Making the most of the good carbs

If you have been following the Summer Body Challenge meal plans, you should be starting to feel less bloated and more energetic.

And if you’ve stepped on the scales to check your weight, you have probably dropped a few lbs in the process.

This is down to eliminating sugar and eating the better types of carbohydrates.

It’s the bad carbs (refined sugars) like jams, sweets and sugary food that make you hold onto body fat!

But, the good carbs like wholegrains, oats and quinoa are the ones that give us the energy and fuel required for the workouts.

The carbohydrates below are natural products and are included in the Summer Body Challenge meal plans.

This makes them a good energy source, as well as a good source of dietary fibre, vita-

mins and minerals. GOOD CARBOHYDRATES

Wholemeal & Wholegrain Products Wholegrain Rice Fresh & Frozen Vegetables Sweet Potatoes Pulses Quinoa Soy Beans Lentils Peas Kidney Beans Black Eyed Peas

Eating the wrong types kinds of carbohydrates, like the ones below will cause you to have very unstable blood sugar levels.

One minute you will have very high blood sugar levels, the next you will have very low levels.

You then often continue to eat these types of carbohydrates, as the low blood sugar levels leave you feeling tired and hungry.

This causes you to eat more refined carbs and be left in this vicious circle.

During this cycle, only a very small amount of carbohydrate is actually used for energy.

Meaning that a large percentage of the carbohydrates you eat are stored as body fat.

For that reason, you should remove refined sugars from your diet, or drastically reduce the amount that you eat. BAD CARBOHYDRATES (REFINED SUGARS)

White bread White rice Pasta Cakes Biscuits Pastries Sweetened yoghurts Tortillas Fruit juice concentrates White potato Chocolate Crisps

A further note is that continuing to eat these types of carbohydrates will also cause you to be at greater risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

If you’re following the meal

plans that I have been providing, you have nothing to worry about.

I have eliminated refined sugars from the meal plans and included just the right amount of good carbohydrates, so that you will have lots of energy to workout and start burning fat instead of storing it. CHECKLIST FOR WEEK 4

Download week 4 meal l plans at www.eastcoast-fitness.com/summerbodychallenege

Go get your shopping in and l stock your cupboards/fridge with the healthy foods.

Get rid of any processed, l sugary foods that may have found their way into your cupboards over the last week to remove any temptations.

Make sure you drink at least l two litres of water every day.

Complete this week’s workout l at least three times before next Wednesday.