Your body doesn’t count calories the way you do. It organizes them to provide you with the energy you need and manage your blood sugar levels efficiently. This may sound a bit complicated, but just know that your body has a sorting system, not a counting system, for when you eat carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. No matter how many calories you eat in a given meal, your body behaves in a certain way.
Whether you have a 300 calorie burger or a 1200 calorie burger, the process of sorting, burning energy and storing fat is the same.
For example, if you have a sandwich or burger for lunch, or go to ballet or another dance class after school:
**Insulin messages your body (liver, muscle, and fat cells) to absorb those carbohydrate calories (a bun, cracker, or slice of bread) as glucose.
**And also messages your body to store any excess as fat.
** And worst of all, if you don’t want to gain weight, stop using fat as an energy source. And to store it instead.
Insulin is like computerized track switches in a train yard. It transports carbohydrates and fats to specific locations. You train him to do what he does, by eating a certain way over and over again.
Fat consumed in a single meal, healthy or otherwise, will get stored, not used as energy.
Calories from protein foods (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) send a different message to your body. Those calories tell your body “everything is fine”. Why? Because your body, which cannot make protein itself, can make many of the things it needs from protein. Now your body will switch tracks.
Burn fat button gets pushed! Your body runs on the protein stores you’re giving it up, and to be more efficient, your body starts getting rid of fat.
Growing children and young adults usually don’t need to worry about any of this. But, if they’re dancers, I know they do.
If you’re eating fast food on a given day, have a burger wrapped in lettuce. It’s a bit messy to eat, and has a high sodium content. But proteins and vitamins and minerals and fats will take a front seat to burn energy. Even though there will probably be some high fructose corn syrup in the sauce….not as much as the bun, and carbs from the fries.
You will be better able to digest protein, fat and a small amount of salad/vegetables without any carbs. Because it’s two different sets of digestive processes anyway.
Thinking outside the bun doesn’t mean adding plain flour or corn based wraps. Leave it!
Bringing home chopped veggies and two cubes of real cheese or a handful of walnuts… well, dream on. But you could.
Source by Dianne M. Buxton
