Rainbow Diet and Weight Loss

The predominant element that makes up most of the simple carbohydrates is white refined sugar. When ingested, simple carbohydrates rapidly raise blood sugar and insulin levels and then get rapidly absorbed by small intestine into the bloodstream. Due to high blood sugar levels, the brain signals the pancreas to secrete large amount of insulin to take care of the situation. High insulin causes severe cravings for the same type of extreme food. Sugar also causes rapid elevation in Serotonin a brain chemical, which is responsible for lightness and elevations in the mood, followed by a rapid fall. When serotonin levels fall, we experience low moments.

Ever wondered why you crave ice cream or a cake when you are feeling down? Well, now you know. As a Serotonin levels fall, Dopamine (another brain chemical responsible for brain energy) levels remain unchanged and high compare to serotonin, which creates feelings of anxiety, stress, physical tension and emotional distress, which is associated with hypoglycaemia. Now, we have to calm down and so we eat more carbs or sugar thus entering a vicious circle.

Consequently, the person never experience deep satisfaction. Eating simple carbohydrates has extreme effect on the body and mind; it tosses us around from one extreme emotion to the next. In addition, with dessert it is even worse. Most of deserts contain fat (cream or chocolate, etc) which also have to be metabolized. Now you have high blood sugar, high insulin and high fat. Usually you burn 50% sugar, 50% fat, but when glucose and insulin levels both are high, the body decides to burn only sugar to protect itself against elevated blood glucose levels. Instead of burning fat, the body stores all that fat! The overall effect of desert is weight gain, low energy and feeling of tension.

When we consume complex carbohydrates, like a bowl of whole grain cereal that is a complex food, meaning it is composed of long chains of sugar and bound within the food’s fibre. The sugars inside complex carbohydrates have to be broken free from both their chains and the fibre before entering the bloodstream. The breaking starts thorough chewing by the enzyme in saliva knowing as amylase.

In order for those sugars to be absorbed and utilize by the body, they must be broken down inside your intestine and freed from the fibre. All this takes time and efforts. Absorption of these sugars is slow and methodical. The sugars are broken free and taken by bloodstream over the course of many hours, which is why complex carbohydrates provide long-lasting energy. Also whole grains are rich in amino acid called tryptophan, which increases your brain serotonin. The long-lasting presence of serotonin provides us with a sense of well-being, optimism and balance.