With over 30 years of sound science and research behind the glycemic index, it serves as a great framework to create a healthy diet. Low glycemic foods prevent blood sugar spikes. Repeated spikes in blood sugar can lead to insulin resistance and high cortisol levels. As previously mentioned (I feel the need to hammer this home), riding the high glycemic roller coaster will set you up for metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a litany of other health issues. Some studies show as many as 1 in 4 Americans currently have metabolic syndrome. If that isn’t staggering enough, the number climbs to over 40% of Americans over 60.
Please listen to what I’m saying. If you find yourself eating fast food or processed food on a continual basis, you’re going to have health issues. If you have trouble eating vegetables but gravitate toward processed carbs, you’re going to have health issues. If you eat a cookie once a week, I think you’ll be alright. You don’t have to cut yourself off from every sweet thing in the world. But you do have to consume low glycemic foods consistently.
And if you’ve missed the dozens of other times I’ve said it, consistency is key. This is your “last health resolution”, right? I’m committing to this blog series to help you make changes that will forever alter the trajectory of your health. It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens every morning with the right choices.
So let’s look at some switches you can make right away.
|
High Glycemic |
Low Glycemic |
|
White bread |
Sprouted grain, whole grain, sourdough, pumpernickel |
|
White rice |
Brown, basmati, long grain rice, or quinoa |
|
White pasta |
Sprouted or whole grain pasta |
|
Processed cereal, instant oatmeal |
Steel cut oats, whole rolled oats, hulless barley, oat bran, all bran |
|
White potatoes |
Sweet potatoes |
|
Corn tortillas |
Sprouted or whole grain tortillas |
On your next run to the grocery store, make a few switches for low glycemic foods. This list provides a good start. If you’re curious about the glycemic load of certain foods, you can search just about anything via this Australian website.
As you continue to adapt, look closely at labels. You want to avoid as much sugar and sweeteners as possible. And manufacturers hide sugar in a lot of forms. I’m including a partial list below of some things you might encounter on labels. These are all simple sugars. Don’t forget that ingredients are listed from greatest to least. So if one of these is in the first three ingredients, look for an alternative.
- Beet sugar
- Brown rice sugar
- Cane sugar
- Corn sweetener
- Dehydrated cane juice
- Evaporated cane juice
- Fructose
- High fructose corn syrup
- Invert sugar
- Maltose
- Molasses
- Rice syrup
- Sorghum
- Sucrose
- Turbinado sugar
- Xylose
I’m always looking for great low glycemic options. What are some switches you’ve made or products you’ve found helpful?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
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