If you ate beef burgers every day for a whole week or month, and you ended up with weight gain. Would you blame the beef or the refined carbs in the bun?
It’s easy to point fingers at meat and blame it for all our dietary woes, but bread can be just as problematic.
Carbohydrates like those found in bread can cause blood sugar spikes, weight gain, and even inflammation in some individuals.
We often live with a constant fear of;
- What to eat,
- What not to eat,
- Which alcohol is healthier?
- Does wine really help with digestion?
- Can I reverse my Type 2 diabetes,
- Why did I get this particular kind of cancer?
We can never get straight-up answers to all these questions.
What is bad about Refined carbs
Refined carbs, otherwise referred to as simple sugars, have most of the dietary fibre snatched off.
Refined carbohydrates can cause blood sugar spikes, weight gain, and inflammation in some individuals. These types of carbs are often found in processed foods like white bread, pasta, and baked goods.
They are stripped of their natural fibre, meaning they are absorbed quickly and can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
This can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and other health issues. Important is to be mindful of the types of carbs we consume and opt for whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible.
These refined carbs have a very high glycemic index, to means that their digestion happens very fast. This makes these refined carbs very unsafe for individuals with diabetes and those who want to lose a few pounds.
Refined carbs have a very bad reputation, when you eat too much of these refined carbs, they get stored as fat. That is why we get unnecessary weight gain. With most of that fat settling around the belly.
It’s s highly recommended to go for more proteins as opposed to refined carbs, when on a weight loss journey.
Too much-refined carbs will get you to obesity faster than the meats would. The body’s first energy source is glucose, from most carbohydrates.
When you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat, like in the Ketogenic diet, your body can burn fats and proteins for energy.
This shows that you do not need too much carbs, just enough to keep your brain functioning properly.
However, for weight management and for the management of most diseases like diabetes, there are healthier sources of carbs like fruits, vegetables (root vegetables), legumes, and whole grains like oats.
What is a healthy weight
To have a healthy weight is one goal for almost every individual these days.
When you suddenly add weight, there’s that tendency to look back to pick on one or two culprits. And just then, you discover the beef burger that was always on your menu for the past weeks.
The beef burger comes in as a good example, as we want to look at the refined carbs in the bun against the fat in the beef.
You must have gotten into a certain diet at one point in your life. With the huge hype of certain diets like the vegetarian diet, the Dukan diet, the Ketogenic diet etc., you’d wanna try out one.
How did you gain all that weight | Ketogenic diet?
The keto diet for example became too famous for weight loss, no doubt most people probably tried it out.
What makes the Ketogenic diet too unique, is the keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can help with weight loss and improved health.
It works by forcing the body to use fat for fuel instead of glucose, which can lead to rapid weight loss and improved blood sugar control.
However, it’s important to speak with a doctor or registered dietitian before starting any new diet, especially if you have underlying health conditions. Additionally, it’s crucial to ensure that you’re still getting enough nutrients and fibre while following a keto diet.
The Ketogenic diet was initially not designed for weight loss even though it surely does help a little bit in weight loss, as it can be extremely low in carbohydrates.
The Ketogenic diet also allows for a good amount of proteins, especially proteins of a higher biological value like those from animal sources, in this case, beef inclusive.
Meats like beef, pork, poultry, butter, sausages, and bacon plus most cured meats, contain mostly say keep your options open and blame them for the sudden weight gain.
Consuming too much of these foods may not only get you to obesity but also increase your risk of heart disease.
When you tell an obese/ overweight individual “Put down the fork” is not any different from telling someone who is depressed “Cheer up” It’s not just impractical but also rarely useful.
To keep a healthy weight, this is what you need to do;
- Keep your options open, make your options wide.
- Do your portion controls reasonably. Not too much and also not too little.
- Move as much as you’re eating, and be physically active.
- It takes time, don’t rush.
What is bad about saturated fats
Saturated fats have been linked to heart-related diseases. However, that is still in discussion.
Most meats like beef can have lots of saturated fats, The worst is that processed meat products like sausages, and bacon, which we have fallen so deeply in love with, not only contain fats but also too many additives like sodium and other preservatives that may not be healthy for us.
What this means is that overconsumption of these meats can quickly bring in,
- so much unnecessary weight gain,
- uncontrolled blood pressure, and
- even uncontrolled blood glucose levels.
When following a keto diet, it’s important to be mindful of the types of fats you consume. It’s recommended to focus on consuming healthy fats such as avocado, nuts, and olive oil. Rather than saturated fats found in red meat and high-fat dairy products. Consuming too much-saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease and other health issues.
Most snacks and take-out foods already contain too much-saturated fat, added salts, and even added sugars. And eating out in restaurants is one main culprit.
The role of most restaurants is to make profits, rarely do they focus on making you healthy. Learn to make your own meals.
On the brighter side, when you eat more of plant source foods, you may end up cutting down on fat.
To cut down on saturated fat;
When trying to improve your overall health, it’s important to consider cutting down on saturated fat in your diet. Consuming too much of this type of fat can increase your risk of heart disease and other health issues.
Instead, try to focus on consuming healthy fats such as avocado, nuts, and olive oil. By making these small changes to your diet, you can help support your overall health and well-being.
- Choose lean options of meats, dairy, and poultry.
- Enjoy your chicken skinless.
- Skim off any visible fat from meats before cooking.
SUMMARY
Yes, it’s possible that you could add some weight from a consistent intake of most meats, But also highly likely that you can add a ton of weight just from overeating refined carbs, too often than necessary. Both of these should be consumed in moderation.
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