Many scientists now agree that the healthiest way to nourish your body, to control your weight and to help prevent the onset of diabetes is to follow a low-glycaemic diet plan.
When I say 'diet plan', I don't mean 'going on a diet', I mean just getting in to the habit of eating foods that are on the low end of the glycaemic index scale.
When you eat a food that drives your blood sugar above normal, it causes you to secrete insulin to normalise it. When the insulin spikes, the energy conversion mechanism is shut off, so that most or all of what you have eaten is turned to fat rather than to energy. So, particularly if you are a diabetic, it will be very beneficial to you to adhere to a low-glycaemic diet plan.
Here are seven simple rules to help you follow a low-glycaemic food plan. Following these simple rules will make it very easy for you to eat the most beneficial foods.
1. Whenever possible, eat foods that are in their natural state. For example, raw carrots have a low-glycaemic index of only 35. Cooked carrots, on the other hand, have a higher glycaemic rating of 65. Most vegetables in their raw state have a low glycaemic index.
2. Eat foods that do not digest easily. These harder to digest foods usually have a lower-glycaemic index so take longer to convert to sugars. This longer process means that you can maximise your conversion of food to energy and minimise the amount of food converting to fat. For example, raw carrots are much harder to digest than cooked carrots which is another reason for the lower index rating.
3. Eat foods that have a high fibre content. Fibre ranges from hard to digest to impossible to digest. The food that seems impossible to digest is better for us because, it not only helps with a feeling of fullness but it also helps clean our colons. Typically, the higher the fibre, the more absorbent of fat it is, and generally, the slower the digestive process, the lower the glycaemic index will be. A good example here is bread. Highly refined white bread is so devoid of fibre and so easy to digest that it is vitually useless for colon health (and for anything else for that matter). If you do eat bread, make sure it is whole grain and as close to the natural state of grain as possible.
4. Avoid artificial sweeteners. There is increasing evidence that artificial sweeteners can have harmful effects on the body and that they may slow the fat-burning process by causing confusion to the normal chemical signals of the brain.
5. Avoid fried foods as they can have a stressful effect on the pancreas, which is not advisable regardless of your weight or health.
6. Avoid eating white foods. In general, white foods tend to be high-glycaemic. White potatoes, for example, are very high on the glycaemic scale, they are very easy to digest and contain very little fibre ... and the starch contained in potatoes converts rapidly to glucose.
7. Drink plenty of good quality water. Most people do not drink enough water and you simply cannot maintain a proper balance without proper hydration.
Follow these simple rules to a healthier diet plan.
Learn more about glycaemic indexing at wellness-decisions.com wellness-decisions.com
Jane Aslett has a down to earth, commonsense understanding of the importance of good nutrition and sensible lifestyle decisions to allow us to experience wellness. Her website addresses many of the issues that we cope with, particularly as we age, and a desire to help people make the right decisions in taking control of their own health and wellbeing. She'd love you to subscribe to her FREE monthly Newsletter at wellness-decisions.com wellness-decisions.com
Jane believes:
that good health and wellness starts with good nutrition,
that food supplements are necessary to replace the nutrients missing from our diets through green picking and over processing,
that smoking is a bad habit that is particularly unhealthy,
that exercise puts a spring in your step,
that glyconutrients and natural food supplements are the answer to diminishing health standards, and that laughter is good medicine.
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