Aging and the GI Diet
Until I went into menopause, I had always been slim (except for the post child bearing years). It was at this “change of life” that my metabolism slowed down and I developed hypothyroidism. I felt very uncomfortable and most of my clothes would not fit properly.
Even though I consumed less, I had no significant weight loss. It was not until much later in life that I realized the less I ate, the more my body thought I was starving it. Consequently, my body held onto what little nourishment it had, all that much longer, preventing it from the desired effect of actual weight loss.
Oddly enough, I learned that my body actually needed more calories, fat and protein in order to lose the additional weight. Unwanted pounds I had put on over the more than 30 years since the birth of my 3rd child.
I lost 40 pounds, almost 3 years ago and have kept it off. First by consuming a balance of low glycemic foods of vegetables, fruits, multi-grain products, fish and meats with less saturated fat.
It was a lifestyle change for me and only took a few minor changes to my diet. I replaced white bread with multi-grain breads, white sugar with fructose, white flour with rye flour and multi-grain flours, white pasta with brown rice pastas and I consume 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day.
So what is the Glycemic Index (GI) Diet and how do you apply it to your new lifestyle?
The Glycemic Index might sound complicated but is very easy to understand. It was devised about 20 years ago when researchers looked closer at the dietary recommendations for diabetics; which was to eat more complex carbohydrates (starch) because they took longer to process and digest than simple carbohydrates (sugar).
The GI ranks carbohydrate foods (from 1 – 100 or more) which measures the effect of a food on your blood-glucose level over the two hours after the food is eaten. All carbs are not equal. Low GI foods cause a slower climb and decrease in your blood sugar than high GI foods, and so when they are lower in fat they can make for a healthier choice.
You get a spike of blood-glucose when you consume simple carbohydrates; the blood-glucose rises and as your body produces insulin it pushes the glucose out of the blood and into tissues, and then you see the blood-glucose level falling. When eating high GI foods, you get a very high bell curve response with a dramatic drop. With a low-GI food, there is a slower and steadier rise in the blood-glucose level.
Research has shown that very high glucose levels after meals, called glucose spikes, are damaging to our arteries and various blood vessels, and they promote far too much insulin to be around.
Eating low-GI foods means you avoid those spikes and dramatic falls in blood-glucose so you get a much steadier stream of energy. You, therefore, reduce your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases that are implicated by those blood-glucose fluctuations.
How to go low more often. Since the GI is just one part of healthy eating, you can start incorporating lower GI choices into what you’re eating now.
Avoid food that are overcooked and overprocessed. Serve pasta al dente and don’t overcook your vegetables.
Experiment with beans, lentils and other legumes by including them in dishes such as chilli, soup and salad.
Choose vegetables and fruits over juices more often. Half of your plate should be vegetables.
Enjoy your favourite types of foods but switch to the lower GI options. For instance, if your family eats white bread, switch to whole grain bread.
Serve Basmati rice, white or brown preferably, more often than instant rice or jasmine rice.
A vegetable pasta or a brown rice pasta will have half the GI rating of a white pasta.
When you eat a high GI food, combine it with a low GI food. For example, lower the GI rating of a baked potato by adding butter and sour cream.
Just because you are eating a Low GI food, it does not mean that you may overindulge, you also have to consider the Glycemic Load. The Glycemic Load (GL) is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size.
The lower a food's glycemic index or glycemic load, the less it affects blood sugar and insulin levels.
To calculate the Glycemic Load (GL) divide the GI rating of a serving of a food by 100, then multiply by the net carbs (of the serving) = GL
What do the GI and GL ratings mean?
You can apply the GI and GL to your eating plan by:
*Have at least three low GI foods throughout the day, ideally one at each meal. Remember, not all the carbohydrates you eat need to be LOW GI.
*You don’t need to avoid all HIGH GI foods, but try to eat them with low or intermediate GI foods whenever possible. This will bring down the average GI of the meal.
*Include low saturated fat, high carbohydrate foods with each meal and snack.
*Try to evenly spread the amount of carbohydrate you eat throughout the day.
Finding our way to better health is about choices. Smart choices about nutrition and physical activity that will bring us to a balanced and healthier lifestyle.
Here’s to a healthier you.
Davina Janssens, Author
'Fit & Healthy Lifestyle'
http://www.gidietnow.com/
