Low Glycemic Diet – Why?
Filed under What is Glycemic Index?
Low Glycemic Diet vs High Glycemic Diet – Did you know:
- Australia has recently taken over from the USA as the “fattest” nation on earth, with 2 out of every 3 people either overweight or obese.
- We have over 3 million people with diabetes, plus half that number again who don’t even know it.
- The rate of type 2 diabetes in children is increasing every year – and historically this disease didn’t affect people until over 40.
- Among adults, the leading cause of death is heart related diseases, with 50% of heart attacks occurring before the age of 60 … with the first symptom being sudden death.
- One in two women over 60 have osteoporosis?
- Depression is believed to be the next huge epidemic to affect the western world.
- Three out of every four people will have at least one degenerative disease by age 65?
The frightening thing about these statistics is that, despite the greatest advancements in medicine, the effects of ill health are accelerating at alarming rates. So, why is this happening?
These diseases are thought to be largely lifestyle-related … and the food that we eat is a big factor … with changes that have occurred in our eating from a low GI diet to a high GI diet.
Let’s think back to our great, great grandparents time. Food was prepared in the home, largely straight from the tree to the table or the field to the plate. Carbohydrates arrived as in-season fruits & vegetables, beans and wholegrain cereals. Our ancestors ate low gi foods naturally. They didn’t have the white, bleached, fluffy flour (with the husk and nutritious “germ”removed) that made up most of the breads, cakes, pastries, cereals and pasta we eat today. Instant porridge, instant rice, and 5-minute noodles were non-existent – low gi foods were plentiful! “Glycemic” wasn’t a word that was readily used!
It was a time when food was nutrient rich and it didn’t come from supermarkets. It wasn’t overly processed or pre-packaged, and colourings, flavourings, preservatives, additives and E-numbers were unheard of! (It didn’t need the “Low Glycemic” symbol on the packaging!) In fact, the bulk of the “processing” of the food happened after it was eaten … within the body itself! It took the body a long time to process the complex carbohydrates, fibre and healthy built-in nutrients and oils the food inherently contained. This provided the body with a gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream, leaving people feeling full and satisfied until their next meal. This was eating the way nature intended it, and sadly, very few of us have forgotten to eat that way, yet a low Glycemic diet is the most natural way of eating!
Nowadays, our modern (and very common) high glycemic diet plays havoc within our bodies – our heavily processed, nutrient depleted foods are digested too quickly causing our blood sugar levels to spike rapidly. To combat this spike in blood sugar, our bodies quickly respond by releasing large amounts of insulin, to lower the high levels of blood sugar. Unfortunately, it does its job too well and rather than lowering the blood sugar to a more desired level, it causes the levels to plummet. This sets up a roller-coaster of extreme high and low levels of blood sugar which, over time, can send our bodies into a state of insulin resistance. This means our bodies aren’t as sensitive to the insulin as they once were … and so begins the path of weight gain and ill health.
That’s where understanding the Glycemic Index and a low glycemic index diet lifestlye can help us! As we begin to know which foods (and combinations of foods) can keep our blood sugar and insulin levels stable, we can begin to keep our health in check. Decide now to go low gi!
Read more about What Is the Glycemic Index and the Glycemic Index List of Foods.
Download a comprehensive Low Glycemic Food List at the top right of our HOME PAGE
What is the Glycemic Index?
Filed under What is Glycemic Index?
You may have heard about the Glycemic Index …
but what does it really mean? … and how important is it for your health? … What is a low glycemic diet?
Very simply, the Glycemic Index is a scientific ranking of how the foods we eat affect our blood sugar levels in the 2 or 3 hours after eating. This index is measured against pure glucose, which has a value of 100 on the index. The index ranges from 0 to 100 with:
0-55 = Low-GI 56-69 = Moderate-GI 70-100 = High-GI
High GI 70-100 Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion, release blood sugar rapidly into the bloodstream, and cause marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Medium GI 56-69 Carbohydrates that break down moderately during digestion and release blood sugar moderately into the bloodstream.
