More than any other nutrient in the world, carbohydrates are surrounded by more hype, contradiction and confusion.

Over the last decade a virtually endless amount of advice, fad diets and hard-fast rules have been put into place regarding proper carbohydrate consumption. As a result, most average beginners have been left clueless and without any rational guidance on the topic.

Therefore, in this two-part article, you'll discover a very basic and straightforward system to help you determine what types of carbohydrates you should include in your belly fat burning diet. To keep things easy to understand, this will be a broad examination of carbohydrates.

To begin... what the hell is a carbohydrate?

Simply put... it's sugar.

Whether you consume a plate of spaghetti noodles, a bowl of grapes or a chocolate bar, carbohydrates will always eventually be crushed down into their simplest form: glucose.

There is really only one function of glucose. That function is to help you carry out your daily tasks by providing fuel for your brain and muscles. While the end product of all carbohydrates is the same, it's the manner in which they reach that final end product that is important to us in terms of burning belly fat.

Your body makes fuel from foods containing carbohydrates. Basically, it takes the carbohydrates, digests them and breaks them down into glucose which is released into your veins to be used as fuel. The main difference amongst different carbohydrate sources is the speed at which the sugars are crushed down for use.

Some carbs are crushed down and release quickly and sharply into your veins while others more gradually raise blood sugar levels.

If you want to exercise to lose belly fat and maintain sufficient levels of energy, you should make keeping your blood sugar levels balanced and consistent your primary goal.

Why?

It's all related to insulin, which is a hormone that controls the amount of sugar in the blood stream by moving it into the cells of the body.

When you consume carbohydrates that are crushed down quickly, the body must release a large amount of insulin in order to compensate. The insulin will remove the sugar from your veins very quickly, which will then result in lower than normal blood sugar levels.

Tiredness, fatigue and hunger pains are all products of low blood sugar levels which leads to binge eating.

The bodies rate of belly fat storage is also increased when levels of insulin rise. The rise in enzymes that prevent belly fat mobilization are caused when insulin levels increase means that your belly fat cannot be converted to energy.

To put it simply...

You end up in a roller coaster of escalating blood sugar levels followed by dramatic crashes when you consume carbohydrates that raise blood sugar levels can be. This inhibits your ability to exercise to lose belly fat and throws your energy levels, appetite and mood completely out of order.

When consuming carbohydrates, your main goal should be to keep your blood sugar levels balanced To keep your blood sugar levels balanced, focus on foods that are digested and gradually released into your veins.

When you maintain steady blood sugar levels, you will easily exercise to lose belly fat , you will have high energy levels and you will not feel hunger pains.

We have now established what the goal of proper carbohydrate consumption is, and in Part Two we will discuss which specific sources can help you achieve that goal.