Summer is here, and the trend of weight loss among beauty enthusiasts is on the rise again. Many people consider cutting out staple foods as a shortcut to weight loss, believing that carbohydrates are a nightmare for weight loss. According to a survey by a fashion magazine, more than 60% of female office workers consume less than 250 grams of staple foods per day due to concerns about gaining weight.
Are staple foods the main culprit for obesity? Can you lose weight successfully by not eating staple foods? Will long-term avoidance of staple foods harm the body? What staple foods or how to eat staple foods can ensure both nutrient supply and maintain a perfect figure? - I'm sharing this old article with friends.
Can you really lose weight by not eating staple foods?
1. Are you immune to staple foods?
Nowadays, many people refuse to eat staple foods when it comes to weight loss. They believe that staple foods are high in calories and only eat meat, vegetables, and fruits. Does eating staple foods always lead to obesity? Can you lose weight successfully by only eating meat or vegetables and fruits?
Answering this question doesn't require a high level of professional knowledge. Just think about it from a historical and geographical perspective. 30 years ago, Chinese people ate rice with big bowls and noodles with big sea bowls, but people were still thin at that time. Now the rice bowls are getting smaller, but people have more fat on their bellies. Looking at the world, most European and American countries eat very little staple foods, and many have even lost the concept of staple foods, but they are still overweight compared to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asian countries, where people eat staple foods diligently every day. Therefore, it is easy to understand without any professional knowledge that there is no necessary connection between eating staple foods and gaining weight; eating less staple foods does not necessarily make people thinner.
So, does only eating meat make you lose weight? It does, indeed. The premise is that you don't eat anything containing carbohydrates, including traditional staple foods and bread, as well as various sweets, cakes, snacks, puffed food, dried fruits, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and various fruits... Even drinking milk should be limited because it contains lactose. This will lead to rapid weight loss, but the problem is that once you resume normal eating, the weight will quickly rebound. Unless you are determined to live such a miserable life like a celebrity for the rest of your life, it is better not to repeatedly torture yourself. Experts have long warned that fluctuating weight can seriously promote aging, damage physical fitness, and be worse than being overweight all the time.
Background: The history of weight loss by avoiding staple foods
In the 1950s and 1960s, several popular low-carbohydrate diets that advocated restricting high-carbohydrate foods and freely consuming protein and fat appeared. Their theoretical basis was that when people eat high-protein and high-fat foods, they are more easily satisfied, and their food intake will decrease. At the same time, because carbohydrates are insufficient, fat cannot be fully "burned", and proteins will be quickly broken down, so the proteins and fats ingested are difficult for the body to fully utilize, and the "waste" of nutrients will promote weight loss. The popularity of these diets is mainly because the weight loss is indeed fast, and people are very happy when they weigh themselves.
However, research quickly proved that the so-called greater weight loss was only the result of water imbalance in the body. Although weight loss is fast, the body is also facing the risk of protein breakdown, increased risk of chronic diseases, and osteoporosis. The liver and kidneys also bear a heavy burden. At the same time, this kind of diet cannot be sustained for a long time because it is hard to tolerate a life without any starch food. In the 1970s, low-carbohydrate diets were popular for a while but soon declined.
At the turn of the century, the improved low-carbohydrate diet quietly made a comeback and gradually became popular within a few years. A large number of studies have shown that low-carbohydrate foods that provide sufficient vitamins and minerals can reduce weight relatively quickly compared to low-fat high-carbohydrate diets, and do not affect body composition, nor significantly increase blood lipids. Some studies even found that high-fat and high-protein diets can improve blood lipids. In this context, many people began to use the method of not eating staple foods to lose weight again.
Therefore, people who want to lose weight often hear advice like "eat less starch and sugar, as long as you don't eat rice or sweets, and eat vegetables and meat freely, you can lose weight." Many people have indeed experienced short-term "success" because of this, and their weight has continued to decrease for three months. However, unfortunately, their happiness did not last long because as soon as they started eating staple foods again, their weight quickly rebounded to the previous level.
