Benefits of Low GI Living
The Proven Benefits of Low GI Living
Choosing Low Glycemic Index Foods is the right choice for optimal health!
Sustained Energy Levels & Satiety Did you know that your blood glucose levels play an important role in how energized you feel?
Low GI foods are broken down slowly, trickling glucose into your system over time, providing a stable energy level. On the other hand, high GI foods cause a sudden spike in your blood glucose, which leads to peaks and troughs in energy.
Eating low GI foods will help you with concentration, energy and make you feel fuller for longer – helping to curb those cravings to overeat!
Overweight and obesity are major underlying causes of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. A low GI diet assists you to reach and maintain your goal weight by helping you manage hunger, burn body fat and maintain your metabolic rate.
Research has proven that a healthy low GI diet helps people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2) manage their blood glucose levels, blood cholesterol levels and reduce insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is associated with many health problems including; Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.
A low GI diet can improve heart health by:
- Helping to reduce post-meal blood glucose levels, improving the elasticity of blood vessel walls and blood flow
- Improving blood cholesterol levels
- Reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, a chronic disease affecting blood vessels, by reducing inflammation
- Aiding abdominal fat reduction
Low GI foods provide a steady supply of fuel (glucose) to the brain, improving cognitive performance. Our brains run on glucose and have essentially no reserves, so it is important that a constant supply of glucose is provided throughout the day.
The body’s main source of fuel is carbohydrate, which in the simplest form is glucose. The carbohydrate you eat or drink that is not used immediately for energy is stored mostly in your muscles and liver as glycogen. When your body needs fuel, it quickly breaks down the glycogen into glucose for energy.
For decades athletes have been using GI science for their sports preparation and recovery. Low GI foods have proven to extend endurance when eaten 1 – 2 hours before prolonged strenuous exercise.
The quality of your diet during pregnancy can affect your child’s future health, long after it has been born. A poor diet during pregnancy may predispose a child to developing obesity or diabetes when he or she is older; whereas a good diet can protect them. Reducing the GI of your diet is one of the safest and most effective ways of ensuring your baby grows at a healthy rate.
Studies show that consuming a high GI diet for five years or longer may increase the risk of breast cancer by 8% compared with a low GI diet.
Women suffering PCOS often develop a resistance to the hormone insulin, which is needed to keep blood glucose levels stable. Following a healthy low GI diet improves insulin sensitivity, and is one of the best and proven ways to help manage PCOS symptoms, such as unwanted weight gain.
Growing evidence suggests that a healthy low GI diet can prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. High GI diets have been associated with an increased risk of early onset AMD.
High insulin levels that result from eating high GI foods are associated with acne and a low GI diet can help improve acne by regulating insulin imbalance. Research shows that a low GI diet can reduce acne by more than 50% in only 12 weeks.