Based out of Minnesota and Canada, but wanting a dress for summer, Cinny is the mommy to JR and Baby Pom. When not working or studying full time, she can be found working on Whirlwind of Surprises or cuddling with her hubby and playing with her dogs. She shines in the warm company of friends and family and enjoys playing with her 3 little nephews. Say hi on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+. You may soon see her running around in her Audrey dress in a very Marilyn Monroe fashion on one of her upcoming cruise posts.
We are getting closer and closer to winter. That is when most people pack on the pounds! Don’t do it! Act like you are going to wear a dress for summer. Since I’m on the topic of health and fitness this month, let’s talk about the glycemic index. What do you know about it? What do you do with it?
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The Glycemic Index is a measure of how quickly your body’s blood sugars go up after eating certain foods. The standard is glucose, which has a glycemic index of 100. Everything else is rated alongside of glucose. To compare other foods against sugar, the calculations are made by estimating how much each gram of available carbohydrate in a food raises your blood glucose level after eating. Available carbs are calculated as total carbs minus the fiber content. Alright, that is way too much math and science talk, isn’t it?
In simple terms, the glycemic index of a certain food tells you how quickly your sugars will go up after eating it. You want the foods with low glycemic indices (<55).
The Glycemic Index -Explained
Act Like You Want To Dress For Summer
Glycemic index charts will usually have one value per food, however it is important to know that different characters of food such as their variety, ripeness, cooking methods amongst other factors affect their glycemic index. For example, less cooked pasta (al dente) will have a lower glycemic index than the completely cooked and soft pasta.
What do you need to know? A low glycemic index food (apples, pears, beans, pasta al dente) will release sugars slower and at a more steady rate, instead of shooting up right away. High glycemic index diets can be very taxing on the pancreas with the high immediate levels of glucose and can lead to insulin resistance, obesity and eventually diabetes. In fact, diabetics are recommended to eat low glycemic index foods. It doesn’t mean you have to only eat low glycemic index foods, however they are better for you and should be incorporated as part of your diet.
Knowing this goes a long way with your food preparation and helps towards your health and fitness goals. Check out our recent post on 5 Tips to Keep Work Out Regimens Fun to make the most out of your health and fitness plans.
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