Do you know which carbs are good or bad for you?
Losing weight can be confusing to say the least, knowing how to distinguish between the good and bad can take time.
A lack of awareness amongst dieters about good and bad carbohydrates could be impacting their ability to lose weight, according to findings by new naturally derived, clinically proven weight loss aid XLS-Medical Carb Blocker.
Only a quarter of those surveyed identified lentils as the energy boosting food group, complex carbohydrates. Wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread and fruit were just some of the other healthy carbs that dieters were unaware fell under complex carbohydrates. Perhaps more shockingly, well over half believed white bread was a healthy carbohydrate.
Confusion over carbohydrates means nearly 1 in 5 cut this food group from their diet when they want to lose weight. However this does not seem to be an effective slimming technique as over a quarter found they put the weight back on when they reintroduced carbohydrates into their diet. Consultant Dietitian to XLS-Medical Carb Blocker Helen Bond advises cutting out foods like carbohydrates is not necessarily the answer:
“Depriving yourself of foods that give you pleasure is one of the main reasons why you are more likely to break your diet. Most food groups have a role to play in a healthy, balanced diet and complex carbohydrates are hugely important for keeping up energy levels,” advises Helen Bond. “Refined carbohydrates such as white pasta or sugary foods like chocolate, cakes and biscuits will send blood sugar levels soaring and then crashing, which in turn leads to fatigue and low mood. If you are looking to lose weight swap white, processed carbs for brown ones such as wholegrain or wholemeal bread and unprocessed grains like brown rice, wholewheat pasta and oats.”
With over a quarter of dieters revealing carbohydrates feature in every single meal it seems this food group is the most difficult to cut back on. In fact, the research found the most common carbohydrates dieters can’t live without are:
- Bread
- Fruit and vegetables
- Potatoes
- Pasta
- Biscuits and cakes
Weighing up the benefits
Even though over 1 in 10 dieters have wanted to lose weight their entire lives, only 30% have reached their target weight. This ongoing desire to lose weight may not be surprising after the research further highlighted slimming down makes dieters feel healthier, more confident and more attractive.
Tagged in Diet Diet tips Weight loss