http://healthnutritionnews.org/health-glycemic-index Your Health & The Glycemic Index The glycemic index is a number that reflects how much effect different foods have on your blood sugar level. Don't forget: Lower GI numbers mean that the food is better for someone high blood sugar. If a food is high on the glycemic index, these foodsare known to diffuse quickly into the system evoking an insulin response; essentially, they provide you with a massive rush of sugar, easily processed and immediately used. Low glycemic foods are understandably, slow-released sugars that require more time to release their stored energy. Improving Your Health If you can make one change to improve your nutrition, it should be to reduce or eliminate sugars. Much has been made of low-glycemic index foods, and indeed there is a strong basis to show that lowering sugars can guard against health problems as well as lowering one's appetite for sugary foods, which can contribute to weight loss. To help yourself harmful foods during the holiday season, eat a low glycemic index snack before heading out to parties. This will curb your appetite and will help you to only enjoy treats in moderation. Splurge only on the foods you love the most, and avoid snacks like dips and crackers. Get familiar with the glycemic index rating of foods to help gain better control of your blood sugar. It is important to learn to recognize high glycemic foods like breads, fruit juices, cereals, pasta and rice. Eating more vegetables, lean proteins and other low glycemic index foods keeps your blood sugar from spiking after meals. You should eat the right kind of carbohydrates, at the right time. Carbohydrates are generally categorized into two groups by using a scoring system on the glycemic index. They either end up with a high glycemic value or a low one. Obviously, nutrition is important and can affect a lot of health factors that play into the quality of your life. What Foods to Eat To keep your blood sugar levels from spiking, research high glycemic index foods. If you're not knowledgeable about what ingredients you should avoid, you may consume something harmful without realizing it. If you need to eat something quickly and don't have time to look it up, stick to non-processed foods. Make a list of these foods and learn to identify potential problem foods and ingredients. Some foods that are high on glycemic indexes are pasta, cereal, desserts, juices and breads. Processed foods and carbohydrates can been dangerous for diabetics. Add more fresh vegetables and fruits, meats and fish to your diet.

• published: 26 Oct 2013
• views: 301