I simply help them become
healthy using these and other techniques and the weight
automatically comes off.
So remember, eat your carbs, but make them the right carbs!
About The Author: Mark Hyman, M.D. is a NY Times bestselling
author, lecturer, and practicing physician. Discover how you
can program your body to automatically lose weight and find out
what special super fiber can help by grabbing an exclusive sneak
preview of UltraMetabolism at
http://www.ultrametabolism.com/article6
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