There is no doubt that the world is currently facing an obesity epidemic. Year after year we see a rise in the number of adults, and now even kids, who are being diagnosed with diabetes. A lot of blame is being placed on eating excess carbohydrates. While it is true that we are now eating more carbohydrates than ever before, have you though about what a carbohydrate really is?

Typically, when looking at carbohydrates on a nutrition label you will see two subcategories of fiber and sugar. This is where we get into the good carbs vs. bad carbs debate. One is very beneficial to our bodies and actually performs key roles in digestion, while the other may be responsible for many of our weight problems. The main issue is that the good one is consumed far less than the bad one.

Carbohydrates typically trigger a spike in blood sugar which will then trigger insulin. Insulin is a hormone that transports nutrients through the blood stream. The faster nutrients (carbohydrates in particular) flow through you blood stream, the quicker they will either be stored or used for energy.

Considering that many of us are less active and eat more carbohydrates per day than we should, that carbohydrate carrying insulin ends up being stored as fat.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that actually protects you from this blood sugar increase.

When interacting with fellow carbohydrate, sugar; fiber can do an amazing job of slowing down the rate of digestion. Sugars, such as fructose and sucralose, are called monosaccharides. Without getting too science nerdy on you, monosaccharide’s break down in the body extremely quickly, causing that blood sugar spike.

The key to losing weight is to regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels. Learning when and how much sugar to eat is a key to regulating blood sugar levels.

Here are some tips for you:

• Avoid sugars after midday.
• Always eat sugar with fiber (keep at least a 2:1, sugar to fiber ratio)
• Try to only consume sugar from fruits and vegetables. They have fiber built in so you will be all right.

The biggest no-no in the sugar-eating world is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Some scientists are blaming our overweight epidemic on HFCS; I too, am currently waging war against it. The food industry has begun to reduce the amount of HFCS in our food, but the numbers are still way too high. Watch this video to learn more:

John Fontana

John Fontana is a fitness professional and entrepreneur living in Los Angeles, Ca. He has worked with many top NFL and MLB athletes, as well as training some top celebrities. He founded Shadow Fit which provides personalized workouts and is set out to change the fitness industry.

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