You already know that all foodstuffs have their calorie content. In addition, there is another important indicator that must be taken into account when choosing a healthy, healthy food - the glycemic index (GI). There are foods with a high and low glycemic index. The first, getting into the body, instantly processed, raising the level of sugar in the blood. This, in turn, gives a signal to the pancreas for the release of the hormone insulin, which also instantly processes the unused energy into fat. This is how excess folds form on the sides and abdomen. First of all, high GI is observed in products rich in starch and sugar: baked goods, cakes, white bread, muesli, chips and other simple carbohydrates.
Quite differently behave food products with a low glycemic index. They are processed by the body very slowly, therefore, sugar in the blood practically does not increase, and therefore insulin can not postpone anything. To choose the most useful food, you need to know which of them contain fast carbohydrates, and which are slow. Abandoning simple, easily assimilated carbohydrates helps prevent diabetes, obesity and other serious illnesses. The reason is that the constantly high level of sugar in the blood causes premature wear of organs and tissues throughout the body, which sometimes acquires irreversible consequences.
Which foods have a low glycemic index?
Focusing on GI, you can not only reduce the risk of many diseases, but also lose weight. However, if you are uncomfortable each time to calculate the performance of a product, it is enough to observe several simple rules:
- Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits . In most types of fruit and vegetable products (with rare exceptions) contains a very small amount of carbohydrates. In addition, a significant portion of the sugar in the fruit is presented in the form of fructose, which does not raise sugar in the blood.
- Limit the use of root vegetables . Potatoes, parsnips and other root crops are rich in starch, which is digested faster than regular sugar. This rule does not apply to carrots, which contain a lot of fiber, lowering its GI.
- Critically choose products with a high content of polysaccharides . It is not necessary to refuse bread and baking, it is enough to choose those of them that are made from wholemeal flour. The same can be said about pasta. The most useful of them are durum wheat.
- Give preference to fiber . It is best to use soluble fiber , which slows the digestion process. It is found in almost all grain-legume products, fresh vegetables, green apples and in most berries. Giving priority to such products, you can not worry about cholesterol, as the fiber is able to capture it, moving along the digestive tract.
- Abstain from sweet food . Of course, it is not necessary to completely abandon the sweet, but try
eat it as rarely as possible, preferring more natural types: honey, kozinaki, halva, berry jelly, etc.
As you can see, the list of products containing carbohydrates with a low glycemic index is quite large and varied. The conclusion of specialists is unequivocal: choosing "good" carbohydrates, you will not only get rid of products with empty calories, but you can successfully combat many of the most serious threats to health and figure. If you eat foods with a low glycemic index, even a diet to adjust the weight will not be needed. The body itself will begin to consume the fat reserves that were once put off.