| Losing Weight - Stepping into Action! |
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| Antoinette Barnardo | |||
| Monday, 27 March 2006 | |||
 Now that we have gotten real about our New Year's resolutions and we have a new-found awareness of how our bodies operate, we can get down to doing the work! Remember, it's only surrendering to what is which leaves you empowered to take action and change what you don't like or that which isn't working for you. To be in denial will just lead to procrastination or avoidance of what is and thus result in frustration and no action. So let's look at what Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) really means to us and how we can best utilize it to lose weight and manage our lifestyle so that the weight stays off and our lean muscle mass increases which will also shift our energy levels and our attitude towards food. GI will score how fast the carbohydrate you've consumed will raise your blood sugar level compared with pure glucose, establishing its quality to show whether it's fast (bad) or slow (good) to release its sugar into your blood. Glycemic Load on the other hand is a more accurate and practical tool to use than that of GI. GL factors in the quantity as well as the quality of carbohydrate to give you a more accurate reflection of your blood sugar at the time. Let me give you an example: a piece of watermelon has a high GI of 72 (out of 100), making it a no-no for a GI dieter, however since only 6g of a 120g slice contains this carbohydrate and the rest is water it's a relatively low GL food and safe to eat as part of a calorie controlled eating plan. Let's look at how to calculate the GL score. GI (divided by 100) x available carbohydrate (in grams) = GL Therefore for watermelon: 0.72 x 6g = 4.32 (which is a low GL score!) The guidelines for GL scores are as follows:
A 40GL point diet (Patrick Holford) consists of the following: Breakfast: Bowl of porridge 30g (rolled oats) = 2GL Half a grated apple = 3GL Small tub of yoghurt = 2GL Add some milk (low fat) = 2GL Mid-morning snack: Punnet of strawberries = 4GL Lunch: Substantial tuna salad and a handful of peanuts = 4GL Mid-afternoon snack: A pear and a handful of peanuts = 4GL Dinner: Tomato soup, salmon, brown rice and green beans = 12 GL Total = 40GL points! The basic principle of following a GL balanced diet is to combine low GL carbohydrates with protein-rich foods such as eggs, meat, fish, dairy and nuts & seeds. These have almost no effect on your blood sugar and will also help you feel fuller at mealtimes. However, exercise caution because some protein-rich foods are often high in saturated fats which can contribute to an already high cholesterol problem. Dangerous hormones can often be found in meat and dairy so be sure of the source of your meat and dairy and always exercise the organic principle of obtaining organically grown or produced food in a 5km radius from where you live which will avoid foods cold storage for weeks and food thus containing preservatives to make them last longer. Supplement with good fats such as Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids which you will find in all nuts and seeds, particularly flax (linseed), pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds. Oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel is a good source of Omega 3 rich fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Avoid bad fats or heating cold pressed oils such as olive, peanut and sesame because the heat will change the chemical properties of that oil causing it to smoke when exposed to high temperatures. The oil can become rancid and carcinogenic. Grape seed oil and sunflower oil is safe to fry with since these can withstand high temperatures. Exercise caution with quantities. High GL foods to avoid are white breads, dates, dried fruits (figs & mango), raisins, crisps, cornflakes, sugary drinks, pastries, some cereals, white rice, crackers, honey, desserts, pastas, burgers & pizzas, alcohol. I would advise that you get a pocket-size GL chart which will assist you when eating out and guide you to choose low and medium GL foods instead of the high GL versions. Remember that good supplementation is essential to a good diet and lifestyle and when you are trying to lose weight you should consider taking a Chromium supplement 10 minutes before each meal to assist in stablising your blood sugar together with 5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan) which will increase your serotonin levels (happy chemicals), a good multi-vitamin and a good Omega 3 essential fatty acid to help you maintain a strong immune system. Enjoy your new eating plan and remember that the most important thing is to limit the TOTAL GL of your diet.
Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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