The low-carb craze is a very peculiarly one, mainly because it’s making many people fatter instead thinner. What people don’t know or tend to forget is that fiber that makes us feel full longer and most of the vitamins and other micronutrients our body needs to shut down its fat genes are found in carbs.
News flash, not all carbohydrates are bad for losing weight, and you should consider adding the following carbohydrate-rich, weight loss foods to your diet:
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes or potatoes in general, in particular, help control blood sugar levels and digest slowly when eaten, making you feel fuller and energized longer.
The starchy and tuberous vegetable (yes, potatoes are vegetables) are packed with fiber, nutrients and can actually help you person burn fat, as well as a wealth of carotenoids and antioxidants that stabilize blood-sugar levels and lower insulin resistance.
Beans
Largely composed of resistant starch that linger around the digestive tract, thus helping you feel fuller longer, beans can also burn fat. In fact, a study conducted by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that beans are rich in soluble fiber and can lessen the accumulation of body fat.
The resistant starch contained in beans protects the colon from DNA damage and eating beans on a regular basis (i.e. daily) has been proven to lower the risk of colon cancer by 20 percent.
Blueberries
And then there are blueberries… Long considered a ‘superfood’ capable of preventing diabetes and heart disease, blueberries are loaded with catechins, a type of natural phenol and antioxidant that helps activate your fat-burning genes.
A study at Tufts University discovered that people who consumed blueberries increased their belly-fat loss by 77 percent. Amazing, I know…
Quinoa
Quinoa, a grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, not only contains the complete chain of amino acids necessary for muscle building and weight loss, but can also shut down belly fat genes. It is also high in the amino acid lysine, which helps a person burn fat and maintain healthy bones and skin.
In a study published in a Food Chemistry journal, quinoa was found to have the highest level of betaine, a chemical that increases a person’s metabolism and deactivates the genes that encourage belly fat to stick around.
Are Carbs Bad for Losing Weight?
Potatoes, beans, blueberries and quinoa have carbohydrates — gasp! — but are among the best weight loss foods you can eat, largely because of their ability to make you feel full and energized longer, shut down fat genes and activate fat-burning genes.
Eating too much carbs is advised against, but are carbs bad for losing weight? Short answer: not if you’re eating the right food in moderation.
