Avoiding Foods That Raise Your GlycemicEliminating foods that raise your glycemic level is vitally important to those dealing with diabetes. And those dealing with obesity, or even looking for a healthier dietary lifestyle, will find that removing foods that can raise your glycemic level from the menu can produce a wide array of healthy benefits.
Foods that can raise your glycemic level are ones that score above 55 (or 65 depending on the sources) on the glycemic index (or GI). This is a numeric index using a scale of zero to 100 to rate the pace carbohydrates will be converted into sugar within the body. The lower the GI, the more steadily and evenly the body makes this alteration.
The issue with foods that can raise your glycemic levels is that they convert the carbohydrates to glucose rapidly – producing a sugar “high.” The problem is this is followed by the inevitable “crash” – the damage here is that this leads to a cycle of:
For diabetics this causes a stronger dependency on insulin, and for those facing obesity a pattern of repeated weight gain.
At the high end of the scale for foods that can raise your glycemic level is pure glucose – after all, this was the benchmark used to set the scale. It’s surprising the list of foods that quickly follow glucose though. This list includes:
Just one cup of watermelon, seemingly a harmless dining option, scores 72 on the GI and a total of 11 net carbohydrates. There are a number of reasons to steer clear of foods that raise your glycemic level, and they mostly tie back to how your body processes food. It’s healthiest to keep your body’s blood sugar level at a constant. If your blood sugar drops too low you become lethargic and your food cravings go up. If it goes too high it triggers a response in your pancreas to produce more insulin to bring your blood sugar back down. The trouble is it does this by changing the sugar into stored fat. The reasons to avoid foods that raise your glycemic level become much clearer now.
There is a domino effect in failing to avoid foods that raise your glycemic level. This is why the terms “cycle” and “repeated” are often associated with diets high on the GI index. Because they break down quickly, less effort by the body is required to process high GI foods – meaning they require less energy to convert the carbohydrates to glucose. This “reserve” of energy ends up as stored fat – along with the insulin your pancreas has produced to bring the blood sugar levels down. This leaves the body feeling drained, yet still hungry – and the process starts again. The body’s reaction to foods that raise your glycemic levels presents obvious dangers for diabetics and the obese, but many healthy people have experienced this cycle high GI foods induce. Beyond the unnecessary stored fat this produces, it now appears that an indulgence in high GI foods puts undue strain on the:
Tufts University has even recently shown that a diet with foods that raise your glycemic level could lead to blindness.
Is there really a need for additional motivation to stay clear of foods that raise your glycemic levels? Just remember to add exercise to your weight loss efforts. Muscle always burns more calories than fat. Just follow these steps to get started today.
By following the glycemic index diet and the steps above there is no way not to become successful on your weight loss journey. Success is almost gauranteed! So, go ahead. Get started today. You can do this. Yes, you can!
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