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[G316]Glycemic Index Weight Loss

by Jared Wash, Jar

The glycemic index was created 1981 especially for diabetics to maintain and stabilize blood sugar levels but has exploded into a very popular solution. The glycemic index for weight loss has made an impact on diets, books, and thousands of people life styles with nutrition throughout the world and I believe it is just the beginning.

Traditionally, carbohydrates are known as simple or complex. Foods high in sugar, such as chocolate, fruit or cakes are classed as simple carbohydrates. Scientists used to think these foods were quickly digested, leading to a rapid rise in blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice and pasta are supposed to break down more slowly, producing a gradual rise in blood sugar.

Several facts on the glycemic index:

1. The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.

2. High glycemic index foods release glucose into the bloodstream very quickly which causes blood sugar levels to rise at a rapid rate. On the other hand, low glycemic index foods release glucose at a more steadily rate over a period of time. This helps to keep blood sugar levels relatively calm, and insulin spikes limited.

3. Pure glucose ranks 100 on the glycemic index and all other foods are ranked in relation to glucose.

4. High ranked foods on the glycemic index consist of ice cream, croissants, raisins and other dried fruit, bananas, carrots and watermelon. Moderate ranked foods on the glycemic index (45-60) include most types of pasta, baked beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, orange juice, blueberries and rice. Low ranked foods on the glycemic index foods (under 45) include beans, cruciferous vegetables and high-fiber, low-sugar cereals, low-fat unsweetened plain yogurt, grapefruit, apples and tomatoes.

5. It remains a very useful comparative indicator of how quickly foods are absorbed into the bloodstream but not 100% accurate.

Many drawbacks on the glycemic index are when foods are combined, and high fatty foods. The American Diabetes Association (ADA), states that it is useless when foods are combined as they are digested at different rates. An example would be a peanut butter and jam sand witch. The glycemic rating does not matter as the peanut butter has a low glycemic rate and the jam has a high glycemic rate. When these are combined the peanut butter will slow down the digestion of the jam making the digestion slower than usual.

I do believe that high glycemic foods leave you hungry sooner increasing your food intake for the day on most occasions.

The theory and direction of the glycemic index doesn’t consist of:

1. Calories don’t matter.
This flaw with GI is that the index does not take into account calories consumption, which is the most important factor for weight loss.

2. Portion size doesn’t matter.
The GI of a food is independent of portion size. In almost all cases if you eat large quantities of food you will gain weight.

3. GI can be useful for diabetics, but only for single foods.
Since diabetics require control of their blood sugar level, diabetics should avoid high GI foods if they are not in combination with other lower GI foods.

It's almost impossible to work out how any given food at any given time is going to behave in your body, unless you take blood sugar readings before and after eating.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with following a low glycemic index diet. Foods with a low glycemic index tend to have a low energy density. They're also rich in fiber, and contain phytochemicals that have important health benefits.

However, the most important part of any diet designed for weight loss is to consume fewer calories than you burn. The glycemic index can make planning your diet a lot more complicated and time-consuming than it needs to be.

Bottom Line: Don't judge a food only by is GI value -- it doesn't tell you everything about what a food offers. The best thing to do to control your weight and blood sugar is to eat lots of fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with small amounts of healthy fats, such as nuts and olive oil. Also, watch how much you eat -- if your portions are too big, you will gain weight, whether you're eating low or high GI foods. And be sure to exercise as often as you can -- being active helps to control our weight and our blood sugar at the same time.

Let's look at some facts. Today, two out of three adults in the United States and a staggering number of children are overweight. It is expected that, if current trends continue, 1 out of 3 children born today will develop type II diabetes. The rates of heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and many other chronic degenerative illnesses are rising. In fact, 1 out of 5 high school age children already have the beginning stages of cardiovascular disease in their arteries! I could go on for pages with these depressing statistics but hopefully I have made the point ? We are not healthy.

Why is this the case? That's really not a very difficult question to answer: too much low quality food and not enough physical activity. There have been thousands of studies to support this conclusion. Don't believe what you read in the media headlines about the latest ground breaking diet pills or wonder drugs. There aren't any truly legitimate fast fixes. If you want to regain your health and stay healthy it's going to take some work. But you can start with small steps by changing a couple of simple things on a daily basis. Before long you'll be amazed at how much better you feel. Let's take a look at what we can do with our diets.

Why are we so fat?

Again, the answer to this question is somewhat obvious. We eat too much of the wrong kinds of food. Let me talk about something called the ?glycemic index?. This is a measure of how fast a food burns in your body and how fast it spikes your blood sugar after you eat. A high glycemic food burns fast and raises you blood sugar quickly and a low glycemic food burns slow and raises your blood sugar slowly. High glycemic foods are full of simple sugars, like high-fructose corn syrup and low glycemic foods have more fiber and complex sugars like those you get from whole grains and vegetables.

Why is this important? This is really your key to weight control. Your body needs to maintain your blood sugar in a very tight window. If you are always eating high glycemic foods then your blood sugar goes up fast and your body needs to take drastic measures to bring it down by spiking your insulin levels, a hormone that decreases blood sugar. This has the effect of crashing your blood sugar back down and this makes you feel very tired after you eat. It also makes you feel hungry again too soon because your blood sugar falls below normal and you crave something sweet to bring it up again ? repeating the whole cycle. If you do this for many years, eventually your body stops reacting to its own insulin and you become pre-diabetic and have trouble maintaining your weight. If you pay attention to the glycemic index and eat foods that burn slowly you will have steady energy levels throughout the day, not get hungry as often, and not send yourself down the path toward diabetes. If you already have diabetes, then you probably know that low glycemic foods can help you maintain your blood sugar levels within the appropriate range. This is an extremely important concept in managing your weight. Forget all the crazy diets that don't work, just pay attention to this and you'll find yourself losing weight naturally.

Wishing you Good Health.

Simon J. Evans, PhD

Article Source : Weight Loss Patch

About Author

Both Jared Wash & Simon Evans are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jared Wash has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Nutrition and Coffee Advantages. My name is Jared Wash an author with a certification by ACSM, NESTA, and ISSA in personal trainer, nutritionist, and online fitness coach. My mission is to guide people away from false lies and myths in the fitness industry while focusing on true healt. Jared Wash's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.

Simon Evans has sinced written about articles on various topics from Brain, Fishing and Fitness. Dr. Simon Evans is an academic research scientist with an interest in helping people improve their physical, mental and social health. To get FREE information from Dr. Evans health website and information on quality nutritional products visit:. Simon Evans's top article generates over 6120000 views. to your Favourites.