Why should you or anyone else care about eating low GI and what does low GI mean anyway? Well, give me a moment and I will tell you.
Low GI is a ranking for foods, predominantly the carbohydrate monsters on a scale known as the glycemic index. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those that are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. These tend to be sweet fruits, refined and processed grains, foods low in protein, fat and/or fibre and of course, sugary foods. Spikes in blood sugar levels also result in spikes in insulin levels.
Why should you care? Well my sweet blood sugar spiking roller coaster riders, abusing our insulin in this way, riding the waves of sugar and the resulting adrenaline that helps keep us going, means we ride high, high, high and then crash into puddles of crankiness, irritability, complete exhaustion, sweet cravings and maybe tears should it we be blown in that direction.
And what kind of sweet people does this turn us into? Well, nightmares actually. We get out of bed on the wrong side and this nastyness sticks with us through the day as we ride that adrenaline roller coasted. How do you know if you are hooked on sugar and naughty carbs? Check any and all that apply:
- Intense cravings for sweets
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Weight gain around mid-section
- Poor concentration
- Hyper-reactivity
- Poor Memory
- Binging
- Sudden drop in energy
- Brain Fog
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Constant worrying
- Fits of anger
- Fatigue after eating
- Nervousness
- Shakiness/Light Headed
- Wake up suddenly for no apparent reason
- Night sweats
Sound at all familiar? The toughest part of this is that these feelings, these symptoms are incredibly uncomfortable. We might even say that these are the symptoms of carb/sugar withdrawal and as such, are easily remedied with the poison itself. A little hair of the dog if you will. This however doesn’t help long term. This short term solution is how we found ourselves in this hypoglycemic high GI mess in the first place. And a short term solution, never finds us long term relief.
What can sticking to a low GI plan do for you? Everything you are working so hard for!
Choosing low GI foods, the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels, are the secret to amazing long term health including reduction in PMS symptoms, adrenal burnout, hypoglycemia, sustained weight loss and reduced risk of type two diabetes.
Too excited to wait for the tutorial? Download the Mp3 or .m4v movie file ( each priced at $9.99). Both can be played through your ipod/itunes and quicktime player. What’s the difference?
The Mp3 is just the audio and includes some of the Q and A following the presentation. The video file is the audio plus the pretty little slides that go with it all in a fun little movie form. It is really what you prefer. If you are the type to sit down and watch a presentation on your computer than go for the Video Presentation version which you can watch, if you want audio you can take with you on the go, than go with the Mp3. The Presentation Video is about 36 minutes in length and the Mp3 is about 46 minutes (because it includes Q and A).
Adrenaline Lunch Presentation (.m4v video file) $9.99
Adrenaline Lunch Audio Presentation (Mp3 audio file) $9.99
Great GI information!
You do know that pure, white table sugar has a GI of about 60 right? That is considered “medium” GI, NOT “high”. Mashed potato, parsnip, rutabaga and winter squash all have HIGH GI’s. Higher than sugar! Whoa! And just because something is a “sweet” does not mean it is high GI and will send ones blood sugar soaring. The blood sugar response to brownies, for example, is very low due to their high fat content. Are you suggesting we should be eating brownies instead of parsnips or rutabagas Meghan?? Since brownies have a lower GI, I guess you are!
GI is useless unless carbohydrates are eaten completely on their own, which is rarely done. As soon as you add protein or fat to a carbohydrate, the GI scale becomes irrelevant.
It all sounds extremely complicated from the little bits Ive read, so I am looking forward to your tutorial. You have a great way of explaining things so that everyone can understand. Im sure to learn a lot.
Yey low GI! What a great way to get people thinking about and focusing on their health as the holidays approach. Say what you want about refined white sugar’s place on the index, who wants to put that stuff in their bodies so it can wreak all sorts of havoc anyways?
Then go ahead and eat your brownies. Be sure you take into account the nutrients lost abundance of nutrient void calories you’ll be taking in and work out how that works into your health goals.
The guide I am putting out tomorrow explains all of this. The white table sugar being a moderate GI is a challenge with the index itself, but is meant to be a guide only. The foods recommended in this focus on those that are rich in quality protein, good fat and fibre. Grains and high GI starchy veg are left out for the week and the tutorial explains healthy ways to include them.
The reason sugar is lower on the GI is because it is predominantly sucrose, a dissacharide that breaks down to glucose and fructose. This is why it has a lower GI. Fructose has to go through the liver first to be converted to glucose- thus slowing the absorption rate. This of course doesn’t make it a healthy food and refined sugar doesn’t tend to find its way into healthy, low glycmic foods- and I do discuss chocolate in the tutorial.
It is really very simple… Does this mean you’re in? Yay fun!