Lose 20 Pounds with Dr. Oz’s Carb Craving Cures
According to health experts, carb cravings are right up there with addiction to alcohol and drugs. Why is this true? It’s because carbs cause signals to travel directly from the stomach to the region of the brain that releases dopamine—a powerful neurotransmitter that is closely tied to the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. This in turn conditions the body to wanting more pleasure and thus—more carbohydrates. Solutions to this problem include healthy alternatives Dr. Oz offers that not only will curb your carb cravings, but can also result in a loss of approximately 20 pounds in a year’s time.
One misconception dieters have when it comes to carbs is that all carbs are bad when your goal is to lose weight. The truth of the matter is that it’s when you eat primarily bad carbs that weight management becomes a problem. Understanding what separates good carbs from bad carbs can help you enjoy eating bread and still lose weight.
Plant-based carbohydrates play an important role in your body. Examples of plant-based carbohydrates include vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes. They are the primary source of sugar that your body and brain needs to function properly. The sugars from plants come in a variety of forms that differ in how the sugar molecules are attached to each singularly and in groups of chains.
Simple carbs are made up of single and double-chained sugar molecules called monosaccharides and disaccharides respectively. Examples of these sugars are the –ose’s: glucose, fructose and sucrose. Complex carbs are nothing more than conglomerates of multiple chains of simple carbs (sugars). Starch is an example and is found in some breads, grain, pasta, beans, potatoes, corn and vegetables.
The difference between carbs that is meaningful to a dieter is whether the carb is digested slowly and whether it is nutritious. Although plain white bread and white rice are complex carbs, they are digested quickly, and nutritionally they are very poor because vitamins, minerals and fiber have been processed out of them by the food manufacturer. Starchy potatoes and fries are also poor sources because of cooking oils that add fat to the carbs.
The better carbs are those of pastas and breads made from complex beans and legumes that have had much less processing done to them before arriving at your local grocery.
Advice from Dr. Oz in choosing your source of carbs at the grocery store involves the following recommendations: