Whenever you feel tired after eating, you have most likely consumed high-glycemic foods which cause your blood sugar levels to rapidly rise. When blood sugar levels elevate, the pancreas releases excess insulin in an attempt to regulate them. As a consequence, energy levels crash causing you to feel lethargic and sluggish. Low glycemic foods help to sustain energy levels, allowing you to maintain a healthy weight while reducing the risk of heart disease and type-II diabetes.
Organic Foods
Health Guide explains that in order for food to be recognized and marketed as organic in accordance to USDA standards, crops have to be grown in soil absent of chemical fertilizers, synthesized pesticides and DNA altering genetically modified organisms or GMOs. Organic cattle cannot be treated with antibiotics and hormones, and can only eat organic grains and feed. They also have to spend periods of time outside on a regular basis to get sufficient amounts of fresh air. Foods displaying the USDA Organic certification label are either 100 or 95 percent organic.
Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index, or GI, is a scale used to rank carbohydrates based upon how high and fast they raise blood sugar levels compared to glucose. Rather than categorizing carbohydrates as simple and complex, the GI shows that some complex carbohydrates elevate blood sugar levels as rapidly as simple carbohydrates. The Harvard School of Public Health highlighted this point in an article, explaining that although the starch in white bread and French fries is a complex carbohydrate, it is actually converted into blood sugar as fast as pure glucose. Fructose, on the other hand, is a simple carbohydrate, but doesn’t cause blood sugar spikes. A high GI level ranges from 100 to 70, while a medium level is 70 to 50 and a low GI level is anything under 50.
Low Glycemic Meals
According to the University of Sidney, low glycemic carbohydrates, causing small fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels, assist in sustaining health. These foods satisfy your appetite for longer periods and lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease, while helping you to maintain a healthy weight. Low glycemic foods include oats, whole-grains, quinoa, vegetables and fruits. Meals such as quinoa porridge, buttermilk barley pancakes, spicy sweet potato fries and butternut squash and barley ‘risotto’ can be eaten as main meals throughout the day.
Considerations
The Harvard School of Public Health notes that although the GI can help you distinguish foods that rapidly elevate blood sugar levels, it can’t show how much digestible carbohydrates are delivered in the foods. For example, watermelon is classified as a high glycemic food, even though it contains very small amounts of carbohydrates, and is made up of mostly water. The Glycemic Load, created by Rob Thompson MD, enables you to measure the amount of carbohydrates present and to determine the effect it has on blood sugar levels. Every Diet also states that the Glycemic Load Diet includes physical activity, requiring you to walk 30 to 40 minutes every other day. This activates your slow twitch muscles, and increases your response to insulin if you are insulin resistant.
References
- Natural Health Guide: Low Glycemic Recipes
- Helpguide.org:Organic Foods: Understanding Organic Food Labels, Benefits, and Claims
- Agricultural Marketing Service: National Organic Program
- The Glycemic Index: What s the Glycemic Index
- Harvard School of Public Health: Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way
- Every Diet: Glycemic Load Diet
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