Low GI 0-55 Carbohydrates that break down slowly during digestion, release blood sugar gradually into the bloodstream, and keep blood sugar levels steady … and provide you with proven benefits for your health!
Low GI Meals leave you feeling fuller longer, ease food cravings and provide you with greater and more sustained energy levels. If you’re looking to either lose weight, or maintain your existing weight, a low GI diet lifestyle is the perfect option. Also, if you find yourself lethargic, losing concentration, or experiencing mood swings an hour or so after eating, a change to low GI meals may show immediate benefits.
In term of long terms health, Low GI Diets are important to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease. However, if you’ve already been diagnosed with diabetes, low GI diets have been shown to improve both lipid and glucose levels, maintain more stable insulin levels and reduce insulin resistance, which is important in reducing the risk of long term diabetes-related complications.
More and more health benefits associated with choosing a low glycemic index diet are constantly being realised, but the ones we’ve listed are certainly already impressive …
- Control and stabilise your blood sugar levels
- Raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol
- Lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
- Assist you with weight loss
- Manage symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin
- Lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
- Lower your risk of heart disease
- Improve your energy levels and general wellbeing
So, to get started, just do your best to avoid high Glycemic foods as much as possible … and simply choose medium or low GI foods wherever you can! It becomes very easy once your understand the basics, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll be forever consulting charts and adding up numbers to succeed. Begin simply, by continuing to learn a little about the glycemic index and you’ll be on your way to a satisfying and tasty low glycemic diet lifestyle.
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Glycemic Index List of Foods
Filed under What is Glycemic Index?
A low glycemic index diet is one of the best ways to look after your health, and lose excess weight effectively and naturally. The weight reduced through a low GI diet approach is safe, and you won’t find yourself needing to starve on just carrots and lettuce! The glycemic index ranks the foods from 0–100 according to the speed at which they effect your blood sugar levels in the 2 or 3 hours after eating. In the glycemic index list of foods, the foods with a glycemic index value below 55 are low GI foods, foods ranking 55–70 are moderate GI foods, and foods with a GI value 70–100 are high GI foods.
- High GI (70-100) Carbohydrates which break down quickly during digestion, releasing blood sugar rapidly into the bloodstream – causing marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
- Medium GI (56-69) Carbohydrates which break down moderately during digestion, releasing blood sugar moderately into the bloodstream.
- Low GI (0-55) Carbohydrates which break down slowly during digestion, releasing blood sugar gradually into the bloodstream – keeping blood sugar levels steady … and so provide you with the best health benefits!
Low GI foods are often the ones with “good” carbohydrates, low fat, high dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. These foods help in keeping the blood sugar levels stable, are beneficial for sports persons, diabetics, people with coronary heart disease, those wanting to lose weight … and really just about everyone!
But … one word of warning … watch out for companies branding their products with “Low GI” labels. Just because a food is low GI, doesn’t necessarily make it a good food! Some foods may have a low GI, but may be high in “bad” fats, or are high in additives, flavourings, colourings, or preservatives. Always check the full ingredients list! … And also ensure that a large proportion of the foods that you eat are as minimally processed as possible!
When referring to any GI Food List, please remember that the numbers aren’t absolute and should serve as a guide only. The impact any particular food will have on your blood sugar levels on any given day will depend on many other factors such as ripeness, cooking time, product brand, fibre and fat content, time of day, blood insulin levels, and recent activity. Use the Glycemic Index as just one of the many tools you have available to improve your control.
Also check out Low GI Diet Tips to help make a low GI diet lifestyle easier to follow!
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Glycemic Index List of Foods
(Find a more comprehensive & Downloadable Food List, at the top right of our HOME PAGE)
Glycemic Index Food List
The glycemic index ratings of individual foods will vary according to ripeness, variety, product brand, specific ingredients used, cooking times, and GI testing procedures. This will explain the variation you may see amongst different GI Food Lists.
(Find a more comprehensive & Downloadable GLYCEMIC INDEX FOOD LIST, by entering your name and email at the top right of the page)
