How to regulate glycemic load and blood sugar levels
"Glycemia" is a Greek word that consists of two components "sweet" and "blood". The glycemic index shows the effect of a particular product on the change in blood sugar levels. The standard is 50 grams of pure glucose, which is just 100 units.
What does that mean and how that works? When we eat something, a special hormone, insulin, is released in the blood. It helps to convert food into energy. But if the glycemic index of the products is high, then the release of insulin occurs very sharply, which can disrupt the balance of the system. That's why food with a low GI (about 50) is much more useful: hormones work stably as the energy is produced gradually, and we have time to use it.
Unlike the index, the glycemic load (GN) takes into account not only the quality of carbohydrates, but also their quantity. It can be calculated by the following formula: multiply the glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrates in 100g of the product and divide by the serving size. For instance: 100 grams of watermelon, GN = 72 x 8 / 100 = 5.6. So, indicators up to 11 are considered a low load, more than 20 – a high one. The GN of a healthy person should not exceed 100 units per day, and with weight loss or diabetes, this indicator should be from 60 to 80.
How to avoid insulin fluctuations and is it possible to regulate the glycemic load? It is, the rules are as following:
- Sleep well
Obvious factor, but keep it in mind anyway. The quality of sleep greatly affects all metabolic processes. Only during healthy sleep the body stabilizes hormones, including insulin as well.
- Stress less
Chronic stress can lead to a consistently elevated blood sugar level. After all, instead of starting energy production and fat burning, the body will demand more and more portions of food.
- Limit sugar
One of the easiest ways to cause insulin spikes is to eat something containing sugar. Sugar also accelerates oxidative processes in the body and significantly reduces the level of antioxidants.
- Have light diet days
To begin with, you can stop consuming food and drinks from 8 pm to 8 am. You can start drinking clean water during this period. Be careful and don’t make the rules too strict during stress or when you are exercising a lot.
And the most unobvious advice is to add vinegar to your diet. Only apple one and as organic and natural as possible. It slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates and promotes a smoother conversion of glucose into energy. Add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar to a glass of warm water or to a salad dressing.
Now you can count not only fats, proteins, carbohydrates, but also the glycemic load of your diet. Eat in a good and balanced way!