This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Go clean with your carbs to cut body fat!

If you follow my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/chefvaleriecogswell), then you know I can’t stand diets! One of my least favorite fads is the no-carb diet. Carbohydrates are necessary to fuel your body with energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber, stabilize your blood sugar levels and prevent you from losing lean muscle mass. I eat carbohydrates every meal! The key is getting the right amount of carbohydrates every few hours with the right amount of protein and fat AND getting as many clean, natural, unprocessed carbohydrates as possible into your diet. Think fruits, vegetables, brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, salads, etc. Natural carbohydrates have a better effect on your blood sugar than processed carbohydrates like bread, crackers, pasta, etc. This is not to say that I don’t eat bread or pasta; I do. I try to eat only one low quality carbohydrate a day and aim for fruits, veggies and unprocessed carbs the rest of my meals. Take for example the meal in the picture below. Instead of using bread as my carbohydrate, I used fruit. I use this trick whenever I want to shred body fat and reveal more muscle and tone. This week and next, aim to eat only one low quality carb per day and natural carbs the rest of your meals..you should feel and see a difference!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?