Thinking of going on yet another diet? If you want to be successful, you'll need to plan your meals and snacks wisely. Lots of things are important if you want to stay healthy, like choosing fresh foods, ones without lots of additives, organic if possible, and high in fiber and protein. Using a glycemic index chart is almost essential, since it will tell you how each food impacts your insulin levels.
The process of metabolism is complex, but the basics can be simplified. When you eat a food, it is digested and the resulting glucose is released into the bloodstream. If a lot of glucose is released at once, the 'blood sugar level' rises dramatically. In response, your pancreas releases insulin, which causes this sugar to be stored in the body. Later, if needed, it will be burned for energy. Extra sugars are stored in fat cells, maybe forever.
It's important to understand that not all food is digested in the same way. That's why simply counting calories doesn't always result in weight loss. For example, a bagel is primarily white flour and water. This combination digests very quickly, causing a quick rise in blood sugar. In fact, a bagel will trigger a faster rise that a jelly doughnut. The process of digesting flour, sugar, and fruit is more complicated and proceeds more slowly, so less glucose is released at one time. This is why a Snickers candy bar is lower on the glycemic index than popcorn.
Of course, eating peanut-packed candy is not healthy. The total sugar content promotes tooth decay, eventual weight gain, and an addiction to that insidious sweet taste. A better choice is just eat peanuts. They are ranked way down on the chart. Choose dry roast, flavored only with a little sea salt.
When planning a weight-loss program, knowing how a particular food impacts your system is helpful. The trick is to select healthy foods with a low rating on the chart. If the major part of your diet comes from low-index foods that are also full of fiber, high in protein, and packed with vitamins and minerals, you will lose those extra pounds and feel good doing it.
You'll find that most of the foods you already know to avoid are high on the scale. Ice cream, candy, baked goods, french fries, and sodas are ranked in the 'over 70 points' range that you need to avoid. The foods ranked below that but above 55 should be strictly limited. This section includes things that you might think healthy, like orange juice, raisins, rice, and granola bars. Foods ranked at 54 or lower are so numerous that you needn't feel deprived.
Using the chart, you will know to avoid watermelon but that canned peaches might be OK. A plain baked potato is awful, but sweet potatoes are fine. A portion of lentils can be almost as big as you want and the same goes for hummus, but eating both a banana and an apple might be pushing it. Planning a menu will be fun; you may find foods you've forgotten all about that you want to try again.
The index is a useful tool when you want to achieve an ideal weight or eat better. Knowing how a food impacts your blood sugar keeps you on a heart healthy track and reduces the risk of diabetes to almost nothing. Check it out!
The process of metabolism is complex, but the basics can be simplified. When you eat a food, it is digested and the resulting glucose is released into the bloodstream. If a lot of glucose is released at once, the 'blood sugar level' rises dramatically. In response, your pancreas releases insulin, which causes this sugar to be stored in the body. Later, if needed, it will be burned for energy. Extra sugars are stored in fat cells, maybe forever.
It's important to understand that not all food is digested in the same way. That's why simply counting calories doesn't always result in weight loss. For example, a bagel is primarily white flour and water. This combination digests very quickly, causing a quick rise in blood sugar. In fact, a bagel will trigger a faster rise that a jelly doughnut. The process of digesting flour, sugar, and fruit is more complicated and proceeds more slowly, so less glucose is released at one time. This is why a Snickers candy bar is lower on the glycemic index than popcorn.
Of course, eating peanut-packed candy is not healthy. The total sugar content promotes tooth decay, eventual weight gain, and an addiction to that insidious sweet taste. A better choice is just eat peanuts. They are ranked way down on the chart. Choose dry roast, flavored only with a little sea salt.
When planning a weight-loss program, knowing how a particular food impacts your system is helpful. The trick is to select healthy foods with a low rating on the chart. If the major part of your diet comes from low-index foods that are also full of fiber, high in protein, and packed with vitamins and minerals, you will lose those extra pounds and feel good doing it.
You'll find that most of the foods you already know to avoid are high on the scale. Ice cream, candy, baked goods, french fries, and sodas are ranked in the 'over 70 points' range that you need to avoid. The foods ranked below that but above 55 should be strictly limited. This section includes things that you might think healthy, like orange juice, raisins, rice, and granola bars. Foods ranked at 54 or lower are so numerous that you needn't feel deprived.
Using the chart, you will know to avoid watermelon but that canned peaches might be OK. A plain baked potato is awful, but sweet potatoes are fine. A portion of lentils can be almost as big as you want and the same goes for hummus, but eating both a banana and an apple might be pushing it. Planning a menu will be fun; you may find foods you've forgotten all about that you want to try again.
The index is a useful tool when you want to achieve an ideal weight or eat better. Knowing how a food impacts your blood sugar keeps you on a heart healthy track and reduces the risk of diabetes to almost nothing. Check it out!
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