By Ross Weale
Does eating fiber cancel out the other calories you consume? Are all-natural products as good as they sound? Do carbs really make you fat?
Dietitian and Health magazine contributing editor Samantha Heller sorted through the most common diet myths with Ann Curry on the Today show’s “Take It Off” segment on July 21. Watch the video to learn what you really need to worry about when it comes to losing weight.
Read More
Showing posts with label Carbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carbs. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Monday, December 31, 2007
Diabetes Group Backs Low-Carb Diets
(HealthDay News) -- For the first time, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has come out in support of low-carbohydrate diets for people with diabetes who want to manage their weight.
The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.
The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management.
The ADA estimates that more than 20 million children and adults are living with diabetes in the United States. However, about one-third of those people have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the association.
Prior to the release of the 2008 recommendations, the ADA did not support low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management due to a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.
Whether a person can stick with a diet is more important than the diet's theme, according to the association. Low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight over a year. However, the recommendations do also include guidelines for monitoring the lipid profiles and kidney health of people who choose a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet.
The recommendations continue to support sustained, moderate weight loss and increased physical activity for people who are overweight, obese, living with diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.
"The risks of overweight and obesity are well-known. We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight," Ann Albright, president of health care and education for the ADA, said in a prepared statement. "The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year. We're not endorsing either of these weight-loss plans over any other method of losing weight. What we want health-care providers to know is that it's important for patients to choose a plan that works for them, and that the health-care team support their patients' weight-loss efforts and provide appropriate monitoring of patients' health."
Being overweight and physically inactive both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Being overweight or obese also make the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes more difficult. The 2008 recommendations state that all adults who are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes should be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have pre-diabetes can avoid diabetes if they lose 7 percent of their body weight and get more than 150 minutes of activity a week.
Developing and maintaining a disaster kit for diabetes self-management is also included in the new recommendations, along with revised guidelines for care of diabetes in older adults.
More information
To learn more about diabetes, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.
The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management.
The ADA estimates that more than 20 million children and adults are living with diabetes in the United States. However, about one-third of those people have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the association.
Prior to the release of the 2008 recommendations, the ADA did not support low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management due to a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.
Whether a person can stick with a diet is more important than the diet's theme, according to the association. Low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight over a year. However, the recommendations do also include guidelines for monitoring the lipid profiles and kidney health of people who choose a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet.
The recommendations continue to support sustained, moderate weight loss and increased physical activity for people who are overweight, obese, living with diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.
"The risks of overweight and obesity are well-known. We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight," Ann Albright, president of health care and education for the ADA, said in a prepared statement. "The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year. We're not endorsing either of these weight-loss plans over any other method of losing weight. What we want health-care providers to know is that it's important for patients to choose a plan that works for them, and that the health-care team support their patients' weight-loss efforts and provide appropriate monitoring of patients' health."
Being overweight and physically inactive both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Being overweight or obese also make the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes more difficult. The 2008 recommendations state that all adults who are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes should be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have pre-diabetes can avoid diabetes if they lose 7 percent of their body weight and get more than 150 minutes of activity a week.
Developing and maintaining a disaster kit for diabetes self-management is also included in the new recommendations, along with revised guidelines for care of diabetes in older adults.
More information
To learn more about diabetes, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Low-Carb Diet May Slow Prostate Tumor Growth
(HealthDay News) -- In mice, a low-carbohydrate diet slowed prostate tumor growth, possibly because fewer carbohydrates leads to a drop in insulin production, U.S. researchers say."This study showed that cutting carbohydrates may slow tumor growth, at least in mice. If this is ultimately confirmed in human clinical trials, it has huge implications for prostate cancer therapy through something that all of us can controls, our diets," lead researcher Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist at Duke University Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.
Previous studies linked insulin and a related substance called insulin-like growth factor (IGF) with the growth of prostate tumors in mice. Freedland and his colleagues theorized that reducing levels of these substances might slow prostate tumor growth.
They compared tumor growth in mice eating either a low-carbohydrate diet; a low-fat but high-carbohydrate diet; or a Western diet high in fat and carbohydrates.
