Low glycemic foods are recommended by a number of new diet plans such as the Perricone Prescription, the Protein Power Lifeplan, and A Week in the Zone. This idea is based on the problem with insulin triggers in the bloodstream. Sugar in the blood causes inflammation and free radicals. Dr. Perricone says that diabetics who don’t have well controlled bold sugar will age a third more quickly that nondiabetics. They are also more likely to have kidney failure and other problems, such as heart attacks, strokes, and blindness. Insulin shows up to clear away excess sugar in the bloodstream, and stores it in the form of fat. In addition, as the sugar is in your body, it causes cross-linking of the collagen throughout the skin, causing it to become leathery and stiff as we get older. That same damage takes place around your vital organs, too.
Nutritionists say we should cut hour sugar intake, but in the glycemic index, some food you may think is healthy is very high on the index. Foods are scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the greatest level of increases in blood sugars. Some diets prohibit any foods that score 50 or above on the GI, while others allow a balance and average. Many starchy vegetables rank high on the GI. David Mendoza has been a consultant in diabetes for years, and points out that the GI of a food tells you how fast a carbohydrate will turn to sugar, but not how much is a serving. So, you need to try to watch the quantity of your carbs. He calls this the glycemic load, or GL. The load of 20 grams is high, while 11 to 19 is medium. 10 or below is a low ranking on the GL, making it a healthier food.
• Watermelon is a high GI of 74, but a low GL of 4
• Banana is a bad GI at 51 and medium GL of 13
• Carrots are borderline GI at 47 and low in GL of 3
• Corn is a GI of 47 and low GL at 7
Check on the glycemic load of your food, just as you check the glycemic index. It will help measure the impact on your bloodsugar. So keep track of your GI and GL, and take colon cleanse tablets to improve your health.
