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Carbohydrates have a straight and clear effect on blood sugar. When you eat a slice of bread, your body uses the digestible carbs it contains to form glucose, a simple sugar. This is very rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and provides the body with energy. Glucose is the main fuel for most of the tissues in the body and so is regulated by complex mechanisms that guarantee it doesn’t plummet too low or soar too high. Increased glucose levels stimulate the production of insulin in the pancreas as insulin enables glucose to enter the cells of the body, making it possible for them to use it for energy. As the level of insulin rises, glucose is removed from the blood into the cells. As the cells absorb glucose, blood sugar levels fall away, and then so do insulin levels. Excess glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles or liver, or converted to fat.

If you eat something containing quickly digested carbs, such as a chocolate bar that is high in sugar, insulin floods your body in response, which ultimately pushes glucose levels too low. Your body now needs more glucose and sends out signals (hunger mainly) to tell you so and prompt you to provide it, may be in the form of another bar of chocolate. It’s a roller coaster with highs and lows but it can be turned into a more stable process which is much better for your health – and for your weight loss. The problem lies in the high level of refined, easily digested carbs which is a normal feature of the modern Western diet, so reducing those – or cutting them out as close to completely as possible – is vital.

Slowly digested carbs, such as those in whole grains and pulses, smooth out the ups and downs. Blood sugar levels, and therefore insulin levels, rise and fall much more gradually; the peaks and troughs are less extreme. Not only are you putting much less stress on your body, but it may also take much longer for you to become hungry again. Protein, together with fat, has a vital role to play in normalizing insulin levels by slowing down the rate at which carbs are absorbed. Replacing the refined carbs with healthier ones and extra, healthier protein is good for your health and for losing weight.

Another advantage of eating more protein is that it helps to control hunger pangs. Foods high in protein have a high satiety value: they keep you feeling satisfied for longer. Not only is this useful immediately, reducing the need for snacking but I also makes sticking to a diet easier and can turn it into a way of life, rather than a temporary solution.

In addition, there is some evidence that cutting back on refined carbs and replacing them with protein boosts the levels of  HDL, the good type of blood cholesterol. It also seems to lower the level of blood triglycerides – and high levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

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