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The Hormonal Response to Food The reason excess carbohydrate consumption leads to obesity has to do with your body's hormonal response to food. When you eat a high-carbohydrate meal, such as pasta, French toast, or half a box of Ding Dongs, those carbs are rapidly converted into glucose, or blood sugar. As a result, your blood sugar level surges. At first, this makes your brain very happy. The brain is a glucose hog and consumes about two thirds of the glucose in your body for energy. The spike in blood sugar also tells your pancreas to secrete insulin. Remember, the job of insulin is to reduce the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. It does this by storing excess glucose. First, a small amount is How to Combine Foods Correctly stored in your liver and muscles. The rest of the excess glucose is stored as body fat. But it's not over yet. As I said, the brain craves glucose. And when in- sulin does its job of reducing excess glucose, there isn't enough glucose left for the brain to convert into energy. This is why you start to nod off after a big, carb-heavy meal. So the brain sends a message: consume more carbohydrates! That's when you reach for your midmorning or midafternoon hit of M&M's. That's how you end up taking a ride on the blood sugar roller coaster, cy- cling dramatically from high to low energy. And that's how all those excess carbs become excess pounds. It's a vicious cycle that leads to obesity, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, and worse. The secret to breaking this cycle and taking control of your health is simple: Increase the amount of protein you eat and decrease the amount of carbohydrates. Eating the right amount of protein stimulates the release of glucagon, a hormone that helps stabilize your energy levels by mobilizing the release of the sugars stored in your liver to satisfy your brain's need for glucose (thus curbing and eventually ending your carbohydrate cravings). Another bonus: glucagon also helps your body burn stored body fat! Instead of eating French toast for breakfast, have an omelet with fresh fruit. Rather than pasta for lunch, eat chicken, beef, fish, or your favorite protein entree with vegetables. Now you won't be reaching for your mid- morning or midafternoon hit of M&M's to satisfy your brain's cravings for sugar to increase your energy levels; you'll be burning stored fat and the stored sugars in your liver for energy rather than taking a ride on the "blood sugar roller coaster." This is how food acts like a drug! There's not a drug company in the whole world, with unlimited financial resources and the top scientists, that could create a drug that could do a better job regulating your blood sugars, burning stored body fat, and increasing your energy level than the kind of food you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat it! Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying all carbohydrates are bad for you.