Mice fed the low-carbohydrate diet had the smallest tumor size and longest survival, the team found.
""Low-fat mice had shorter survival and large tumors , while mice on the Western diet had the worst survival and biggest tumors. In addition, though both the low-carb and low-fat mice had lower levels of insulin, only the low-carb mice had lower levels of the form of IGF capable of stimulating tumor growth," Freedland said.
The study is published in the Nov. 13 online edition of the journal Prostate.
Freedland is currently organizing a clinical trial to examine the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet on prostate tumor growth in men.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
What Is the Glycemic Index?
Question: You often refer to the glycemic index. Can you please explain what it is and how to use it? -- Michael
Answer: The glycemic index ranks carbohydrate foods on the basis of how they affect blood sugar (glucose). This is important for many people because eating a lot of foods that rank high on the glycemic index will produce spikes in blood sugar that can lead over time to loss of sensitivity to insulin, the hormone needed to allow blood sugar to enter cells for use as fuel. Insulin resistance is associated with obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood fats, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Carbs are not bad, despite the claims of the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins and other proponents of low-carb diets. Rather, there are better and worse carbs, the difference having to do with the glycemic index. I recommend using the glycemic index as a guide to healthy carbohydrate consumption. In general, avoid frequent consumption and large servings of foods that rank high on this scale. There are several GI index lists on the Internet, but one of the most complete seems to be this one: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
To create a scale for comparison, pure glucose is ranked at 100. Foods that rank over 60 are considered high glycemic index carbs. In most indexes (there is some minor variation between lists) these include potatoes, refined white and wheat bread, raisins and other dried fruit, bananas, carrots and watermelon. Foods ranked "moderate" (between 45 and 60) include most types of pasta, bulgur, baked beans, yams, green peas, sweet potatoes, orange juice and blueberries. Low glycemic index foods (below 45) include beans, cruciferous vegetables, yogurt, grapefruit, apples and tomatoes.
When using the glycemic index as a guide to food choices, you also have to consider "glycemic load," a measure of how many grams of carbohydrate a normal serving contains. For example, carrots rank high on the glycemic index, but the amount of carbohydrates you would actually consume in a normal serving is pretty low, only 6.2 grams. The low-carb folks tell people to avoid carrots (and beets), but this is not good advice. Unless you eat huge portions of them, those vegetables will not disturb your blood sugar very much, and they provide important phytonutrients.
To calculate glycemic load, you multiply how the quantity in grams of the carbs you would consume in a serving by the food's ranking on the glycemic index. Although glycemic index rankings are written as whole numbers, they actually are percentages, so if the GI of a food is 71, treat this as 71% when you do the math. Foods with a low glycemic load rank from one to 10; those with medium load range from 11-19 and those with high glycemic load rank at 20 or above.
While the concept of glycemic load is helpful, doing calculations for everything you eat isn't always practical. Instead, to make better, simpler choices about carbohydrates, reduce consumption of processed and refined foods (such as snack foods, white bread, sweetened drinks, and sugary desserts). Eat more sweet potatoes and fewer white potatoes, less bread (unless it's really chewy and grainy), more whole grains and fewer products made with flour, more temperate fruits (especially berries, cherries, apples, and pears) and fewer tropical ones, and more beans.
Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)
Answer: The glycemic index ranks carbohydrate foods on the basis of how they affect blood sugar (glucose). This is important for many people because eating a lot of foods that rank high on the glycemic index will produce spikes in blood sugar that can lead over time to loss of sensitivity to insulin, the hormone needed to allow blood sugar to enter cells for use as fuel. Insulin resistance is associated with obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood fats, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Carbs are not bad, despite the claims of the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins and other proponents of low-carb diets. Rather, there are better and worse carbs, the difference having to do with the glycemic index. I recommend using the glycemic index as a guide to healthy carbohydrate consumption. In general, avoid frequent consumption and large servings of foods that rank high on this scale. There are several GI index lists on the Internet, but one of the most complete seems to be this one: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
To create a scale for comparison, pure glucose is ranked at 100. Foods that rank over 60 are considered high glycemic index carbs. In most indexes (there is some minor variation between lists) these include potatoes, refined white and wheat bread, raisins and other dried fruit, bananas, carrots and watermelon. Foods ranked "moderate" (between 45 and 60) include most types of pasta, bulgur, baked beans, yams, green peas, sweet potatoes, orange juice and blueberries. Low glycemic index foods (below 45) include beans, cruciferous vegetables, yogurt, grapefruit, apples and tomatoes.
