The Glycemic Index and Its Effect on Dieting

No matter what you have been told, our bodies need carbohydrates! Carbohydrates are the fuel that gives us energy. Going without them will only make you crave carbs more. But there are good carbohydrates that our bodies were meant to digest and there are bad carbohydrates that have been overly processed. In general (not always though), low Glycemic rated foods are the carbs that you should be eating. Just what is the Glycemic Index? The Glycemic Index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale of 0-100. It measures the effect that certain carbohydrates have on our blood sugar levels. A score of 55 and under is considered low on the GI, a score of 56-69 is medium and 70 and above high on the GI. When we eat something high on the GI it can cause our blood sugar to spike. In response to that, a spike in insulin also occurs to lower our blood sugar level. The insulin actually moves the sugar into cells to do one of two things; either to use immediately for energy or to store as fat. And guess what? If you not physically active during that time it's probably going to be stored as fat. But what's worse is when your blood sugar levels come back down off this extreme. Because of the dip in your blood sugars it can actually cause you to start feeling hungry again and you may end up reaching for more carbs, sugar and/or fat to satisfy that hunger. Carbs rated low glycemic index keep your blood levels more balanced and promote slower digestion which will keep you feeling fuller a lot longer.  Here are some of the benefits of a low GI diet:

1. Helps you to lose excess weight as well as maintain it

2. Reduces the risk of heart disease

3. Reduces blood cholesterol levels

4. Maintains blood glucose levels

5. Reduces hunger and makes you feel full for much longer

6. Increases intervals of physical endurance

Switching to a low GI diet is pretty easy. Start switching higher indexed foods to lower indexed foods. For example, switching over to cereals with little or no sugar and primarily based on oats (like oatmeal), barley or bran. Personally, I find Oatmeal the most filling. Instead of using sugar I use mashed up bananas and milk. Also you can switch out your breads for whole grains, sourdough or anything with stone ground flour. Eating more fruits and vegetables will also help, as well as eating brown rice or converted rice instead of white rice. Pasta can be bought that is made with whole grain. I switched to that and my husband, son and daughter could not tell the difference. I could, but that's probably because I'm the one who bought it. But as with anything, do things gradually to let your body adjust to the change.

Mary Melendez
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