Are you spiking up your blood sugar and eating High Glycemic foods?

These are great findings from Dr. Strand and Dr. Ludwig

Do you have cravings for carbohydrates?

And what the heck is Glycemic? This will shed some light and stay tuned for ideas on low glycemic choices and suggestions even when you go out to eat!!

Many researchers now propose the use of the glycemic index—the rate of how fast blood sugar levels are raised after a particular carbohydrate is consumed—as a system for classifying foods containing carbohydrates. This concept was thoroughly reviewed in a major article, which appeared in the May 8, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association titled, The Glycemic Index, written by David Ludwig, M. D. This article draws heavily on Ludwig’s findings.

Glycemic Index is determined by the rate the blood sugar rises following the ingestion of a particular carbohydrate when compared to a control (usually straight glucose). Glucose is usually given a glycemic index of 100. Therefore, all other carbohydrates are compared to the absorption and rate of blood sugar increase following the ingestion of glucose. Table 1 lists a sample of a few carbohydrates and their glycemic index. Many studies use white bread as their control, which has a glycemic index of 70 when compared to glucose. This has created significant confusion and variation in the glycemic numbers. I have chosen to use glucose as the standard, since this is the control being used in most of our medical studies. Table 1 also lists a new concept known as the Glycemic Load.

The glycemic load is defined as the weighted average glycemic index of the individual food multiplied by the amount of calories the food actually contains. A particular carbohydrate may have a high glycemic index but is low in calories, like carrots, or they may have a high glycemic index and a high in calories, like potatoes. Some carbohydrates like peanuts have a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load. In general, most refined starchy foods and highly processed foods have a high glycemic index, whereas whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes tend to have a low glycemic index.

Following a high glycemic meal the blood glucose level quickly rises, which initially causes the beta cells of the pancreas to secrete insulin. Insulin drives the glucose into the cell to either be utilized or stored as fat. The blood sugar will then usually drop precipitously and can actually get too low. This is called “functional hypoglycemia.” The regulatory responses of the body will then kick into action, leading to the release of glucagon, the fat burning hormone, in an attempt to counteract the actions of the insulin in an attempt to get the blood sugars to rise again.

We have all experienced a time in our life when this has happened to us personally. If we go without eating, we get weak and shaky and can hardly think. Our appetite increases and even after our blood sugars are back into a normal range, we will still feel like we must eat something. In fact, we tend to crave high-glycemic foods and the cycle starts all over again.

On the other hand, when a low glycemic meal is eaten, none of this happens. The blood sugar will rise slowly and there will be a nice balance of insulin and glucagon. The blood sugar stays in a normal range and concentration comes more easily. Because no rebound of low blood sugars takes place, there is no craving of high carbohydrates foods.

Maggie Lancy

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Are you eating High glycemic Foods?

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