“When you combine an inactive lifestyle with a diet made up of mostly concentrated foods, the only place for all those unnecessary calories to go is around the belly.”
Unlike less concentrated foods like fruit and vegetables that have a high water content, legumes, nuts, grains and rice are all seeds and are concentrated in calories. Seeds are plants which work hard to produce their fibrous embryo, packing concentrated energy in the form of protein, starch, oil, and nutrients; they’re tiny storehouses for the continuation of their species. A practical advantage of seeds is that they store longer than water-rich foods, and per calorie, take up little space. A cup of dried legumes is equivalent to many pounds of carrots in energy, and if sealed correctly, can last for years. The disadvantage is that when you combine an inactive lifestyle with a diet made up of concentrated foods like grains and nuts, the only place for all those unnecessary calories to go is around the belly in the form of fat. The body stores fat for famine times, so unless you exercise or are in the healthy habit of fasting, eating mostly concentrated carbs can result in increased body fat. Consequently, if you love to snack on peanuts while enthusiastically watching the ball game, I would suggest carrot sticks more fitting for that particular calorie-occasion.
Be Honest With Yourself
People say to me, “Oh, I eat lots of raw food! Today, I ate two apples and some carrot sticks.” I ask what else they ate today, nosy soul that I am. “Well,” they muse, “I had a bagel, some noodles . . . that’s about it . . . No, wait! I did have a small—well two small pieces of Jane’s birthday cake. That’s about . . . no I had a couple handfuls of roasted cashews.” And it goes on. One apple has about 80 calories, making two, 160 calories. Carrot sticks, about another 40 calories, so that's 200 raw-food calories versus 1,800 concentrated calories. Reality check—10% apples, 90% cake, white flour and oily nuts: result, bad diet with an apple-induced clear conscience.
Although they are very good for you, be careful not to overeat concentrated foods. For those who are looking to lose weight or seek vibrant health, they are to be eaten in moderation. I eat about 400 calories of concentrated carbs two hours before a run or body building. Works great. The days I don’t run I cut back on heavier carbs.
Check out the following articles, I’m going to introduce you to a handful of top-pick concentrated carbohydrates; some may smell foreign to your wheat-congested nose. Break out and get a whiff of these highly esteemed foods. Fill your home with exotic fragrances, do something original, raise some eyebrows.
Let me challenge you on something. It’s easy for you to skim over the following nutritional information, I know because I do it all the time. Get to the good stuff, right? Well, invest the five minutes it takes and read carefully. If it helps, pretend you are one of your human cells. Think of it like a manual on how to assemble a strong cell. I hate reading instructions; I must humbly admit that many a Wal-Mart bookcase has been assembled, disassembled, and reassembled, while Stacy shakes her head holding back a, “if you only read . . ..” Shelves can be rebuilt without great trouble, but the human body is another story. All the nutritional information in these articles are nothing short of instructions. Following them will result in vibrant health. So check these beauties out.
Related Articles: Most Nutritious Concentrated Carbohydrates