In April 2005, experts in clinical nutrition, medicine, food science, and regulatory management in the United States specifically held a conference to discuss scientific issues related to low-carbohydrate dieting. Experimental evidence shows that low-carbohydrate diets can lead to rapid weight loss in the short term, and the rate of weight loss is slightly faster than that of low-fat high-carbohydrate diets with the same energy. However, this advantage can only be seen in the short term. From a one-year perspective, it has no advantage at all. In other words, it can only make people happy for a while, but it is not an ideal method for long-term weight loss.
However, what does successful weight loss mean? The internationally recognized success indicator is not rebounding for 6 months after weight loss. Unfortunately, once the low-carbohydrate diet is stopped, the weight will quickly rebound. Using this indicator to measure, using this method alone, it is almost impossible to achieve the ultimate success of weight loss.
2. Are you afraid of the troubles of not eating staple foods?
As the main source of carbohydrates, what impact will it have on health if staple foods are not consumed enough for a long time? Does it affect women's beauty? Some people are worried that not eating staple foods will make them dumb. Is there such a saying?
Not eating staple foods is a low-quality way of life in terms of quality of life. Research abroad has found that most people can adhere to a diet with less oil and salt, but find it difficult to stick to a diet without starchy staple foods and sugary fruits for a long time. In terms of nutrition, this kind of diet is imbalanced, and if it continues for a long time, it may cause various health damages.
Just think about it, people's stomachs always need to be filled with certain ingredients. If the intake of carbohydrates is too low, what are people eating? If fish, meat, and eggs are used to replace staple foods, it will inevitably lead to a high-protein and high-fat diet, which can cause electrolyte disorders, hypotension, fatigue, arrhythmia, ketosis, hyperuricemia, gout, osteoporosis, kidney stones, and kidney dysfunction. At the same time, a long-term high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet will inhibit insulin secretion, reduce insulin sensitivity, and ultimately promote the occurrence of diabetes.
Most women who do not eat staple foods do not increase animal products and soy products, or only increase a small amount of vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other low-carbohydrate foods. This will cause hunger and a significant decrease in protein intake, leading to a deficiency of various vitamins and minerals.
Many women have found that their skin deteriorates after not eating staple foods for a period of time. The previously delicate and smooth skin no longer exists, becoming rough, saggy, and dull. They also find that their hair falls out more and more when combing, and their previously soft and beautiful hair becomes dry or greasy. Due to low carbohydrate intake, "ketosis" occurs, and the breath has a smell of rotten apples. Among those women who only eat vegetables and fruits, some of them suffer from anemia, amenorrhea, ovarian atrophy due to protein malnutrition and inadequate iron supply, and even edema.
Many women also find that their memory significantly decreases after not eating staple foods, their brain's thinking ability is compromised, and some people start experiencing insomnia. Family and friends find them moody, irritable, and difficult to communicate with, which is actually a major side effect of not eating staple foods for weight loss.
3. Eat staple foods intelligently, eat while losing weight
What is the reasonable dietary structure for healthy weight loss? For women who want to lose weight, how much staple food should be consumed per day, and what are the considerations in terms of variety, combination, and cooking methods?
For healthy weight loss, you only need to reduce fats, sweets, and refined white rice, not completely reject all carbohydrate foods. All the necessary nutrients for life should not be reduced, and even increased, to promote fat breakdown, maintain beautiful skin, enhance female charm and vitality. By choosing staple foods wisely, you can reduce the energy (calories) in a meal, increase nutrient supply, and avoid feeling hungry. This strategy for staple foods can be beneficial and harmless, achieving both slimness and beauty.
In Western countries, many nutritionists advocate for a "grain-free diet", which does not mean that people should not eat any carbohydrate foods, but encourages people not to be obsessed with staple foods made from refined white rice and refined white flour. They should explore more sources of starch and choose foods with higher nutritional value and slower blood sugar rise to supplement starch. Only such starchy foods can provide better satiety, better prevent chronic diseases, and provide more nutrients and anti-aging ingredients.