When using the glycemic index as a guide to food choices, you also have to consider "glycemic load," a measure of how many grams of carbohydrate a normal serving contains. For example, carrots rank high on the glycemic index, but the amount of carbohydrates you would actually consume in a normal serving is pretty low, only 6.2 grams. The low-carb folks tell people to avoid carrots (and beets), but this is not good advice. Unless you eat huge portions of them, those vegetables will not disturb your blood sugar very much, and they provide important phytonutrients.
To calculate glycemic load, you multiply how the quantity in grams of the carbs you would consume in a serving by the food's ranking on the glycemic index. Although glycemic index rankings are written as whole numbers, they actually are percentages, so if the GI of a food is 71, treat this as 71% when you do the math. Foods with a low glycemic load rank from one to 10; those with medium load range from 11-19 and those with high glycemic load rank at 20 or above.
While the concept of glycemic load is helpful, doing calculations for everything you eat isn't always practical. Instead, to make better, simpler choices about carbohydrates, reduce consumption of processed and refined foods (such as snack foods, white bread, sweetened drinks, and sugary desserts). Eat more sweet potatoes and fewer white potatoes, less bread (unless it's really chewy and grainy), more whole grains and fewer products made with flour, more temperate fruits (especially berries, cherries, apples, and pears) and fewer tropical ones, and more beans.
Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Do Low-Carb Diets Cause Bad Breath?
Do Low-Carb Diets Cause Bad breathProvided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I've had noticeable bad breath lately. Someone told me my high-protein, low-carb diet is to blame. True? -- Fran B.
A: True. Bad breath (halitosis) is an unfortunate side effect of low-carbohydrate diets. Here's what happens: the diet causes your body to burn stored fats for fuel rather than carbohydrates. As the fat burns, chemicals called ketones build up in the body and are released through the breath and urine. Unfortunately, they're smelly.
There's not a whole lot you can do about bad breath that stems from the way you're burning fat. If you're determined to stay on the diet, you'll just have to put up with the halitosis. Dentists say that extra brushing, flossing and tongue-scraping won't help because in this case bad breath isn't an oral hygiene issue.
(The Atkins Diet Web site acknowledges that bad breath is part and parcel of the way you're eating and puts a positive spin on it, saying that it means that the diet is working.) Some dentists have speculated that the other popular low-carb diet, South Beach, may not be as problematic, since it permits more carbs than Atkins.
The best you can do to cover up the bad breath associated with low-carb diets is to drink lots of water, which will also wash away food particles that may be contributing to the problem.
Chewing parsley is another way to address halitosis. Sugarless gum or mints may also help mask your breath, but I'm not a fan of the non-nutritive sweeteners they contain.
I'm also not a proponent of the Atkins diet, so I would suggest switching to another program that allows you to eat fresh fruits, a wider range of vegetables, and whole grains. This is a more realistic way to lose weight in the long-run since you're likely to get tired of low-carb living sooner or later and regain whatever weight you've lost.
If your halitosis persists after you go off your low-carb diet, see your physician. Bad breath can be a sign of diabetes, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and a number of other medical or dental problems.
Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)
New Focus on Nutrition and Health?
New Focus on Nutrition and Health?
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I notice that you're having another Nutrition and Health Conference. What kinds of issues are you going to be discussing this time? Is it only for medical professionals or can members of the public attend? -- Theresa
A: The 2005 Nutrition and Health Conference is scheduled for March 6-9 here in Tucson. I'm very excited about the program we've planned, which will cover a wide range of nutrition and health-related topics, both in the sessions designed for health professionals (including students) and the media and during our Public Forum on "Food, Politics and Society," which will launch the conference on Sunday, March 6 and is open to everyone.
