By: Curtis Price

When you’re looking for healthy food choices, the two areas that you want to focus on are Protein and Fiber. The reason for these two food options is very simple and straight forward, they fill you up!

You see, protein along with fibrous vegetables take a longer time for your body to break down and convert into sugar. This gives them a lower “Glycemic Index”, which is essentially how quickly a food will convert into sugar. A clear example of this is eating an apple versus apple juice; the juice will turn into sugar almost instantly since it’s in a liquid form giving it a higher number. However, the apple itself will take longer to convert into sugar due to the fiber and your body having to break down and digest it giving the raw fruit a lower number.

The main reason why people can find themselves “snacking” all day is that their body is telling them that it’s hungry. The problem with the chips, cookies, etc is that once it is consumed, it’s converted into sugar very quickly causing a spike in their blood sugar levels and a very fast crash. This leaves them “hungry” causing the need to snack and munch once again.

When you consume foods with protein and fiber, the up and down cycle is essentially eliminated because you’re actually full. Think about it, fiber actually bulks up and expands in your intestines causing your body to register that you’re full much longer than say a bag of potato chips. Add a proper portion of protein to the equation and you have a one-two punch combo of fullness and satisfaction.

What I can’t stress enough is that is even though protein naturally has zero carbohydrates, that doesn’t allow you to eat as much meat as you’d like! Too much protein is not a good thing and should be eaten with a proper serving. As I am writing this, I just ate 10 chicken wings without the breading, and instead of the typical bucket of French fries that accompany them I opted for a garden salad.

Now granted, the french fries were very tempting. However that yucky, bloated feeling after the meal was not. I mean think about it the next time you’re out to eat or pondering what’s for dinner. That was probably at least 30 grams of empty carbohydrates I eliminated by cutting out the fries and a additional 60 with my two refills of diet cola I had adding up to 90 grams of essentially sugar in one meal!

Let’s take that one meal and duplicate those healthy alternatives over the course of the work week, Mon-Fri, and were looking at 450 grams of essentially sugar! Take that same modification over the course of a month and that’s 1,800 grams of carbohydrates and dare we look at an entire year and that’s 21,600 grams of carbohydrates or roughly 47lbs of sugar! WOW! I am honestly taken back by those numbers and had to call someone to make sure that I was calculating correctly and sadly I was spot on. Granted these are estimates but you can see just how easily it can add up. That example leads to my strong stance on making healthier LIFESTYLE choices versus bouncing from one diet, back to the same ol routine and on to the next diet.

I guess that looking at those figures from an optimistic stand point, one can say that by simply replacing french fries or any other potato side dish and consuming a sugar free beverage you can quit simply eliminate 47lbs of sugar throughout the course of a year.

Just as easily as pounds can add up, they can also be subtracted and that comes from knowing how to make healthier decisions. So the next time you’re out for lunch or thinking about what to make for dinner think fiber by way of vegetables, and Protein. Your waistline and loved ones will be grateful for it and you’ll be heading down that path toward living a healthier lifestyle!

Curtis Price
Eradicating Diabetes and Obesity ONE Bite at a Time!
www.whoathatslow.com