Studies have found that soft and refined white bread, white steamed buns, white rice, white rice porridge, various biscuits, desserts, and sweet drinks are all foods that are not easy to feel full after eating, and make it difficult to control appetite. These foods not only have low nutritional value but also make it difficult to control weight. Epidemiological studies have found that compared with people who often eat coarse grains and legumes, those who eat more refined grains have a greater chance of gaining weight as they age.
During weight loss, the amount of staple foods consumed does need to be reduced appropriately, but it does not mean not eating at all. It is recommended that women with less physical activity consume 3 ounces of grains per day during weight loss (1 ounce of grains is approximately equivalent to half a bowl of rice). However, eating less staple foods will cause hunger, what should be done? This is where attention should be paid to the ingredients.
Eating the same amount of starch and energy, if the ingredients for staple foods are replaced with beans, whole grains, and potatoes, the effect will be different. A series of studies have shown that replacing a part of refined white rice and flour with starch from beans and coarse grains can greatly increase satiety, making people not feel hungry for several hours after eating. For example, drinking a large bowl of white rice porridge will make you hungry in less than 2 hours; while drinking the same amount of red bean and oatmeal porridge, the dry matter is the same, but it can last for 4 hours without feeling hungry. Eating a white steamed bun made from 100 grams of white flour does not make you feel full at all; but eating a whole wheat bun made from 80 grams of whole wheat flour will make you feel fuller than a white steamed bun made from 100 grams of flour. From a nutritional perspective, if you eat these staple foods made from beans and coarse grains and calculate them based on the same amount of starch, the content of vitamins B1, B2, potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients is several times that of white rice!
For those who have excessive intake of staple foods, especially those with elevated triglycerides, fatty liver, it is more important to control the amount of refined staple foods. On the one hand, use coarse grains, legumes, and potatoes to replace part of the refined staple foods, and on the other hand, eat more vegetables to fill the volume of food and increase satiety.
Tips
High-quality staple foods ranking:
Class A weight loss staple foods:
Red beans, mung beans, dried peas, dried fava beans, green beans, chickpeas, etc., which are rich in starch. They have strong satiety and slow digestion, resulting in a slow rise in blood sugar. The best thing is that beans can only be cooked into porridge or soup. It is difficult to eat too much without adding sugar. Due to their high protein content, it is ideal to partially replace grains with them during weight loss to help prevent protein deficiency-related problems.
Class B weight loss staple foods:
Oats, buckwheat, oat noodles, wheat berries, barley berries, black rice, millet, etc., which are coarse grains. Among them, oats and buckwheat are the best choices. Their satiety greatly surpasses white rice and white flour, and they contain several times more vitamins and minerals than refined rice. It is worth noting that most of the whole wheat bread and whole wheat steamed buns on the market are fake products, with more refined flour and very little whole wheat flour, and even a few bran decorations, which cannot achieve the effect of weight loss.
Class C weight loss staple foods:
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, lotus root, tender fava beans, tender peas, and other starchy tubers or vegetables. They have the characteristics of strong satiety, contain more vitamins than white rice and flour under the same amount of starch, have high potassium content, and can provide vitamin C that is lacking in grains. It should be noted that no oil or salt should be added when cooking, and only steaming and boiling methods should be used. It can be eaten as a substitute for staple foods to achieve weight loss effects. If eaten as a dish or snack, it will only cause weight gain.
In daily life, using ABC foods, combined with a small amount of brown rice, whole wheat flour, corn flour, etc., can form a rich and nutritious staple food combination that is not easy to gain weight.
Staple foods to avoid:
Various sweet bread, biscuits, pastries, pies, puffed foods, egg rolls, etc., as well as oily scallion pancakes, youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), fried pancakes, glutinous rice balls, fried cakes, etc. Staple foods with added oil, salt, and sugar will promote appetite. They not only have higher energy content but also have lower vitamin and mineral content, which is not conducive to successful weight loss.
Staple foods to reduce:
White steamed buns, white rice, white rice porridge, white dumplings, white steamed buns, rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, rice noodles, etc. They have low satiety, less vitamin content, and a rapid rise in blood sugar after meals, making it difficult to control appetite.
