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Carb blocker pills when taken are supposed inhibit the
release of a digestive enzyme called alpha amylase that breaks down starchy
carbohydrates such as white rice, pasta, noodles, cakes etc. This then prevent
carbohydrates or starch from converting into glucose and then becoming body
fat if not quickly used up quickly as an energy source.
The blocked and
unabsorbed carbs are then passed through the intestinal tracts and
subsequently excreted along with your bowels.
.
Recent TV news showed that various food brands are offering low carbohydrate foods due to public demand. That just shows
how poorly informed the public can be.
Carbohydrates and oils are the means that plants store energy. Few plant fats are saturated.
Fats are also compounds of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen, but in more complex structures than carbohydrates. The more
structural bonds, the less liquid is the fat at room temperature.
Such liquid fats are called oils. Hydrogenating oils creates more
hydrogen bonds to make liquids into soft or hard fats.
These trans-fats
are bad
for cardiovascular health. The "essential fatty acids" are the
ones that the human body cannot create from other foods, such as
proteins.
Proteins have many structures, but are mostly composed of Carbon,
Hydrogen, Oxygen plus Nitrogen. The essential amino acids are those
proteins which the human body cannot create from other foods.
Of course, foods also contain essential vitamins and minerals. Supplements of these can be beneficial, if not overdone.
High / Low Carbohydrate / Protein diets really miss the target.
Once minimal needs of each food type are met, the real issue is high or
low calories compared to those used. If you eat more than your exercise
can burn, you gain weight, and vice versa.
Carbohydrates as sugars are fine as nature provides them, but not
as refined and concentrated By humans. Like any source of calories,
excess consumption leads to body fat. The details will vary, but a five
pound bag of fresh fruit contains fewer calories than a typical candy
bar.
Supposed high protein diets are often filled with hidden fats. For example, consider ground beef.
In contrast, protein from plants, such as grains and legumes, has
much less fat than ground beef and none of it is saturated. Tempeh, an
Asian food made from whole soy
beans with careful fermentation, has more protein than an equal
amount (volume or weight) of ground beef, and also contains all the
essential amino acids.
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