Can a Low Glycemic Index Diet Help You - Even If You Don't Have Diabetes?

We all know that being aware of the Glycemic Index of food is important for the diabetic community. But how can knowing the glycemic index help you maintain your overall wellness, even if you don’t suffer from diabetes?

According to our research – quite a bit.

But lets start at the beginning. What is the glycemic index?  Very simply put, the glycemic index measures how fast and how much a food raises blood glucose levels. Foods with higher index values raise blood sugar more rapidly than foods with lower glycemic index values do.

A rise in blood sugar followed by a steep drop in blood sugar can cause energy slumps, discomfort and mood changes. According to the Glycemic Index Foundation following a low glycemic index diet, is the best way to insure you are eating healthy, whether you are looking to improve your general health, have sustained energy or to help prevent/manage a specific health condition.  Here is what they have to say:

Manage Diabetes

Research has proven that a healthy low GI diet helps people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2) manage their blood glucose levelsⁱ, blood cholesterol levelsⁱⁱ and reduce insulin resistanceⁱⁱⁱ – which is important for reducing the risk of long term diabetes related complications. More.

Achieve or Maintain a Healthy Weight

Overweight and obesity are major underlying causes of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. A low GI diet assists you to reach and maintain your goal weight by helping you manage hunger, burn body fat and maintain your metabolic rate^iv. More.

Healthy Pregnancy

The quality of your diet during pregnancy can affect your child’s future health, long after it has been born^v.  A poor diet during pregnancy may predispose a child to developing obesity or diabetes when he or she is older; whereas a good diet can protect them^vi.

Reducing the GI of your diet is one of the safest and most effective ways of ensuring your baby grows at a healthy rate. More.

Heart Health

A low GI diet can improve heart health by:

·       Helping to reduce post-meal blood glucose levels, improving the elasticity of blood vessel walls and blood flow^vii

·       Improving blood cholesterol levels^viii

·       Reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, a chronic disease affecting blood vessels, by reducing inflammation^ix

·       Aiding abdominal fat reduction^x

Sustained Energy Levels

The sustaining power of a healthy low GI diet allows you to feel energised for longer, and have more stable energy levels, rather than peaks and troughs of energy throughout the day^xi. More.

Increase Mental Performance

Low GI foods provide a steady supply of fuel (glucose) to the brain, improving cognitive performance. Our brains run on glucose and have essentially no reserves, so it is important that a constant supply of glucose is provided throughout the day.

For children and teens, eating a low GI breakfast has been associated with better learning and school performance by improving concentration^xii.

Maximise Sports Performance

The body’s main source of fuel is carbohydrate, which in the simplest form is glucose. The carbohydrate you eat or drink that is not used immediately for energy is stored mostly in your muscles and liver as glycogen. When your body needs fuel, it quickly breaks down the glycogen into glucose for energy.

For decades athletes have been using GI science for their sports preparation and recovery. Low GI foods have proven to extend endurance when eaten 1 – 2 hours before prolonged strenuous exercise ^xiii.

Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Studies show that consuming a high GI diet for five years or longer may increase the risk of breast cancer by 8% compared with a low GI diet ^xiv.

Manage Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Women suffering PCOS often develop a resistance to the hormone insulin, which is needed to keep blood glucose levels stable. Following a healthy low GI diet improves insulin sensitivity, and is one of the best and proven ways to help manage PCOS symptoms, such as unwanted weight gain ^xv.

Eye Health

Growing evidence suggests that a healthy low GI diet can prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in Australia. High GI diets have been associated with an increased risk of early onset AMD^xvi.

Manage Acne

High insulin levels that result from eating high GI foods are associated with acne and a low GI diet can help improve acne by regulating insulin imbalance. Research shows that a low GI diet can reduce acne by more than 50% in only 12 weeks^xvii.

Protein for Women

So what is the deal with protein? As a woman, I really don’t want to bulk up like a greasy, dumbbell curling, muscle head, so can I just skip the protein?

This morning I got down and dirty with the real benefits of protein and all I have to say is, ladies don’t skip the protein.  Here is what I learned.

Rev up your metabolism.

Think about it this way, metabolism is the process of breaking down proteins, carbohydrates and fat to yield the energy your body needs to maintain itself. The rate of your metabolism depends on the interaction between the calories you consume and the calories you burn. Thanks to genetics everyone’s metabolic rate is slightly different, but there is no better way to rev up your metabolism than to increase your bodies need for energy.

Your body can burn calories from fat, carbohydrates or protein. Interestingly, the energy needed to metabolize protein is more than double that of fats and carbohydrates. This basically means that eating regular servings of good quality protein will ramp up your metabolism twice as much as eating anything else, meaning greater fat loss when dieting. And let us not forget that the more muscle you have, the more energy your body will expel just to maintain itself. So a little muscle, isn't so bad. 

Muscle Tone.

Speaking of muscle, a diet that restricts calories will atrophy not only fat but muscle as well. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the better your overall body tone will be. If you want to shed only fat and hold onto your lean muscle, remember to consume enough protein for your body to continually restore muscle.

Your Hormones.

Protein stimulates the release of glucagon, which stimulates the liver to release stored carbohydrates from its glycogen stores and from fat. Glucagon also inhibits the release of insulin. By controlling your intake of protein and spreading it throughout the day, you can constantly produce adequate amounts of glucagon and decrease the enzymes responsible for making/storing fat in fat cells and in your liver, which means you'll ultimately get leaner a lot faster.

A Diet High in Protein.

Next time you head to the grocery store, fill your cart with some healthy high protein items like, eggs, cottage cheese, legumes, nuts, yogurt, chicken and yummy seeds.

Sincerely, 

Your Serious Oats Girl - Tara

Cinnamon - A Hidden (Nutritious) Gem.

Cinnamon is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree. And though, for many, it offers a sweet nostalgic aroma and adds a warm taste to a menu, cinnamon actually packs a pretty powerful punch when it comes to nutritious value and health benefits. Check it out:
The health benefits of Cinnamon:

• Anti-Clotting Actions: Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde) has been well-researched for its effects on blood platelets. Platelets are constituents of blood that are meant to clump together under emergency circumstances (like physical injury) as a way to stop bleeding, but under normal circumstances, they can make blood flow inadequate if they clump together too much. The cinnaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. (The way it accomplishes this health-protective act is by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called arachidonic acid from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule called thromboxane A2.) Cinnamon's ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes also puts it in the category of an "anti-inflammatory" food that can be helpful in lessening inflammation.
• Anti-Microbial Activity: Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication fluconazole was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts. • Cinnamon's antimicrobial properties are so effective that recent research demonstrates this spice can be used as an alternative to traditional food preservatives. In a study, published in the August 2003 issue of the International Journal of Food Microbiology, the addition of just a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to 100 ml (approximately 3 ounces) of carrot broth, which was then refrigerated, inhibited the growth of the foodborne pathogenic Bacillus cereus for at least 60 days. When the broth was refrigerated without the addition of cinnamon oil, the pathogenic B. cereus flourished despite the cold temperature. In addition, researchers noted that the addition of cinnamon not only acted as an effective preservative but improved the flavor of the broth.
• Blood Sugar Control: Seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Researchers measured how quickly the stomach emptied after 14 healthy subjects ate 300 grams (1.2 cups) of rice pudding alone or seasoned with 6 grams (1.2 teaspoons) of cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and significantly lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Cinnamon may also significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. (See More on this HERE)

Thank you to The George Mateljan Foundation for the facts on Cinnamon.