Getting Introduced To The Glycemic Index And Weight Loss

“Sugar Crash” — many have felt its effects without really knowing what’s going on inside of their system. This is a phenomena wherein a person’s blood sugar drops at a very low level, causing him to feel very tired. The reason for this is because our body is at its best if given with a continuous supply of blood sugar. This is where the glycemic index comes in: this will help anyone choose the foods that can give them a slow and continuous release of glucose into their bloodstream, and this would lead to a constant supply of energy needed for the whole day.

This index is a tool used to rank foods according to their effects in an individual’s blood glucose levels (especially when it comes to carbohydrates). Foods that are rich in fat or protein really do not cause your blood glucose level to rise that much. It measures how much a portion of carbs (about 50 grams) that would raise the level of blood sugar compares with a control (either with pure glucose or white bread). You see, all carbs can cause “glycemic response” – a temporal rise of blood glucose level, but not all carbs act the same way. In addition to this, the factors that affect such a response are the methods used in preparing the food, the degree of processing, the types of carbs and the amount of consumed food.

Each food listed in the glycemic index is assigned with their respective numbers; ranging from 1 to 100. Now, here’s the breakdown of this range. Foods are considered “low” when they score less than 55; “moderate” when they score between 56 to 69; “high” when they score beyond 70; and 100 is the reference score that’s designated as “pure glucose”. Take for example pretzels; they have a score of 81 on the index, ranking them as “high”. Then we have a fruit cocktail which scores around 55 making it “medium”, and broccoli which falls around 15, making it a “low”. The slower a body processes the food, the slower is the pace of releasing insulin, which gives a healthier edge for the body. Therefore, the trick here is that you should eat only a little of the foods that rank as “high”, and consume more foods that belong to the “low” level. By doing so, you will be able to control the weight you’re going to gain, due to the fact that as you have eaten the foods that will raise the blood sugar slowly, you will be able to have that feeling of being “full” for a longer time span.

The thing that you should remember here is this: the glycemic index is all about the quality of the carbs, and not about the quantity. You see, quantity matters when it comes to the values of the glycemic load, but the measurement and assessment of the food’s glycemic index has nothing to do with the size of the portion. So, if you either eat 10 grams or 1000 grams of that food, everything remains the same. Using the index in preparing healthy meals will help control the blood glucose levels. Before, it has been assumed that the human body will absorb and digest simple sugars at a fast rate, which produces a fast increase in the blood glucose level, which lead to a conclusion that sugar should be totally avoided. But now, researchers have understood that simple sugars don’t contribute to a rise in the blood glucose level any more than some of the complex types of carbohydrates. But, it should be noted that simple sugars still empty the calories and therefore should be minimized still. So, to keep physically fit and healthy, exercise regularly, eat those food with little saturated or trans fat, as well as those high-fiber diet in the index!