During the forum, we'll deal with such topical issues as "The Optimal Diet" (a subject that I'll discuss), as well as "Micronutrients and the Role of Dietary Supplements" to be reviewed by Bruce Ames, Ph.D., senior scientist at Children's Hospital, Oakland Research Institute and a professor at the Graduate School in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley. Others speaking at the Public Forum include Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who will focus on our national agricultural policy and its effect on U.S. nutrition and Walter Willett, MD, professor of Epidemiology, Nutrition and Medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health, who will discuss obesity, diabetes and the food industry.
The sessions for health professionals will focus on such subjects as nutritional science and the Mediterranean diet, the benefits of a low glycemic-index diet, the challenge to health professionals of the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, and the latest findings on vegetarian nutrition. In separate sessions throughout the three-day conference we'll also discuss the latest research on nutrition for patients with a number of different health problems including arthritis, allergic diseases, attention deficit disorder, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease as well as nutritional strategies for prevention of breast and prostate cancer and to prevent or minimize the degenerative diseases of aging.
Other sessions will cover what we know about antioxidants, low-carb and fad diets, and whether or not the way you eat really can reduce your risk of cancer. The conference is presented by the Program in Integrative Medicine here at the University of Arizona and sponsored by the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons.
An integral part of the conference is the opportunity to sample various high quality organic foods, from fruits and vegetables to soy foods, teas, chocolate, and cheeses as well as learn from nutrition-minded chefs who will be demonstrating their talents. Rather than eating bagels and donuts, as they do at most medical conferences, attendees can eat well and experience how delicious healthy food can be.
You're welcome to attend the public forum, and there's still time for health professionals and the media to sign up for the conference. I expect that we'll have some important insights on nutrition and health to share on this site and elsewhere after the conference.
Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I notice that you're having another Nutrition and Health Conference. What kinds of issues are you going to be discussing this time? Is it only for medical professionals or can members of the public attend? -- Theresa
A: The 2005 Nutrition and Health Conference is scheduled for March 6-9 here in Tucson. I'm very excited about the program we've planned, which will cover a wide range of nutrition and health-related topics, both in the sessions designed for health professionals (including students) and the media and during our Public Forum on "Food, Politics and Society," which will launch the conference on Sunday, March 6 and is open to everyone.
During the forum, we'll deal with such topical issues as "The Optimal Diet" (a subject that I'll discuss), as well as "Micronutrients and the Role of Dietary Supplements" to be reviewed by Bruce Ames, Ph.D., senior scientist at Children's Hospital, Oakland Research Institute and a professor at the Graduate School in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley. Others speaking at the Public Forum include Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who will focus on our national agricultural policy and its effect on U.S. nutrition and Walter Willett, MD, professor of Epidemiology, Nutrition and Medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health, who will discuss obesity, diabetes and the food industry.
The sessions for health professionals will focus on such subjects as nutritional science and the Mediterranean diet, the benefits of a low glycemic-index diet, the challenge to health professionals of the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, and the latest findings on vegetarian nutrition. In separate sessions throughout the three-day conference we'll also discuss the latest research on nutrition for patients with a number of different health problems including arthritis, allergic diseases, attention deficit disorder, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease as well as nutritional strategies for prevention of breast and prostate cancer and to prevent or minimize the degenerative diseases of aging.
Other sessions will cover what we know about antioxidants, low-carb and fad diets, and whether or not the way you eat really can reduce your risk of cancer. The conference is presented by the Program in Integrative Medicine here at the University of Arizona and sponsored by the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons.
An integral part of the conference is the opportunity to sample various high quality organic foods, from fruits and vegetables to soy foods, teas, chocolate, and cheeses as well as learn from nutrition-minded chefs who will be demonstrating their talents. Rather than eating bagels and donuts, as they do at most medical conferences, attendees can eat well and experience how delicious healthy food can be.
