You can’t lose weight without eating starch! 2 tips to eat the right amount of sugar to lose weight

The word "starch" has always been regarded as the natural enemy of those who want to lose weight, as if eating one bite will make you gain ten kilograms. Many people avoid carbohydrates when trying to lose weight, and some even avoid them altogether. In fact, this idea is wrong! On the contrary, moderate intake of carbohydrates can help in weight loss. The key lies in the choice of type and the amount of portion. Today, nutritionists Huang Xiaotong and Cai Yixuan will teach you how to eat "sugar" correctly!

Importance of Sugar

1. Provide energy

1 gram of carbohydrates can produce 4 calories. When sugary foods are eaten, they are broken down by digestive enzymes into the smallest molecules, namely "glucose". Glucose is the main source of energy for all cells in the body, especially the heart, brain, and nervous system. This shows that carbohydrates are very important to the human body! It is an indispensable nutrient for maintaining health.

2. Save protein

When carbohydrate intake is sufficient, the human body will prioritize carbohydrates as an energy source. However, when carbohydrate intake is insufficient to provide the required energy, the protein in the diet and in the body will be consumed as an energy source, resulting in the inability of protein to perform its main function: repairing and building body tissue protein. Therefore, carbohydrates have the effect of saving protein.

Moreover, in the same situation, if the intake of carbohydrates is insufficient to provide energy requirements, the fat tissue in the body will also be broken down to supply calories. Partial oxidation of fat produces intermediate metabolites called ketone bodies, which, when accumulated in large quantities in the body, can cause ketoacidosis.

3. Provide brain energy

Glucose is the only source of energy for our nerve cells under normal circumstances. There needs to be enough sugar to maintain constant blood sugar levels so that the central nervous system can function normally. In addition, glucose is also involved in the process of memory formation in the brain, which can preserve or restore long-term memory, and especially enhance the memory and learning ability of healthy elderly people.

4. Maintain intestinal function

Dietary fiber and lactose are very helpful in maintaining intestinal health. For example, dietary fiber can absorb water and swell, combine with bile acid to promote excretion, lower serum cholesterol, delay gastric emptying to increase satiety, shorten intestinal transit time and reduce the contact between toxic substances and the intestinal wall.

Tip 1: Choose the right carbohydrates

Good Starch vs Bad Starch

Choosing good carbohydrates not only helps delay gastric emptying and reduce hunger, but also can stabilize blood sugar and promote bowel movements. The so-called good carbohydrates actually refer to complex carbohydrates. There is a very simple principle: as long as the food is not overly refined and is kept in its original state as much as possible, such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole-grain rice, oatmeal, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc., they are all complex carbohydrates. It is very good for health because it is rich in dietary fiber, resistant starch, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

You can get more nutrients by replacing refined white rice with brown rice or whole-grain rice.

The so-called bad starch refers to sweets, biscuits, cakes, etc. The extra sugar added to these foods has been processed and refined, so apart from calories, there is almost no nutritional residue. Therefore, consuming this type of sugar will only cause calorie accumulation. Moreover, bad sugar can also cause fatty liver. This is because consuming too much refined sugar will increase blood sugar, and blood sugar will be converted into glycogen. Excessive intake will store the excess sugar as triglycerides.

Biscuits and milk tea contain too much refined sugar. Eating too much will not only cause obesity, but also increase the incidence of fatty liver.

*What is resistant starch? *

Simply put, "resistant starch" is starch that is difficult for the human body to digest and break down. It cannot be absorbed by the small intestine, but can be used by the large intestine, similar to dietary fiber. Resistant starch has many benefits, it can help lose weight, regulate blood sugar, maintain intestinal health, lower cholesterol, etc. Foods such as whole grains, buckwheat, oats, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, overnight rice, sushi rice, etc. are all good sources of resistant starch. We would like to remind everyone that if your gastrointestinal function is relatively poor, eating too much resistant starch will cause bloating and abdominal pain. It is recommended to consume it in a gradual manner and increase the amount slowly to avoid discomfort.

Tip 2: How to control the amount

According to the picture above, you can decide how much starch you should eat in one meal and control the amount of carbohydrates. It is recommended to choose more unprocessed whole grains and root vegetables, which retain more B vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients. Try to avoid refined white rice, white toast, etc., because many nutrients are lost during the manufacturing process, and they only have calories and low nutritional value.