THE CARBOHYDRATE ADDICT’S DIET: PUTTING THE GUIDELINES INTO PRACTICE
February 7th, 2011The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet works on entirely different principles than other diets.
Once we came to understand the mechanism behind carbohydrate addiction (the overproduction of insulin, or hyperinsulinemia), we needed to help the carbohydrate addict to avoid it.
We could have cut out carbohydrates as a way to reduce insulin. But it wasn’t reasonable to ask anyone to eliminate all carbohydrates from his or her diet indefinitely—nor would it be healthy to do so. So that was out.
Fortunately, we have found eliminating carbohydrates isn’t necessary.
Carbohydrate addicts have the greatest difficulty controlling their eating when they consume carbohydrate foods several times a day. Conversely, when the number of meals or snacks at which carbohydrate foods are eaten is decreased, eating becomes controllable and cravings decrease dramatically.
When carbohydrates are eaten less frequently, less insulin is produced. The body has a lowered tendency to store the excess calories in its fat cells and is more capable of breaking down stored fat. In that way, the carbohydrate-insulin-serotonin connection functions more effectively for weight loss. We have found that the less often the carbohydrate addict consumes carbohydrate-containing foods, the more satisfying the foods are—and the greater the control of eating that is possible. In short, we found the overweight-carbohydrate-addiction cycle can be broken.
Our research has also revealed that when the carbohydrates are consumed during a limited period of time, it appears that the usual overproduction of insulin is decreased. Thus, a long evening—say, several hours or more—of eating and drinking presents a special difficulty to the carbohydrate addict. Perhaps the evening involves a leisurely dinner of, say, hors d’oeuvres, soup, salad, entree, and dessert. Drinks may be served before and after the meal. This kind of extended consumption of food and drink (in particular, of carbohydrates) is practically guaranteed to produce an exaggerated insulin response in the carbohydrate addict. Because an excess of insulin is produced, the long dinner actually leaves the carbohydrate addict unsatisfied or craving carbohydrates that evening or during the day that follows.
If, on the other hand, that same food is consumed within a single hour, the carbohydrate addict experiences far less hunger. The reason for this difference in satisfaction is that the body is able to produce only a limited amount of insulin at any time. Thus, if the time during which food is consumed is limited, the time during which your body is called upon to produce insulin is limited also. The result is that the amount of insulin produced can be controlled to the degree that hyperinsulinemia (production of excess insulin) can be prevented.
We have discovered that there are two primary factors that negatively affect the eating behaviors of the carbohydrate addict: the frequency at which carbohydrates are eaten (i.e., at more than one sitting daily) and the duration of the consumption (i.e., when that one sitting exceeds sixty minutes).
An ideal diet for the carbohydrate addict, then, is a diet that, first, limits the number of times each day that carbohydrates are eaten (though it does not appear to require reducing the amount of carbohydrates eaten at that meal); and second, that limits the time allotted for eating that meal.
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