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With
the popularity of the Atkins/Low Carb diet fading
rapidly, it was only a matter of time before the
next "big thing" came along to replace
it. Enter: the Glycemic Diet.
The
premise of the Glycemic Diet is simple: carbs
are not the bad guys-it's the TYPES of carbs you
eat that are most important.
What Is the Glycemic Diet?
The
Glycemic Diet is based on a scale called the Glycemic
Index. The Glycemic Index (or G.I. for short)
charts how quickly a food is converted into sugar
in the body. Foods that have a higher G.I. number
are converted into sugar more quickly than foods
that have a low G.I. number, based on a scale
of 1 to 100.
For
example, straight glucose (which is straight sugar)
has a G.I. number of 100, whereas a whole grain
like barley has a G.I. number of 27. Proteins
and fats, which have neglible impact on blood
sugar, are generally not listed on the Glycemic
Index, only carbohydrate containing foods.
So
why is the G.I. number important? Insulin is secreted
by the pancreas in response to increases in blood
sugar in your body. Insulin is the primary storage
hormone in your body and is used to help get nutrients
into the different cells of your body. When blood
sugar goes up, insulin is released to bring blood
sugar back down by storing the sugar until a normal
baseline is reached.
The
faster a food is converted into blood sugar (e.g.
with high G.I. foods), the higher the blood sugar
levels get and the more insulin is secreted by
the pancreas to help the cells of your body absorb
the sugar. Your blood sugar decreases and your
pancreas stops sending out insulin.
It's
a simple "stimulus-response" system
that works to keep blood sugar levels in balance
in the body.
Now,
that's all well and good but how does that affect
your fat loss?
First,
when insulin is present in the bloodstream, the
body is in STORAGE mode and will NOT release fat
from your fat cells to burn. So while blood sugar
and insulin levels are high, your body isn't burning
fat.
Next,
while your blood sugar is up, your body is using
that blood sugar for energy instead of fat. Sugar
is the preferred fuel for your body because it's
metabolically easier to use. This is why if you
eat a carb-containing food before training, your
body is going to be using primarily the sugar
from that food for energy rather than your bodyfat
AND, since insulin and blood sugar are present,
your body is in STORAGE mode, not fat-burning
mode.
[Quick
Lesson - put away the Gatorade if you want to
burn fat during your workout! Sports drinks have
a G.I. number very near 100!]
Now
comes the REAL fat loss killer...
When
you eat a high G.I. food and your blood sugar
levels rise very quickly, your body doesn't really
know how much insulin to send out so it sends
out quite a lot and keeps sending it out. The
result: soon your body has sent out TOO MUCH insulin
and your blood sugar levels drop BELOW normal
levels.
When
your blood sugar drops below normal levels, you
may feel dizzy, nauseous, and (the killer for
fat loss) immediately hungry for sugary foods.
This is a natural defense mechanism as your body
wants to get your blood sugar back up into the
normal range as quickly as possible!
But
then the vicious cycle starts. When you eat the
sugary food to get the levels back to normal,
blood sugar goes up again and BEYOND normal levels,
which sends insulin levels back up again.
How The Glycemic Diet Works:
The
theory of the Glycemic Diet is to put a stop to
this vicious blood-sugar/insulin cycle by focusing
your eating on LOW glycemic carbs. When you eat
low G.I. foods, the carbs are converted into sugar
(the usable form in the body is called glucose)
more slowly, allowing for a steadier release of
that sugar into the body. The pancreas doesn't
shoot out large quantities of insulin in emergency
response, which means your blood sugar doesn't
drop a lot soon after eating.
This
"steady-state" nutrition allows your
body to more easily access stored fat and to use
that fat for energy rather than constantly relying
on blood sugar. The bonus...you don't get nearly
as hungry because your blood sugar levels don't
drop far below normal.
Think
of it this way...fat burning is like walking blindfolded
on the deck of a ship (stay with me here :)).
When insulin and blood sugar levels fluctuate
constantly up and down, it's like walking on a
ship in a storm that's rocking all over the place
in the waves. You have to constantly react to
changes in your balance and you're not going to
get very far and definitely not in a straight
line.
When
you eat lower glycemic foods, it's like walking
in calmer seas. Even blindfolded, you're going
to be able to walk fairly straight and cover a
lot more distance more quickly. You won't have
to be constantly reacting to changes that keeping
you from walking that straight line.
And
that straight line is fat loss!
Another
advantage of the Glycemic Diet is that it also
focuses on including good amounts of protein,
healthy fats and fiber in with the foods you eat.
Protein, fats and fiber, while having the advantage
of no glycemic response, also work to bring DOWN
the G.I. number of carb-containing foods when
combined.
For
example, a rice cake (a typical diet food which
has a G.I. number of 87) will spike your blood
sugar quickly. But put some peanut butter on it
and the number drops by 10 to 20 points.
There
are times when a high blood sugar response is
desirable though! The only time, quite honestly,
is immediately following a workout. At that time,
your body is primed to use all the nutrients you
put in. A G.I. carb at this time can help your
body recover by spiking insulin levels. Insulin,
in addition to helping sugars get into cells,
also helps other nutrients like amino acids (the
building blocks of protein) get into cells, which
is very desirable after a workout.
The Bottom Line on the Glycemic
Diet:
The
concept of the Glycemic Diet is scientifically
sound (that means it works). This is not a "fad
diet" even though it may come across like
one in the media. Eating low glycemic foods for
fat loss can have a positive impact not only your
fat loss but on your mood and well-being in general.
Think
of it this way...a diet that focuses on natural,
unprocessed foods such as whole grains, quality
lean proteins, healthy fats and lots of fiber,
regardless of the media and advertising gimmicks
and hype that are used to promote it, is going
to be a very effective diet.
For
more information on the Glycemic Index and the
Glycemic Diet, please use the following links:
http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
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