Control Weight With The Glycemic Index Chart

By Kathleen Adams


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.

Digestion and metabolism are complex processes, but you only need to understand the basics. When a food is digested, glucose passes into the bloodstream. When more glucose is released than can be burned for energy, the pancreas releases its hormone, insulin, to signal that the extra be stored in fat cells. Some of this overload will later be used in energy production, but some may linger in your fat cells forever.

Simply counting calories doesn't take into account the way foods are digested. A bagel, made of white flour and water, is easily digested and quickly turned into glucose. Eating one causes a spike in blood sugar and a fast insulin response. In contrast, a chocolate chip cookie contains sugar as well as flour, so it takes longer to digest. This explains why a Snickers bar is ranked lower on the index than plain 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.

For any weight reduction program, you need to know how each food impacts your system. Using the chart, you can select low-glycemic foods. After also checking their fiber and protein content, and making sure they are additive and pesticide-free, you may choose to include them in your diet. This way you lose weight while boosting health and energy.

A lot of the chart will make sense. Ice cream, candy, dried fruit, sodas, french fries, and white bread are generally known to cause weight gain. These are all ranked at the top of the chart. Some of the things in the 'to be limited' range of above 55 may surprise you, however. Granolas, flavored instant oatmeals and yogurts, orange juice, and rice do not promote weight loss. Fortunately, there are many, many foods that have a count of 54 or lower, so there's no need to 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.

Use the index to lose unwanted pounds, boost health, and have fun with your menus. At the same time, knowing the glycemic ranking of foods can help you cut the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions you might have thought an inevitable part of growing older.




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