You're welcome to attend the public forum, and there's still time for health professionals and the media to sign up for the conference. I expect that we'll have some important insights on nutrition and health to share on this site and elsewhere after the conference.
Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)
Thursday, February 02, 2006
The Metabolic Syndrome
By John D Zelem, MDDo you find yourself having trouble losing weight even with exercise and, for all intents and purposes, watching what you eat?
I suspect that you have been told to eat a low fat, high carbohydrate diet and you have done that. So why is there still a problem? You probably have thought of every possible reason for your lack of success. You may have thought that your thyroid gland is not working properly or your metabolism has slowed down: probably not. Possibly your hormone levels are off or maybe you need to step up your exercise program, or maybe you need one of these more dramatic diets to go on: not likely. That sounded like me and how I was thinking.
Normal Energy Production And Storage
You may or may not have been aware of something called “The Metabolic Syndrome.”
What is it, you may ask?
Allow me to give you a little background of basic information before I define this syndrome.
Our bodies need fuel for energy just like any machine. Sugar is that source. We need to get down to the cellular level where this energy production actually occurs. Glucose is the sugar utilized by the cell for the production of energy in the furnaces of our cells, which are called mitochondria. The entry of glucose into the cells is facilitated by the hormone insulin, which is produced in the pancreas. This hormone also will drive glucose into muscle and the liver for storage in a more complex form called glycogen. This will be used as a source of energy at other times such as periods of starvation and exercise. Any amounts over and above normal usage for immediate energy and storage in liver and muscle are sent to fat cells for greater storage of energy sources.
There is an opposing hormone, glucagon, which is also produced in the pancreas and is responsible for releasing fat for energy when stimulated by the intake of protein. The intake of carbohydrates and excessive levels of insulin suppress it.
Normally these hormones work in conjunction with each other maintaining a balanced situation of energy substrates utilization and storage. Situations such as dieting, starvation, exercise and the Metabolic Syndrome will alter this balance.
Glycemic Index
Whenever we ingest sugar or carbohydrates our bodies react with a rise in the blood sugar inducing the secretion of insulin to get the sugar into our cells and produce energy and store the excess in muscle, the liver, and eventually, fat. The Glycemic Index is a measurement of the rate of the rise of blood sugar following the ingestion of a particular test food relative to that of a standard food such as glucose. The measurement for glucose is 100. This index will quantitate the rate of secretion of insulin. Under 55 is generally considered to be a low-glycemic food and over 70 is high-glycemic.
Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 - 69
High GI = 70 or more
Our diet today is mainly composed of over-processed carbohydrates in the form of our modern-day flour. This flour is the result of removing all of its complex components, leaving us with a pure, super-fine white powder that, when ingested, causes our blood sugar to rise rapidly to higher than normal levels. This leads to an exaggerated insulin response. This rapid rise in insulin will cause blood sugar levels to drop precipitously to relatively low levels, lower than normal, causing drowsiness, and fatigue. The subsequent rebound also results in a desire to eat again to restore blood sugar levels. Long term this becomes an uncontrollable craving for carbohydrates. This roller coaster effect occurring over and over, leads to carbohydrate addiction, carbohydrate craving, nighttime eating, insulin resistance, and the beginning of the Metabolic Syndrome. These high insulin levels also shut off the glucagon response and leave no way that fat can be utilized as a source of energy. This is when weight gain occurs and weight loss becomes almost impossible.
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Eventually, this syndrome will cause inflammation and narrowing of the small arteries going to the muscles of your body causing them to constrict. This leads to a decreased ability of insulin to deliver glucose to the muscles for use and storage. Insulin levels will then increase significantly to try and accomplish this task but, eventually, most of the glucose will be diverted to fat cells causing what is called “insulin resistance.” Glucagon is totally shut off at this point.
Some of the other effects of the Metabolic Syndrome are high blood pressure, increased triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and decreased HDL, all leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This Syndrome has been said to occur in about 20-25% of the population. A significant portion of this group will go from insulin resistance to full blown Diabetes as the Metabolic Syndrome causes a “burn-out” of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. This is also one of the reasons why we are seeing a lot more obesity and diabetes, especially in our young. It is getting to epidemic proportions.
