It seems that lately, everywhere you turn you see the latest diet "shtick" guaranteeing quick and easy weight loss. From counting points to restricting calories to eating grapefruit and dropping bread, there is no shortage of books, tapes and programs to help guide you on this journey. Curiously, even with a multitude of weight loss approaches to choose from, over 60 per cent of the North American public continues to be overweight or obese. This begs the question -- is the weight loss industry a billion-dollar industry because it's working, or because it's not?
In order for permanent and successful weight loss to occur, the key messengers in the body -- hormones -- must first be addressed.
If hormones such as insulin, glucagon and cortisol are out of whack due to faulty food choices and stress, achieving a healthy body weight, high energy and normal blood sugar levels is very difficult, if not impossible.
Hormones and food
Carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes break down into glucose (aka sugar) and are the body's number one choice for fuel. However, pick the wrong type of carbohydrate repetitively, and you will begin to throw the hormone insulin out of control.
By consuming too many high glycemic index carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white sugar and white rice, blood sugar (glucose) levels spike, causing oversecretion of the hormone insulin. Insulin is secreted from the pancreas to lower blood sugar levels by opening up gates on cells, allowing the sugar to enter the cells.
When eating too many refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sugary products (high glycemic index "carbs"), blood sugar levels spike, sending a signal to the pancreas to oversecrete insulin. In a nutshell, excess insulin secretion facilitates the excess storage of fat.
(Click here for healthy low-glycemic recipes)
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