How to Combine Foods for Weight Loss

Hello, friend!

Do you ever find yourself hungry again shortly after eating? Many people come to me frustrated about this exact issue. They feel like they're eating the right foods, yet find themselves unsatisfied and therefore struggling to stay on track. I find one of the common causes for this hunger is people eating carbohydrates alone.

Weight Loss Tip #5 - combine carbs + proteins

Several years back, it was thought that low fat was the magic solution to heart disease and better health.

When people cut fats out of their diet, they immediately felt unsatisfied and hungry all. the. time. Even meats contain fat! People ended up eating less protein, less fat and feeling more hungry, so guess what they ate?

That's right, a ton of carbohydrates. The combination of increased hunger and higher carb intake lead us to see an increase in weight along with an influx of highly processed foods.

Carbohydrates have become quite the enemy in the "dieting" world in the last several years.

Now, I love carbs as much as the next person and today is not the day I plan to cut them out, but I do want to discuss how we can eat carbs in a healthier way to aid in weight loss.

Eating simple carbohydrates by themselves creates a domino effect that looks like this:

- Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, digested and sent to the small intestine quite rapidly. This causes a spike in blood sugar and causes your stomach to empty very fast.

- Following a simple carb, blood sugar levels surge and then plummet. If you'll notice, you tend to be hungry again in no time after a meal of primarily simple carbs.

- Due to rapid absorption, these carbohydrates don't keep you full as long as they would if you were consuming them with other food groups.

For example, if you combine these foods with protein or healthy fat, the digestion and absorption rate slows. You will be left feeling more satisfied for longer.

Combine your carbohydrates with a protein or healthy fat for more stable blood sugar levels and to better control your hunger between meals.

Of course, when you feel more satisfed after meals you will tend to eat small portions, limit snacking and make better choices at your next meal.

This week, let's work on finding ways to combine carbs + proteins for well balanced meals and blood sugars. If you're in need of some ideas, let me know! I'd be glad to help.

I'm here for you and I believe in you! See you next week for another weight loss tip.

- Miranda Castillo, RD, LD, CDE