What Is a Low Glycemic Diet?
What Is a Low Glycemic Diet?
Foods are assigned a glycemic index/glycemic load number that can be compared to pure glucose, which serves as the benchmark for all other foods. Pure glucose has a glycemic index number of 100, indicating that it’s very rapidly broken down into glucose once eaten and then either sent to cells to be used for energy, saved in the muscles as glycogen for later use or stored inside fat cells when there’s a surplus.
All foods containing glucose, fructose or sucrose (various forms of carbohydrates or sugars) can be classified as high GI, moderate GI or low GI. (1) The glycemic index values of all foods range from 0–100:
High GI = 70 to 100
Medium GI = 50 to 70
Low GI = below 50
Whenever we eat any type of carbohydrate, whether it’s pure table sugar or a cup of fresh vegetables, the molecules in the food are broken down as they’re absorbed, which impacts blood glucose levels and insulin release. All carbohydrates cause release of the hormone insulin from the pancreas, which has the job of picking up and sending glucose that’s present in the blood throughout the body to be used or stored away. (2)
How drastically and quickly a carbohydrate causes this process to happen depends on how quickly its glucose is broken down; some carbs that are low on the glycemic index (like veggies and 100 percent whole grains, for example) cause a smaller and more gradual rise in blood glucose, while carbs that have a high glycemic score (like soda and white rice) cause rapid glucose absorption and high insulin release. Carbohydrates of all kinds are the main dietary source of glucose, but not all carbs are created equal. For example, good choices include brown or wild rice, sweet potatoes, sprouted ancient grains, legumes, and beans, while poor choices include soda and ice cream.
Choosing low glycemic foods can help prevent persistently high insulin levels, which are associated with health problems like type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and obesity.
Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load
Finally, it’s important to understand that a glycemic index score is a bit different than a glycemic load (GL) score. GL takes into account the GI score of a particular carbohydrate but also considers how the carbs in the food affect blood sugar levels when eaten in average portions (not just in 100-gram servings). Many of the fruits and vegetables that are high on the glycemic index scale come in low on the glycemic load scale. Overall, a food’s glycemic load score may be a better predictor of whether or not when eaten in moderate amounts as part of a whole meal it’s generally a healthy choice or not. Here’s the range of GL scores to consider when making choices about the carbs in your diet:
High GL = 20 +
Medium GL = 11 to 19
Low GL = 10 or less
How a low glycemic diet compares to low-carb diet:
In many ways, a low glycemic diet can also be called a “slow carb diet.” There are many low-carb foods that also qualify as low glycemic foods because of their ability to prevent a strong release of insulin and blood sugar fluctuations after eating.
For example, low-carb foods like fish, meat, oils and fats have a GI score of zero since they contain no sugar/starch/carbs, and therefore in general they don’t significantly impact blood glucose or insulin levels.
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