GOOD TO KNOW!!!

Do you know what Starch is?

Yes, it's the stuff you put in your gravy to thicken it up - but do you know what it REALLY is?

I didn't either until
I did some research today... And I can't WAIT to share with you what I found out...

Ever notice how on the NUTRITION FACTS of your food, they don't list the grams of Starch? That's because if you take the Carb grams and minus the Fiber grams, it equals the Starch grams! WHAT?! 

Yep, that's what I said...

But wait, there's MORE!

STARCH is what breaks down to sugar in your body, this is what increases your glycemic index, a high glycemic index equals unnecessary body bulge in that famous 3-letter word... FAT. 

Starch is not the best sugar if you couldn't guess. 

To maintain a healthy balance, avoiding sugars and starches are key - but wait until you fully understand why and how to find a balance without feeling deprived!

So to back up a bit, lets

go over carbs - thanks to My Net Diary, they clearly explained the following:

What Are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are organic compounds that contain single, double, or multiple sugar units.  Simple sugars are only one or two sugar units long and are typically sweet tasting. Whereas complex carbohydrates are thousands of sugar units long and have a starchy taste. For more information about the chemistry of carbs, see Biology Online. 

Simple Sugars - Milk, Fruit, Honey, Natural Juice, Syrups - Maple, Agave 

Complex Carbs - Starchy veggies (potatoes, corn, peas, dried beans/peas); Grains and grain products (anything made with grain flour - bread, pasta, cereal, etc.), Fiber (bran, gums, cellulose, etc.) 

All digestible simple sugars and starches eventually get converted to glucose in our body. Most types of cells use glucose as their main fuel source. After we eat sugars or starches, our blood glucose level rises. This signals our body to produce insulin, a hormone, so that cells can take the glucose out of the bloodstream and use it for energy. Excess glucose will be stored as glycogen in our liver and muscle. If there is still excess glucose after maxing out glycogen storage, it will be converted and stored as body fat. 

Eating too much sugar or starch of any type can cause you to gain weight. Sometimes people get confused as to how simple sugars and starches affect blood glucose. 

Please read “Tips for Managing Diabetes” if you would like more information about carbohydrates and diabetes. 

See more at: http://www.mynetdiary.com/carbs-in-weight-loss.html#sthash.AixDIG4X.dpuf 

Good stuff, huh? - I thought so! (please note the bolding is my enhancement, not theirs) 

But not all starches are created equal!! Some Starches are lower in grams and are consumable occasionally or in moderation, like... 

Well, that's a lot for today - I'll post more tomorrow! Hope this gets you thinking and gets you reading those NUTRITION and INGREDIENT labels!