High and Low Glycemic Index Foods
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January 17th, 2008
High and low glycemic index foods: a breakdown of good carbs and bad carbs: While most people assumed that fat content and calories were pretty much the only nutritional facts to watch out for when selecting foods to eat, modern science and diet have shown us that is not always true.
One of the main ways of keeping fat down in the human body is to eat foods that have a low-glycemic index almost exclusively, meaning foods that don’t spike your blood sure, thereby keeping it low. When you blood sugar is high, your body gets the signal to store more fat, and fat is much easier to put on that it is to burn off in most cases.
Here are some examples of low-glycemic and high-glycemic foods and the advantages and disadvantages they provide nutritionally:
High-Glycemic:
1. Pizza-
Pretty much all pizza is made on white bread i.e. dough which contains a lot of flour. The dough in pizza crust will spike your blood sugar to a high point, especially considering how much of it people eat when they eat pizza and considering the popularity of deep dish pizza which contains a lot of crust. On top of that, the side dish of choice for pizza is often the breadstick which only makes things worse, and the beverage of choice with pizza is pop which contains a lot of sugar as well.
When your body eats pizza, the crust makes your blood sugar high and then many of the toppings on the pizza are easily converted to fat. Cheese is the number-one worst thing about the pizza in combination with the crust that makes your body store fat, although things like ham and pepperoni are pretty bad as well. These elements combine to make pizza a fat-storing nightmare.
2. White Bread-
If fast-food places would just stop using white-bread buns on their sandwiches, we’d all be a lot healthier. Well, at least a decent amount healthier considering how much America eats fast food. White bread spikes the glycemic index and makes the sandwich/burger toppings that contain fat store fat in the body. On top of that, white bread is quickly absorbed compared to wheat bread and has more calories. And because the release of energy is quicker, you’re more like to be hungry again soon.
Low-Glycemic:
1. Fruits-
Some people are scared off by fruits because of the perceived amount of sugar they contain but they are a much-lower glycemic index food than say fruit juices. That’s because fruits are all-natural and don’t contain blood sugar-spiking junk like high fructose corn syrup. The sugar from fruits is released slowly into your system keeping fat storage to a minimum and the fiber in fruits keeps you full longer.
2. Oatmeal-
Not only is oatmeal a slow-absorbing source of carbs that won’t spike your blood sugar, it’s also loaded with fiber to keep you full for a nice, long time. Just make sure you stay away from the sugary, fake kinds of oatmeal that are so prevalent these days.
3. Vegetables-
We all know vegetables are good but for the purposes of a low-carb diet they are absolutely essential. They will provide you with important vitamins and minerals and keep you full while not adding much calories or carbs at all to your diet. In addition they give lots of fiber that will help clean out your system. Make fruits and vegetables staples of your diet and you will lose weight guaranteed.
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