In my last post,we mentioned the idea of thinking about foods instead of nutrients. Simply working with nutrients and ignoring everything else has caused us trouble. Recent years,many so-called experts have suggested that we are eating to many carbohydrates,and we should reduce the amount of carbohydrates in our diet. This might be helpful at some point,but some diet trends are even going to the point of limiting the intake of anything containing carbohydrates. This is clearly not a smart choice,since these foods also contain other substances that our body needs. At the same time,these diet trends seem to suggest that proteins and fats could be eaten freely. A diet like this which consists of mostly animal-based food and hardly any whole grains can leave us with serious problems.
Rising Blood Sugar
When we eat food containing carbohydrates,those carbohydrates are broken down in the small intestine into glucose and released into the blood. This makes our blood sugar rise. To keep our blood sugar steady,the body releases insulin,a kind of hormone,into our blood,so our blood sugar decreases back to the normal level.
Whole Grains
Whole gains contain starch and dietary fiber. Starch is relatively hard to digest(compared to sugar) and fiber isn’t digestable at all,so whole grains are broken down slowly.This means that glucose is released into the blood at a slow pace,or we could say whole grains have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index(GI) of a certain food describes how quickly our blood sugar rises after eating that food. The higher the GI, the quicker that food causes our blood sugar to rise. Each food has its own GI. As we mentioned earlier,insulin is secreted when blood sugar rises. Whole grains release glucose slowly,so a steady rise of insulin happens after we eat them.
Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates like white bread and cola are relatively easy to digest,they release glucose into the blood quickly,they have a high glycemic index. When we eat these foods,our blood sugar rises rapidly and insulin spikes to a high level as well. This unstable level of blood sugar can result in an early return of hunger and a tendency to overeat.
Lower the GI
Foods containing fiber usually have a low GI. Eating combinations of food containing different types of nutrients also helps.
Suggestions
For people who want to control their weight or blood sugar levels,try to choose low GI foods,although it is generally a good idea for all of us.
