White bread -- get rid of the grains altogether. And, no, whole wheat bread isn't better for you:
So if we compare white bread to table sugar sucrose, white bread raised
blood sugar more. If we compare a whole wheat bread to white bread,
whole wheat bread raises blood sugar higher than white bread. And so
much higher than table sugar, and by the way, much higher than many
standard candy bars. So a Snickers bar is far better for you from a blood
sugar standpoint than two slices of whole wheat bread. So the reason for
that is the unique structure of carbohydrate in wheat. -- Dr. William Davis
Soda -- drink Tea, or water. Eat fruit. Fruit Juice isn't any better.
Peanut butter -- Replace it with actual nuts or nut butter if you must.
Well, like I said, those worked for me. Actually, the change in frequency and size of my meals probably affected me the most. It may not work for you, but it certainly does for me. It's not really 6-8 meals for me anymore; it's more like "eat when I'm hungry and stop before I'm 100% full" kind of deal and it works out to 5-7 small meals.
You don't have to drop red meat altogether, but I have for the most part (not to say I don't still enjoy a good burger from time to time). Red meat increases the risk of heart disease and doesn't provide the same nutritional value as fish.
As for the whole grain, I think you are only getting a piece of the difference between whole grain and bleached. Whole, unprocessed grains do raise your blood sugar higher than processed grains, which is actually a good thing if it doesn't quickly cause a blood sugar spike. That's what bleached/processed flour does. It causes a quick spike in blood sugar, so in that respect processed flour is more like a candy bar. Whole grains also provide more fiber, complex carbs, and nutrients that processed grains have had removed. In this article Dr. Weil went into some depth about whole grains and their glycemic index: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400088.
And the fruit juices, well yeah it's just a temporary substitute. Now I only drink tea and water, but I used to have much more of a sweet tooth that I would please with fruit juice. Have you ever seen the experiment where someone puts a nail in a cup of soda and another in a cup of fruit juice? The nail is eaten away surprisingly quickly in the soda.
Most of my dietary changes started after reading "8 Weeks to Optimum Health" which I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to truly improve their health.
Comments
1. If your metabolism and energy level is crashing throughout the day, change your diet, not the frequency. Look up intermittent fasting, and learn that this 6-8 meals per day is a myth: http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debun...
3.
Why drop red meat? Eat more fish sure.
White bread -- get rid of the grains altogether. And, no, whole wheat bread isn't better for you:
So if we compare white bread to table sugar sucrose, white bread raised blood sugar more. If we compare a whole wheat bread to white bread, whole wheat bread raises blood sugar higher than white bread. And so much higher than table sugar, and by the way, much higher than many standard candy bars. So a Snickers bar is far better for you from a blood sugar standpoint than two slices of whole wheat bread. So the reason for that is the unique structure of carbohydrate in wheat. -- Dr. William Davis
Soda -- drink Tea, or water. Eat fruit. Fruit Juice isn't any better.
Peanut butter -- Replace it with actual nuts or nut butter if you must.
Sugar... Hey, we agree on something.
Well, like I said, those worked for me. Actually, the change in frequency and size of my meals probably affected me the most. It may not work for you, but it certainly does for me. It's not really 6-8 meals for me anymore; it's more like "eat when I'm hungry and stop before I'm 100% full" kind of deal and it works out to 5-7 small meals.
You don't have to drop red meat altogether, but I have for the most part (not to say I don't still enjoy a good burger from time to time). Red meat increases the risk of heart disease and doesn't provide the same nutritional value as fish.
As for the whole grain, I think you are only getting a piece of the difference between whole grain and bleached. Whole, unprocessed grains do raise your blood sugar higher than processed grains, which is actually a good thing if it doesn't quickly cause a blood sugar spike. That's what bleached/processed flour does. It causes a quick spike in blood sugar, so in that respect processed flour is more like a candy bar. Whole grains also provide more fiber, complex carbs, and nutrients that processed grains have had removed. In this article Dr. Weil went into some depth about whole grains and their glycemic index: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400088.
And the fruit juices, well yeah it's just a temporary substitute. Now I only drink tea and water, but I used to have much more of a sweet tooth that I would please with fruit juice. Have you ever seen the experiment where someone puts a nail in a cup of soda and another in a cup of fruit juice? The nail is eaten away surprisingly quickly in the soda.
Most of my dietary changes started after reading "8 Weeks to Optimum Health" which I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to truly improve their health.