Eat Good Carbs for Health and Weight Loss

In my latest book, 'The Magic of Sensible Dieting', I explain that carbohydrates are not the bad guys that we thought they were. Carbohydrates are not only essential for good health and energy, they are incredibly effective for weight loss, contrary to popular belief. The only thing that matters is to choose the right sort of carbohydrate, as there are 'good' and 'bad' carbs. Focus on the good ones and avoid the bad ones as much as possible.

Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is essential for the proper functioning of your body cells, as well as your brain cells. Without glucose, you can't think clearly, you can't concentrate. If you cut carbohydrates out of your diet, you will feel weak, and your thinking will be muddled. Complex carbohydrates are the 'good' guys, because it takes time to break them down into glucose. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates are usually packed with fibre too, which slows the absorption of glucose even further, making them slow release energy foods. They will keep you full and your blood sugar level will remain even throughout the day. This will keep hunger and cravings at bay, and give you sustained energy. 

Simple carbohydrates are the ones to avoid. They are often found in packaged, ready-made foods, including microwave meals and canned soups. Most processed supermarket foods contain refined sugar in one form or another, and if you want to lose weight or maintain your current weight, stick to fresh foods as much as possible, and avoid anything out of a package, unless you read the label carefully.  Avoid white bread, white pasta and white rice, as well as sweets, candy, chocolates, crisps, cakes, crackers, packaged breakfast cereal, burger buns and biscuits. 

Go for whole grains: brown rice, wholegrain pasta, beans, whole wheat bread, whole oats, buckwheat, quinoa, whole rye, wholegrain barley and wholegrain corn. These foods are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, all beneficial to your health. They have a low GI (glycemic index), as they cause only slow changes in your blood sugar levels, therefore preventing diabetes and heart disease. Bad carbs usually have a high glycemic index, which means that their consumption is followed by a rapid rise in blood glucose levels, which is bad for you and predisposes you to chronic diseases. 

Fruit and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and good carbohydrates. Bananas in particular are an excellent source of carbohydrates, and they contain a lot of potassium too, which is good if you suffer from headaches and fatigue. Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils are high in fibre, complex carbs, but they're also high in vegetable protein and low in fat, which makes them particularly valuable. Legumes have been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes as well as certain types of cancer.

Include beans in your diet as they are a good source of protein and slowly digested carbs. Eat whole wheat or whole oats for breakfast, wholegrain bread for lunch and ad brown rice, wholemeal pasta, millet, barley or quinoa to your evening meal. Good carbohydrates are essential for health and vitality. They will help you lose weight, as they are satisfying and provide you with lasting energy.

With my best wishes for your success,

Bella

Life is a Voyage of Discovery

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust.

Infinity is something we cannot understand, as we tend to shelve everything into neat categories: people, events, landscapes. But there is more than one way to look at things. The possibilities are endless. 

Perception is a subjective experience, and our senses interpret reality in a unique ways. It's not the same from one person to the next. It's not the same from one day to the next. It's not the same, whether we're working or on a holiday. It's not the same depending on our mood, our frame of mind. 

With awareness comes a new appreciation of the world around us. Every flower, every blade of grass, every insect, every little animal can be overlooked as mundane and unimportant, or admired like a masterpiece, a miracle.  The world around us is full of mysteries and surprises. It is there for us to enjoy: awe-inspiring, ever-changing reality. The best things in life are free of charge: sunshine, rain, fresh air, and nature in all its magnificence and diversity.

We can experience infinite pleasure in becoming aware of the beauty around us. By cultivating a spirit of wonder and appreciation, we extend the boundaries of our world, and it becomes infinite. We don't need to travel to distant destinations to stimulate our senses and discover new landscapes. 

Today, imagine that you're someone from another country, visiting your place for the first time. What would you see? What would you think? What would you feel? Enjoy this day as though it were your first one on this wonderful planet.

With love,

Bella

Painting: 'Back yard discovery' by Donald Zolan

Why ketogenic diets are bad for you

As a Registered Nurse, I am very concerned about the current diet

fashion, which encourages KETOSIS to achieve ideal and rapid weight loss. This is probably the biggest 'con' promoted by the diet industry. 

Ketosis is a metabolic state that is unhealthy because there is an imbalance in the body. Due to the absence or lack of carbohydrates in the diet, the liver has no more glycogen available to provide your blood with glucose. Fat is broken down and used to supply energy to your body cells, but as a result of this unnatural process, ketones are created, and the body goes into starvation mode. 