Low-Glycemic ResponseThere is hope! There is an answer. It is called a low glycemic diet. This must be considered a lifestyle change, not a temporary eating habit. Traditional diets do not work because they are designed to be an acute solution to a chronic problem. Also the faster one loses weight, generally, the faster it comes back. The chances of losing up to 10% of your total body weight and keeping it off for 5 years is the same as the 5 year survival rate for cancer the lung, 5%. This is a very sobering statistic. You will find that it may, and should, take 18-24 months for you to achieve your end results. You should set short-term goals along the way. I have actually chosen to let my body decide what its end-point will be and take as long as it needs to get there since my program also involves exercising, which yours should too.
You need to understand that this syndrome is reversible with time while the alternative of not making this change is diabetes, which is never reversible. Remember, if you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always gotten.
When an individual eats a low-glycemic meal there is a totally different metabolic response. Eating foods such as fruits, vegetables, good carbs that do not cause a rapid rise of your blood sugar, good protein and fat is the answer. The “whites” are out: the white breads, the white potato, and the white rice. Even most whole wheat bread is not our friend. It cannot be enriched wheat flour; it must be stone ground.
These types of carbs will allow a slow rise of blood sugar, leading to a more modest release of insulin balanced with a proper release of glucagon. The insulin encourages the muscle to take up the sugar and the rest goes to the liver and fat. On the other hand, glucagon is also present in normal levels and will break down the fat, at about the same rate it is created, initially at a greater rate. The result of this equation is no weight gain or possible weight loss. Even if you have the Metabolic Syndrome, the start of a low glycemic lifestyle, not diet, may allow a reversal of all of the bad effects of this syndrome. Eventually, exercise must become a part of this healthy lifestyle.
Conclusions
So how do we summarize this complex bit of information and put it into a useful tool that is easy to follow. First of all, how badly do you want the results, the goals that you set? If the goal is important enough the work will follow and you will accomplish it. Remember that the Metabolic Syndrome is reversible with time, and Diabetes is never reversible.
Here are some general guidelines to follow. Low glycemic food will not raise your blood sugar as high and as rapidly as high glycemic foods will and, at the same time, will start to increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Low glycemic diets will help you to lose weight, help those who already have diabetes maintain better control of their blood sugar. Low glycemic foods will help you to stay full longer. Finally, high glycemic foods may replenish carbohydrate stores after exercise but low glycemic foods will improve physical endurance.
Foods that have a low glycemic index generally had a low glycemic load. Eliminate foods with both high glycemic indexes and high glycemic loads. Optimize your insulin levels by eating fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The fiber in these foods will both be healthy and release sugar into your bloodstream slowly.
I want to reiterate for you that I have changed my lifestyle to low-glycemic index, low glycemic load and have seen a significant change in myself. I am not hungry all the time anymore. I am free of carbohydrate addiction and cravings. I can actually sit in front of the TV at night or read a book and not have a high-glycemic snack next to me. I have not been doing it long enough to get off all of my meds but I see that in the near future and I recently was able to reduce my high blood pressure medication. Remember, getting healthy is a process and this is just one of the steps. It is not about what has happened to me, but I do know this can work for you.
I am not saying that this is the lifestyle change that you have to make, but if you see yourself in a similar situation, take a good look. Obviously you will need to discuss this with your doctor and see if it is a fit for you.
You should also work out a program with your personal physician to regularly check your labs, weight, and blood pressure. Remember, if you continue doing what you are doing, you will continue to have what you have. If you want to make some changes in your life, you must make some changes in your life. I wish you success and good health.
Dr Zelem is the author of the book "The Process of Becoming Healthy" contains a detailed explanation of this syndrome and is available for seminars.
Visit http://www.streamlineintelligence.com/,
email mailto:emailjz@streamlineintelligence.com
or call 866-222-4884
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_D_Zelem,_MD
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
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