The Glycemic Index is a tool that anyone looking to
increase energy, lose fat and just feel better needs to understand.
Especially with an
underactive thyroid, or low metabolic rate you need to focus on all
foods which will help boost your metabolism.
All
carbohydrates convert to blood sugar-some fast, some slow -and the
Glycemic Index measures the rate the conversion takes place.
Eating high-glycemic carbohydrates
(ones that turn to sugary quickly) will hinder the fat burning
process and will decrease energy levels.
Here's why:
When you eat
high-glycemic carbs, your blood sugar levels soar ; when this happens
your pancreas produces insulin. One of the roles of insulin is to keep
your blood sugar levels regulated -but its also a storage hormone. When
your sugars go up, your body produces the storage hormone to clear the
excess sugars. Those sugars end up in fatty tissue. Ultimately, your
gaining fat, because internally, your telling your body to store.
Here's how it relates to energy levels:
-
When you overproduce insulin,
you clear the sugars out of your blood-the end result is that you are
now hypoglycemic.
-
What does that mean?
-
Blood sugar levels are lower than
they should be,
-
"you crash" or get lethargic, and now your body craves
sugars.
-
So what next? You end up overeating , and the cycle continues
By
switching to low-glycemic carbs, the energy release is gradual and
long lasting which is ideal if you do not want to tax your
pancreas. You do not over-produce a storage hormone, you feel better and
you're in a better position to lose weight or more accurately, burn body
fat.
The
Glycemic index is readily available, and tracks virtually every brand of
every food. Some of the more common entries are listed below. Each entry
is compared to glucose, if the rate that glucose converts to
blood sugar equals 100. Numbers lower than 100 mean that food converts
to blood sugar slower than glucose-and in terms of your mission to
increase energy levels for athletes and burn body fat,
the lower the GI index the better
| |
Breads and Grains
waffle -76
donut -76
bagel -72
white bread -70
whole wheat bread -69
white rice -56
instant rice-91
brown rice 55
white spaghetti-41
whole wheat- 37
barley -25
|
Fruits
watermelon-72
pineapple-66
raisins-64
banana -53
grapes -52
orange -43
dried apricots- 30
pear -36
apple -36
|
Snacks
rice cakes -82
jelly beans-80
mars bar -68 wheat crackers -67
popcorn -55
oatmeal cookies-55
potato chips-54
chocolate -49
banana cake-47
peanuts-14
|
Cereals
Rice Krispies-82
Cornflakes-77
Cheerios-74
Shredded Wheat -69
Oatmeal-61
All Bran-42
|
| |
Starchy Vegetables
baked potatoes-83
instant potatoes- 83
mashed potatoes- 73
carrots-71
sweet potatoes-54
green peas-48
|
Legumes
Baked Beans-48
Chick peas-33
Butter beans-31
Lentils-29
Kidney Beans-27
Soy Beans-18
|
Dairy
Ice cream-61
Fruit yogurt, low fat-33
Milk, full fat -27
Milk-Skim-32
Soy Milk- 31
|
Beverages
Soft drinks,fanta-68
Orange juice-57
Apple
Juice,unsweetened-41
|
What is the best plan for
You ?
Every one is unique and your
weight loss plan has to reflect your own personal needs.
If you want to lose those
extra inches then select a plan designed to help you.
When you search the internet you will see many weight loss plan.
Bear in mind that with an underactive thyroid you will need a plan
designed to specifically boost your metabolic rate.
The internet's 3 most relevant weight loss plans are shown below :
-
The Hospital Diet - specifically developed for use in Hospitals to
help weight loss, with a slow metabolism
For
details click here
-
The maximise Metabolism Plan - which works by concentrating on
boosting metabolism to achieve weight loss.
For details click
here
More information
The
importance of your body shape
Why protein is so important
The importance of low GI foods
How you can boost your metabolic rate