If you go for more than 24 hours without eating, your body will start producing ketones as a result of your fat stores being utilised. In theory, this sounds like the perfect solution to easy weight loss, but unfortunately it is not. This system is flawed and dangerous, as it causes damage to your body and your inner organs. There is also a high likelihood of rebound weight gain once the diet is over and you revert to your previous eating habits. Actually, statistics have shown that most people on ketogenic diets regain all the weight they've lost within six months to a year!

As I point out in my book, 'The Magic of Sensible Dieting', rapid weight loss is not only dangerous but also ineffective, especially in the long term. Ketosis results when the body does not receive enough nutrients that it can convert into energy needed to function properly. 'Good' carbohydrates are actually essential for enhanced health, energy and fat burning, as they allow you to build muscle, while enabling you to reach peak athletic performance. Low-carb, high-protein and high fat diets like the Atkins Diet and other similar diets, are based on the ketogenic technique and they do work - but only in the short term. On top of that, you lose a lot of water initially, which gives you the illusion of even more dramatic weight loss - due to your body being depleted in fluids and electrolytes, which can cause further problems.

Once your body enters ketosis, you also begin to lose muscle, which is bad news, as all your hard work at the gym will be for nothing. You can't build muscle without supplying your body with energy in the form of healthy carbohydrates. Developing your body's muscles helps boost your metabolism, so you can burn fat more easily. Eventually, you will become extremely fatigued, weak, irritable and depressed while on the ketogenic diet, which only works because it makes you sick. The problem is that once you enter starvation mode, it becomes even harder to lose weight, as your metabolism slows down and weight loss almost comes to a halt.  This is how nature helps us survive food shortages and famines, which were frequent during our evolution as humans.

Ketosis can damage your heart, which is also a muscle. In the long term, ketogenic diets can lead to liver and kidney damage. Eating too much protein puts a lot of strain on your kidneys, and research has shown that it shortens your life span.  By exceeding your daily protein needs every day, you will destroy your kidneys, while not necessarily becoming slimmer. The ketogenic diet is also bad for your liver, which is not only the main detoxification organ, but also the biggest energy burning organ in your body. If you liver suffers, your metabolism will be affected negatively. Another setback is the risk of osteoporosis when eating large amounts of protein, as this type of diet causes calcium to leach from your bones, leaving them brittle and prone to fractures, especially as you age. 

In my book, I recommend that you include complex carbohydrates in your diet, to satisfy your hunger and energy requirements. Complex carbohydrates are the body's natural fuel and contrary to popular belief, they do not make you fat.  They will help you slim down and retain a healthy body shape, as long as you stay clear of all sugars, including honey and other sugar substitutes. Stay away from white bread, white pasta and white rice. Most manufactured products like biscuits and cakes contain lots of white flour, refined sugar and transfats, so stay away from them. Stick with fresh fruit and vegetables instead, as well as whole grains, beans, lentils and brown rice. Healthy carbs are also rich in fibre, which is another advantage.

The 'keto' diet can do more harm than good, even though it seems promising at first glance, and most people like the idea of being able to eat as much protein and fat as they like, while losing weight at the same time. But there is a price to pay and the price is way too high!

I hope this article has helped you understand why these diets are not good for you. For a diet that works, you can purchase a copy of my book, available as a softcover or ebook - just click on the lick at the top left of my blog or google your favourite online book retailer, like Amazon or Book Depository. 

With my best wishes for your success and wellbeing,

Bella

What to do when problems seem big

When problems seem big, don't despair... Don't be discouraged if life doesn't run smoothly, if things don't go according to plan. Simply be confident that your main struggles are in the past. From now on, things can only get better!

Arguments and disagreements may create a rift between your loved ones and yourself, but you don't need to dwell on what happened and foster regret. From now on, allow yourself to look forward to a new life of quiet contentment.

Be patient, especially when you fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself, or resenting the words and actions of others. What was said cannot be undone, but to keep going back to it is torturing yourself. These destructive excursions into a bitter past are something you cannot allow yourself to do. Instead, look at the present with your full awareness, and the future with hope in your heart. As long as you detect the danger signals, the negative thoughts that often crop up without any warning, you know that you're improving every day. When negative thoughts arise, shoo them away like flies, and immediately replace them with better feeling thoughts.

Say a prayer of gratitude every morning before getting up, and every night before going to sleep. This will stick in your mind, and pave the way for good things to come. God will give you His guidance, his light of wisdom and serenity in a world that often seems troubled.

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun." - Ecclesiastes 11:7

With love,

Bella

Painting: 'Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun' by Vincent Van Gogh