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Whether you are diabetic or not the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) should be something to be concerned about. The kind of food you eat can have a profound impact on your health today and tomorrow.
In fact you may already be on the road to developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Simply put the food you eat is converted into glucose. It is the job of the pancreas to produce insulin necessary to move excess glucose away from the bloodstream and into the cells of the body where it is needed for energy. For many type 2 diabetics the cells have become resistant and do not absorb glucose even when there is plenty of insulin around to do the job.
It is estimated that upwards of a billion people exhibit some form of insulin resistance. Called syndrome X, their pancreas produce more than enough insulin to move glucose but their cells are showing some form of insulin resistance. That requires the pancreas to produce excess insulin to get blood sugar into the cells. But age and a diet high in processed food is guaranteed to bring on diabetes.
So even if you're not diabetic you should still pay attention to the terms Glycemic index and Glycemic load
So what is GI, GL and why should you care?
The Glycemic Index is a measure of how fast the food you eat is converted into blood sugar.
GL is a measure of the amount of food consumed to produce large levels of glucose. Taken another way, you can raise your blood sugar by simply eating more food, even though it may have a low value on the GI.
Highly processed and refined foods such as white bread, sugary breakfast cereals, cookies and cakes rank high on the glycemic index. High GI foods lead to high spikes in blood sugar and it is those high spikes and a slow decline that can lead to damage to the heart and kidneys and other vital organs of the body.
High fiber foods, on the other hand, lead to a slower rise in glucose. The pancreas does not need to produce massive amounts of insulin to get rid of excess sugar. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole wheat breads rank low on the scale and are healthier alternatives to high glycemic foods.
Watermelon, for example, has a high GI. So avoiding it may sound like a good idea but watermelon has only 6 grams of carbohydrates in half a cup. This is where the GL comes in. 2 slices of watermelon will not significantly create a rise in blood sugar. GL takes into account the amount of calories consumed. Along with GI you have a good standard to determine which foods are best and which you need to avoid.
A GL rating of 20 or more is considered high, 11 to 19 in the medium range.
A slice of whole wheat bread has a GI of 69 which measures in the medium to high range, but it's GL is only 9.6 for that one slice.
Take a look at the GI for a can of any soft drink. The GI is 68 and the GL is 34. Clearly that one can is high on both scales.
Since most of the food you eat likely ranks high on both GI and GL it makes sense to replace them with high fiber foods that won't spike your blood sugar. Replacing that junk food will go a long way to maintaining your health and avoid the diseases of cancer, heart disease and diabetes that afflict so many people today.
The author has been a diabetic for over 8 years. Like many he experienced the symptoms. He has since tackled the disease by losing weight and normalizing his blood sugar through natural means. If you should be interested in finding out about some products that have helped, you'll find them in the Resource section of his website-in-progress at: http://www.newagediabetic.com
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