On top of all this you aren’t giving your body all of the nutrients you need.  Foods that contain refined sugar, processed flour, chemicals, preservatives, and additives have almost no nutrient value.  Even though you may be eating large quantities, if you are eating mostly “bad carbs” your body still craves more food to try to get the nutrients it requires to function properly.

I recommend choosing organic low-glycemic carbs like raw, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, whole fruits, nuts and seeds, along with whole grains that are never refined like barley, brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal wild rice.  As far as your fats go choose healthy saturated fats such as virgin coconut oil, and get your fiber with flax meal.   Also try to drink water instead of carbonated soda and sugary drinks which will also make your body work harder than it should.

Try to stay away from white breads, and processed snacks, foods that have refined sugar and white flour.  Instant foods like instant rices, and oatmeal are also not a great idea while caffeine when drunk stops healthy blood sugar control

So please don’t cut carbohydrates out of your diet completely.  Just be smart about what typ of carbs you eat.  Get a good balance of good carbs, proteins,and fats.

There are carbs that are good for you, and these are carbs that are low-glycemic foods that gradually increase your blood sugar levels over time.  This is much less stress for the pancreas.   Unlike bad carbs, they are whole foods packed with nutrients that the body needs to function.  Good carbs are best when eaten in their natural, raw state.

Another great thing is that good carbs tend to have less calories than bad carbs so you can actually eat more food, which surprises many people trying to lose weight.  For example you can eat a whole apple or banana as opposed to one bite of a white bread dinner roll.  Which makes sense when you think that most bad carbs are defines as non-nutritive, high-glycemic foods that spike your blood sugar too rapidly.  These include heavily processed foods that contain refined sugar, refined white flour, additives, chemicals, and preservatives.

Bad carbohydrates, in the end, will cause you to gain weight.  When you put to many empty calories in your body you are giving your body too much energy from high-glycemic carbs and the energy has to go somewhere.  Any idea where it goes?  It is stored as fat!  Yuck!  These excess fat stores put you at increased risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, and many other chronic conditions.

There are so many different theories about whether carbohydrates are good for us or not and it’s a pretty hot topic when it comes to nutrition.  The high-protein, low-carb diet fads like the Atkins Diet, have produced desirable results for many who have been unable to shed unwanted weight in the past.  However, this temporary result has fooled many people into believing that severely restricting carbs is the answer to weight loss.  While initially it may work, most people can’t keep up with the severe carb restriction.  Once they reintroduce carbs into their diet, they gain the weight back, and add on more pounds than ever before.

A strict, high-protein diet is only a quick fix the problem.  Restricting carbs is not the answer. It’s actually unhealthy in the long run to severely restrict carbohydrates from your diet.  A  healthy balance is best as optimal nutrition and an ideal body weight require good fats, good proteins, and good carbohydrates.

That in itself is the problem.  It’s not carbs in general.  It’s the type of carbohydrates that most Americans are ingesting.  Most Americans diets are overloaded with non-nutritive carbohydrates, such as refined sugar, white flour, and heavily processed foods that have been stripped of their nutrition.  As a result, the calorie consumption of many Americans has gone up dramatically, while the nutrient value has gone down.  The unused calories that are not burned up by the body are stored as fat.  As a result, many people feel hungry, have more cravings, and eat more and aren’t getting adequate nutrition.  This sets the stage for chronic problems with obesity, diabetes, hormone imbalances, and significant nutrient deficiencies that lead to chronic conditions.

Vitamin B1: is essential in providing your body with the energy you need through the metabolism of carbohydrates and protein. It is also required for the processing of alcohol.

Energy is something that a lot of us today are lacking. Dragging ourselves out of bed, in to the shower and off to work. And most of us will run to the nearest Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for our much needed energy boost that completely fizzles out by the early afternoon.

Instead of drinking your short lived energy with all the extra calories and sugar, why not take a more natural route. There are many healthy foods that contain Vitamin B1, giving you the energy you’ll need to get you through the day.

Check out our healthy food list below:
Raw sunflower seeds (1/4 cup, 205 calories)
54 percent daily value
Cooked yellowfin tuna (4 ounces, 157 calories)
38 percent daily value
Cooked black beans (1 cup, 227 calories)
28 percent daily value
Cooked corn (1 cup, 177 calories)
24 percent daily value
Sesame seeds (1/4 cup, 206 calories)
18 percent daily value
Oatmeal (1 cup, 145 calories)
17 percent daily value
Cooked asparagus (1 cup, 43 calories)
14 percent daily value
Brussels sprouts (1 cup, 60 calories)
11 percent daily value
Cooked spinach (1 cup, 41 calories)
11 percent daily value
Pineapple (1 cup, 76 calories)
9 percent daily value

Original Source: Men’s Health

Check out tomorrows Healthy Food List for Vitamin B6

To read part 1 of this series on Vitamin A click here.