Carb Control and the Glycemic Index

Now, I want you all to be healthy and know the facts necessary to get to your goals...and this involves you being familiar with the glycemic index. WHAT it is, and more importantly, HOW to use it to your advantage.

The Glycemic Index is the rating of carbohydrates based on how quickly they raise your blood sugar levels. ALL carbohydrates will raise your sugar levels, making "energy" available to us, some faser than others. The higher a carb is on the glycemic index, the faster it raises your blood glucose. And the faster it raises your blood sugar levels, the faster your body releases INSULIN which stores that excess energy as FAT (ahh the enemy!).

Want to experience the fat storage?? I always tell my clients to eat a large amount of candy (in my case, a KING SIZE snicker bar) and start the timer! Just wait.... 20 min will pass and you'll be bouncing off the walls doing burpees just because they are fun, then BAM. The insulin response hits and leaves you drowsy, sucking all the blood sugar out of you and doing what? Oh, thats right...it's making you fatter. No Bueno!

Many of us have a diet that consists primarily of carbohydrates, with some protein here and there. The problem with that, is when we have a diet that consists of mainly carbs, insulin levels go up- and therefor, we start to store the sugar we dont use (as fat). Most of us are not active enough to really use all the carbohydrates that we take in, and so we end up storing most of it. Carbs that are not great quality (i.e., ones that are high glycemic) provide a lot of energy quickly, and most of us do not lead an active enough of a lifestyle to use that energy before it gets stored. Eating the low-quality (processed and refined) carbs before going to bed is also a common mistake that people make.

On the flip side, if we take in more protein, our bodies release a hormone called GLUCAGON which is the exact opposite of insulin, and that is responsible for basically taking energy OUT of our energy stores (our fat) and putting it back in our blood for energy usage. Glucagon is a hormone that we want, and insulin is a hormone that we want to keep stable and regulate.

Now, I am not saying that we should completely deplete our carbs, nor am I saying we should gorge out on protein to maximize glucagon in our bodies. What I AM saying is to watch the QUALITY of carbs that we digest, and to regulate the insulin levels by eating more protein with our meals. By having a protein group with all our meals, we are able to regulate insulin levels by slowing the digestion of the carbs we eat, and allow our bodies to be more efficient at using energy, and storing less of it. And we want that, right?

So, where do we find the glycemic index and look at the foods that we eat on a daily basis? Right Below...

I recommend that you look through the Index and pay attention to where your diet stands in terms of glycemic value.

Think of it this way:
HIGH glycemic= FAT STORAGE!

Low-Glycemic Index Foods: Less Than 55
* Eat foods that are starred sparingly; these are high in empty calories.
Artichoke < 15 Asparagus < 15 Broccoli < 15 Cauliflower < 15 Celery < 15 Cucumber < 15 Eggplant < 15 Green beans < 15 Lettuce, all varieties < 15 Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened < 15 Peanuts < 15 Peppers, all varieties < 15 Snow peas < 15 Spinach < 15 Young summer squash < 15 Zucchini < 15 Tomatoes 15 Cherries 22 Peas, dried 22 Plum 24 Grapefruit 25 Pearled barley 25 Peach 28 Canned peaches, natural juice 30 Dried apricots 31 Soy milk 30 Baby lima beans, frozen 32 Fat-free milk 32 Fettuccine 32 * M&M's Chocolate Candies, Peanut 32 Low-fat yogurt, sugar sweetened 33 Apple 36 Pear 36 Whole wheat spaghetti 37	Tomato soup 38 Carrots, cooked 39 * Mars Snickers Bar 40 Apple juice 41 Spaghetti 41 All-Bran 42 Canned chickpeas 42 Custard 43 Grapes 43 Orange 43 Canned lentil soup 44 Canned pinto beans 45 Macaroni 45 Pineapple juice 46 Banana bread 47 Long-grain rice 47 Parboiled rice 47 Bulgur 48 Canned baked beans 48 Grapefruit juice 48 Green peas 48 Oat bran bread 48 * Chocolate bar, 1.5 oz 49 Old-fashioned oatmeal 49 Cheese tortellini 50 * Low-fat ice cream 50 Canned kidney beans 52 Kiwifruit 52 Orange juice, not from concentrate 52 Banana 52 * Potato chips 54 * Pound cake 54 Special K 54 Sweet potato 54

Intermediate-Glycemic Index Foods: 55 to 70
* Eat foods that are starred sparingly; these are high in empty calories. Don't avoid or even limit high-glycemic index foods printed in blue; these are low-calorie and very nutritious foods.
Brown Rice 55 Canned fruit cocktail 55 Linguine 55 Oatmeal cookies 55 Popcorn 55 Sweet corn 55 Muesli 56 White rice 56 Orange juice - frozen concntrte 57 Pita bread 57 Canned peaches, heavy syrup 58 Mini shredded wheats 58 Bran Chex 58 Blueberry muffin 59 Bran muffin 60 Cheese pizza 60 Hamburger bun 61 * Ice cream 61 Kudos Whole Grain Bars 61 Beets 64	Canned apricots, light syrup 64 Canned black bean soup 64 Macaroni and cheese 64 Raisins 64 Couscous 65 Quick-cooking oatmeal 65 Rye crispbread 65 * Table sugar (sucrose) 65 Canned green pea soup 66 Instant oatmeal 66 Pineapple 66 Angel food cake 67 Grape-Nuts 67 Stoned Wheat Thins 67 American rye bread 68 Taco shells 68 Whole wheat bread 69 Life Savers 70 Melba toast 70 White bread 70

High-Glycemic Index Foods: More Than 70
Don't avoid or even limit high-glycemic index foods printed in blue; these are low-calorie and very nutritious foods.
Golden Grahams 71 Bagel 72 Corn chips 72 Watermelon 72 Honey 73 Kaiser roll 73 Mashed potatoes 73 Bread stuffing mix 74 Cheerios 74 Cream of Wheat, instant 74 Graham crackers 74 Puffed wheat 74 Doughnuts 75 French fries 76 Frozen waffles 76 Total cereal 76	Vanilla wafers 77 Grape-Nuts Flakes 80 Jelly beans 80 Pretzels 81 Rice cakes 82 Rice Krispies 82 Corn Chex 83 Mashed potatoes, instant 83 Cornflakes 84 Baked potato 85 Rice Chex 89 Rice, instant 91 French bread 95 Parsnips 97 Dates 103 Tofu frozen dessert 115

Couple the Low glycemic, *quality* (non-processed and non-refined) carbs along with sensible, portioned, and controlled eating, and you got yourself some regulated blood sugar (for the most part). As a rule of thumb, do not eat the carbs which are processed and refined- the breads, pastas, rices, and all the packaged junk. Best advice I ever got for cleaning up my nutrition was " OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND"... meaning get the non-desirable food OUT of your cupboards and fridge!!

I hope this bit of info will help you guys in your steps to cleaning up the diet and losing some more unwanted inches. I can testify to the fact that eating the quality carbs works- as I have been using this info for my own bodyfat manipulation for YEARS. I hope this will help you all too... Remember, weight loss is a science! Not a miracle or the "exceptions" to the rule. IF you choose to apply the formula to your own life, you WILL see the changes.

Committed to your health,
Ronny Varghese