Ten Simple Rules to following a Low-Glycaemic Diet plan
May 25th, 2008 by Welldec
The problem of obesity and other associated health problems has not been improved since the advent of low-fat dieting. This is due partly to the fact that many low-fat foods are, in fact, high-glycaemic and can cause the body to produce excess triglycerides, a blood fat that makes up the majority of each cholesterol molecule.
Many scientists believe that the healthiest way to nourish your body is by eating a low-glycaemic diet.
If you eat food that drives your blood sugar above normal, it causes you to secrete insulin to normalise it. When the insulin spikes, the mechanism responsible for converting your food to energy is shut off, so that most or all of what you have eaten is turned to fat. Here are ten simple rules to help you follow a low-glycaemic food plan. These concise rules will make eating the right foods very simple and easy to remember.
1. Whenever possible, eat raw and natural foods. For example, raw Carrots have a low-glycaemic index of 35 and are safe and natural. Cooked carrots have a higher glycaemic rating of 65. Most vegetables in their raw state have a low glycaemic index.
2. Eat foods that are harder to digest. The harder a food is to digest, the lower-glycaemic it usually is, and the harder it is to digest, the longer it takes to convert to sugars. This longer process minimises insulin reactions, so that you can maximise your conversion of food to energy and minimise the amount of food converting to fat. For example, cooked carrots are very easy to digest, which is another reason why their index is much higher than raw carrots.
3. Eat high fibre foods. The harder the fibre is to digest, the better it is for us. Fibre not only gives us a feeling of fullness but it also helps clean out our colons which is essential for our good health. As well, the higher the fibre, the more absorbent it is for fats. If the digestive process for a specific food is slow, generally the lower will be the glycaemic index of that food. Bread is a good example of this. The fibre in highly refined white bread is so broken down and easy to digest that it is virtually useless for colon health.
If you eat bread, make sure it is whole grain and as close to the natural state of grain as possible. Depending on the grain and seeds in the bread, it will be at the low end of the glycaemic scale.
4. Please don’t use artificial sweeteners. There is some evidence that artificial sweeteners may in fact slow the fat-burning process by causing confusion to the normal chemical signals of the brain. These signals are usually associated with sweet tastes. There is also an increasing body of evidence that indicates that some harmful effects to the human body may be caused by artificial sweeteners.
5. Do not eat fried foods. Fried foods stress the pancreas, which is never advisable regardless of your health or weight management goals. One of the many benefits of low-glycaemic eating is keeping the pancreas healthy.
6. Avoid white foods. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but, in general, white foods tend to be high-glycaemic. White potatoes are the highest (85-98) on the glycaemic index. They are a starchy complex, and those starches convert to glucose rapidly. Additionally, they are very easy to digest and contain very little fibre.
7. Be sure to drink enough water. Water is absolutely vital to the efficient functioning of our bodies. Approximately 50% of the female body is made up of water and 60% of the male body. It is impossible to maintain a proper hormonal balance without it and water is extremely important in weight management and for fat transfer.
Having said that we must drink lots of water, it’s important that we drink only good quality water .
Don’t worry that you seem to be ‘weighing heavy’ from all this water. The extra water-weight can sometimes be misleading as you monitor your progress. Check how your clothes are fitting and use the tape measure instead of the scales to get a true picture of your progress. Just keep in mind that you cannot expect long-term success on any program without proper hydration.
8. Don’t skip meals. You must keep your blood sugar balanced and if you are skipping meals, your body will perceive a state of starvation and reduce the rate of converting your stored fat. You may save a few kilojoules but this will eventually backfire and defeat the purpose. Snacking will help keep your blood sugar balanced, which in turn, will control your appetite - just be sure you are snacking on the right foods.
Low-glycaemic fruit and vegetables make the ideal snacking food. As it isn’t always convenient to be eating fruit or vegetables, an alternative would be to have a little stash of natural almonds on hand. A dozen almonds eaten every couple of hours between meals should help the average person maintain a reasonable blood sugar level.
9. Do not mix the different principles of other diets with low-glycaemic eating. Some fad diets may give quick, temporary results that sound great but can result in bad health over the long term. The GlycoLEAN Body System is a system to support you with good health for life. If you are reading this report you probably haven’t yet experienced long term success in your quest to lose weight, so ignore all the media hype, and focus on just one system that is proven to work longterm.
10. Make the commitment to be healthy for life. Last rule on the list, but certainly not least. In fact, this rule is vitally important. Unless you are prepared to make a commitment to your health, don’t start this complete system based around the glycaemic-index. The GlycoLEAN Body System is designed to support good health, not just fat loss. It is a system you should adopt for life - not just until you can fit into a particular item of clothing. In order to have a healthy and fit body, we need to take a good look at our lifestyle and habits and make changes where necessary.
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