Eating simple carbohydrates and sugar (in any form) keeps you addicted to sugar. And let’s face it many of these foods are the very ones we used to call fattening. Aside from their sky-high GI ranking, they also tend to be loaded with calories. Some examples: High GI foods include brown rice, white bread (which ranks even higher than table sugar!), potatoes and watermelon. I suggest sticking to foods than rank under 60 on the GI. These include most fruits (with the exception of that sugary high GI watermelon), beans, nuts and non-starchy vegetables.
The big benefits of choosing foods that rank low on the glycemic index are that we digest them more slowly than we do high GI foods. As a result, blood sugar rises more gradually. Another benefit: because your body absorbs low GI foods more slowly than it does high GI foods, they remain in your digestive tract longer where they can help with appetite control and delay hunger cues. Note: the glycemic index does not address portion sizes. This is where the glycemic load (GL) comes in! Multiplying the GI of a food by the amount of grams of carbs in a serving then dividing that number by 100 will give you the GL. Look for a more detailed description of GL in future blogs.
You don’t have to do the math
Unfortunately, most on-line versions of the glycemic index list the amounts of food in grams rather than ounces. Not to worry. If you’re not well versed in the metric system, all you have to do is Google “metric converter”. These are pretty simple tools to use, and once you’ve done a few conversions you won’t have to bother with this step. You’ll just remember that – say 100 grams – equals a serving size of about 3.5 ounces.
Eating lots of low-glycemic carbs will lower your blood glucose levels, decrease cravings and help you focus.
If you are looking for some new, quick and easy recipes take a look at the Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbook.
