Lets see what is glycemic index and how it works in our body.
Have you ever wondered why you can eat a bag of candy and feel hungry just 30 minutes later? It has to do with something called the glycemic index of the food or the combinations of food that you choose to eat. So let's compare two snacks.
First, let's look at a candy bar. Then, the alternative snack, a bowl of brown rice with some stir-fried broccoli on top. The candy bar is high in simple sugars like sucrose and glucose which are carbohydrates that your body can quickly break down and absorb. This means that your blood sugar after you ate the candy bar raises very quickly, which means that the food has a relatively high glycemic index. When the blood sugar goes up like this, the body senses it and starts releasing the proportional amount of a hormone called insulin, that works to lower blood sugar and bring it back down to its normal level. So when blood glucose, or blood sugar, shoots up, insulin will also shoot up, but there'll be a bit of a time lag. And because of that time lag, there's going to be a period of time where the blood sugar dips lower than it should, and this is the time you feel hungry.
Now, if on the other hand, you choose the broccoli and brown rice as your snack, your body would have to work harder to breakdown the carbohydrates in that food. So, right after you had the bowl of broccoli and
brown rice, your blood sugar is going to go up more slowly than it did when you ate the candy bar. This also means that your insulin levels aren't going to shoot like they did when you ate the candy bar. They're going to be released in proportion to the amount of sugar entering your blood and the speed at which it enters into the blood. Blood sugar will go down but it probably won't go under the normal range of blood sugar. The result is that you're going to end up with a more stable blood sugar over a longer period of time.
So, choose foods with a low glycemic index whenever possible. Things like chicken and brown rice even
whole grained bread with cheese are good combinations. If you combine your carbohydrates with a bit of fiber, protein, or healthy fats, it will slow down the release of sugar into your blood.
Have you ever wondered why you can eat a bag of candy and feel hungry just 30 minutes later? It has to do with something called the glycemic index of the food or the combinations of food that you choose to eat. So let's compare two snacks.
First, let's look at a candy bar. Then, the alternative snack, a bowl of brown rice with some stir-fried broccoli on top. The candy bar is high in simple sugars like sucrose and glucose which are carbohydrates that your body can quickly break down and absorb. This means that your blood sugar after you ate the candy bar raises very quickly, which means that the food has a relatively high glycemic index. When the blood sugar goes up like this, the body senses it and starts releasing the proportional amount of a hormone called insulin, that works to lower blood sugar and bring it back down to its normal level. So when blood glucose, or blood sugar, shoots up, insulin will also shoot up, but there'll be a bit of a time lag. And because of that time lag, there's going to be a period of time where the blood sugar dips lower than it should, and this is the time you feel hungry.
Now, if on the other hand, you choose the broccoli and brown rice as your snack, your body would have to work harder to breakdown the carbohydrates in that food. So, right after you had the bowl of broccoli and
brown rice, your blood sugar is going to go up more slowly than it did when you ate the candy bar. This also means that your insulin levels aren't going to shoot like they did when you ate the candy bar. They're going to be released in proportion to the amount of sugar entering your blood and the speed at which it enters into the blood. Blood sugar will go down but it probably won't go under the normal range of blood sugar. The result is that you're going to end up with a more stable blood sugar over a longer period of time.
So, choose foods with a low glycemic index whenever possible. Things like chicken and brown rice even
whole grained bread with cheese are good combinations. If you combine your carbohydrates with a bit of fiber, protein, or healthy fats, it will slow down the release of sugar into your blood.
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