The problem is that carbohydrates have got themselves the nasty little tag as a ‘fat storing’ nutrient. The fact of the matter is that if you eat too much of ANY type of food, your body will tend to store it as fat.

So, the truth is that of course carbohydrates CAN make you fat just like over consumption of any other food group. What you have to ensure is that you get your carbohydrates from the correct food group and in the right amounts. Let’s face it, your body needs all sorts of different foods in order to operate at full efficiency, so carbohydrates should not be anything to be worried about. As long as you stick to a couple of basic guidelines, you won’t go wrong with your carbohydrate intake.

First – Don’t eat too much carbohydrate. This should be a straight forward lesson to understand and put into action because it applies to everything you eat! If you take on board more calories than your body requires then you will start to store the excess as fat. Carbohydrates are a source of food for your muscles and your brain, but the body can only process so much at a time. You should aim to make around 45% – 55% of your total daily calorie intake carbohydrate based.

Second – Source your carbohydrates wherever possible from natural high fibre foods and whatever you do avoid refined carbs. All carbohydrates when broken down by the body end up as a type of sugar called glucose and this is what your body uses as fuel. However, your body is more efficient at breaking down some foods than others. As a general rule of thumb, the faster the body is able to break it down, the more likely it is that it will end up being stored as fat. This is mainly because your body may not be ready for the fuel at that point in time. It can only use
so much at a time remember? If it isn’t ready to use it immediately, then it will store as fat. Also, if your body absorbs a large amount of carbohydrate over a short period of time this can stimulate the production of insulin, which slows down your fat burning metabolism and so fat storage is encouraged and you also get the added side effect of food cravings.

As I said, avoid refined products such as white rice, white bread, sugary cereals and anything made from white flour. The refining process removes all the bran and germ turning the product white. The trouble is, that by removing these things, a lot of nutrients have also been removed making them more likely to be processed quickly by the body and stored as fat.

So, make sure you get your carbohydrates from unrefined sources, such as fresh vegetables, especially green vegetables, oatmeal, whole grain bread cereals and rice, sweet and normal potatoes, fresh fruit, yams, and low or non-fat dairy products. All of these items have all of their original goodness left intact and are broken down more slowly by the body when eaten as part of your normal meals.

This is “Myth #4″ in our “12 Myths of weight loss” series. To read the previous Myths, click on the following links -
Fat Loss Myth #3 – Lose Fat by Eating Less Fat?
Fat Loss Myth #2 – Lose Fat by Eating Less?
Fat Loss Myth #1 – Drop the Calories, Drop the Fat?

Hoodia, or known by it’s full name Hoodia gordonii has become one of the most popular supplements in the weight loss industry recently.It’s used as a primary ingredient in a number of weight loss pills, shakes, bars, capsules, tablets and syrups sold today. Hoodia gordonii grows as a leafless spiny cactus-like plant which is native to South Africa and Namibia. When growing it smells like rotten meat, but has been used by locals for hundreds of years to suppress appetite.

In 2003, Hoodia was featured in a report first on the BBC news, then on 60 minutes. The market for Hoodia then exploded and it went from having 3 products on the market to over 300! It has became even more popular following the ban of the widely-used but dangerous drug ephedra.
There are been no peer reviewed scientific studies that prove the effectiveness of the appetite suppressant qualities of hoodia i humans. Some studies have shown that it reduced hunger in rats, another study performed on humans showed that it reduced the calorie intake by 100 over the people taking the placebo – this study was not peer reviewed however. Hoodia hasn’t officially been endorsed by any medical journals or publications.

Since there hasn’t been any scientific studies that have been performed on humans, the safety of hoodia could be in question. When the drug giant Pfizer attempted to extract the active ingredient in Hoodia, the lead researcher encountered problems isolating the active ingredient. He stated “An early clinical trial indeed showed that hoodia could be a potent appetite suppressant. But there were indications of unwanted effects on the liver caused by other components, which could not be easily removed from the supplement. Clearly, hoodia has a long way to go before it can earn approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Until safer formulations are developed, dieters should be wary of using it.”

Keep in mind however, that Hoodia is a natural product derived from a plant, so is not tainted with chemicals or pharmaceuticals and there has been no horror stories regarding ‘hoodia abuse’.
The way hoodia works is that it leads the brain into thinking that there is enough blood sugar in the body. This could be harmful for diabetics because a diabetic may not be able to respond to the hunger signals their body is producing because the hoodia is suppressing them.

Hoodia’s only benefit is to suppress appetite. It isn’t a magic pill that will address overeating problems nor is it a pill that will build muscle or burn fat by itself. Your body burns energy all day – even when resting. The only way to increase muscle and therefore increase your fat burning efficiency is to exercise.

So don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can pop a few Hoodia pills every day and the fat will melt away. While that is being claimed on some websites selling Hoodia, most people trying to reduce weight need to use supplements as part of a holistic approach. That is, you need to combine supplements with a good diet which has plenty of fibre and plenty of exercise.

For more Information on Hoodia, you can check out these links:
Wikipedia
Does Hoodia Really Work?