Saul Katz: Low Glycemic for Life!

LOW GI MAY REDUCE RISK FOR CHILDREN DEVELOPING TYPE 2 DIABETES AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Parents take heed!  A new study from Sweden offers more compelling reasons why it is important to engage your children in a low GI diet and lifestyle to stabilize blood sugar levels.

Controlling blood sugar early on may help cognitive function and prevent type 2 diabetes according to a Swedish study reported in the medical journal Diabetes Care.

Researchers in Sweden found that impaired cognitive function at age 11 may be associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Scientists already knew that type 2 diabetes is associated with decreased cognitive function in adults, particularly among elderly people. But what comes first, diabetes or impaired cognitive ability and what is the cause?

A team of scientists led by Dr. Gunilla M. Olsson, of Uppsala University, Sweden, analyzed the general ability and reading comprehension at age 11 years of some 9000 members of a 1958 UK birth cohort in relation to a subsequent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The subjects who developed diabetes by age 42 had significantly lower assessment scores at age 11, the investigators found.

The results of this study give rise to several explanations. "It is possible that cognitive deficits present in childhood influence lifestyle factors that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes," according to Olsson.  Another possibility is that poorly controlled blood glucose levels "may influence both cognitive development and the risk of type 2 diabetes."

These finding reinforce what we already know as responsible parents - it is important to keep your child’s blood sugar in the normal range. This does not mean cutting out all foods that are high in sugar, carbohydrates or high GI fruit and vegetables.  A good rule of thumb is to offer your children, nutrient-dense foods that help to keep blood sugar levels stable and avoid carb-containing foods that are digested too quickly, spike blood sugar and deliver empty calories.

Low Glycemic Index (GI) and Low Glycemic Load (GL) foods have been proven in studies to be beneficial: dieting; weight loss; obesity; diabetes; balancing blood sugar; sustained energy; sport nutrition; mental performance; acne; eye health; macular degeneration; heart disease and forms of cancer. See also Low GI Diet, Low GI Recipes, Low GI Food, Low GI Eating.

Copyright 2008, Saul Katz

NUTS TO DIABETES – NEW STUDY SHOWS

I bet you didn’t know that the peanut (GI 14) is a legume not a nut, or that eating legumes can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by half. Whether you eat legumes as snacks or add them to meals, you reduce the overall GI of your diet because your body digests them slowly. This is primarily because their starch breaks down relatively slowly (or incompletely) during cooking and they contain tannins and enzyme inhibitors that also slow digestion.

In a recent study, researchers found that Chinese women who ate legumes reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Women with a high intake of legumes reduced their risk by 38%, while those with a high intake specifically of soybeans (GI 14) nearly halved their risk - reducing it by 47%. The study was conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Centre and the Shanghai Cancer Institute (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition January 2008).

Evaluating dietary intakes, researchers followed 64,227 middle-aged Chinese women with no history of type 2 diabetes, cancer or cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study. Other than soy milk, there was no relationship between diabetes risk and eating soy foods and soy protein such as tofu and tempeh.

Legumes, also known as pulses, are the edible seeds found inside the mature pods of leguminous plants such as beans, chickpeas, lentils and peanuts. Whether you buy legumes dried, or opt for canned convenience, you are choosing one of nature’s lowest GI foods. They are high in fibre and packed with nutrients, providing protein, carbohydrate, B vitamins, folate and minerals.

Our bodies are designed to optimally consume slow-release (low GI) sources of carbohydrate such as legumes which our ancestors gathered for their energy needs.  Adding or substituting legumes into your diet is an easy and simple way to manage your energy needs and reduce your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Low Glycemic Index (GI) and Low Glycemic Load (GL) foods have been proven in studies to be beneficial: dieting; weight loss; obesity; diabetes; balancing blood sugar; sustained energy; sport nutrition; mental performance; acne; eye health; macular degeneration; heart disease and forms of cancer. See also Low GI Diet, Low GI Recipes, Low GI Food, Low GI Eating.

Copyright 2008, Saul Katz

LOW GI LIFESTYLE WARDS OFF DIABETES

It has been shown that a high GI diet, obesity, and physical inactivity trigger a cluster of problems that lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.  Currently one in three American children born in 2000 will develop type II diabetes and half will be overweight in their lifetime.  Shockingly, this is the first time in history that parents are predicted to outlive their children!

These diseases are preventable with the adoption of a low GI lifestyle involving a low GI diet and regular physical activity. Recent research this week out of the University of Missouri has strengthened the argument showing that exercise fights the onset of type II diabetes.  Exercise can curb early impairments of insulin resistance and help manage blood sugar in type II diabetics.  When exercise is combined with a low GI diet, energy levels rise giving people an ability to have more activity throughout their day.

In detail, exercise has been found to have a dramatic effect of lowering blood sugar levels at all stages of insulin resistance and type II diabetes.  Since 80-90% of our blood sugar goes into the muscles after a meal, it only makes sense that if our muscles are active we can improve insulin sensitivity. 

It’s becoming a desperate time and the message needs to get across that instead of Americans spending millions on pharmaceutical care all they need to do is GET ACTIVE and adopt a low GI lifestyle.  A perfect on-the-go snack is the clinically validated SoLo Bar that gives sustained energy, satiety, and doesn’t trigger high blood sugar. 

Get active and fight disease! 

Tip of the Day:

To get active at work, park further away from the entrance and take the stairs not the elevator.  Being Active at work improves productivity and morale, improves job satisfaction and team spirit, reduces stress and back injuries, Reduces absenteeism and turnover, reduces workplace injuries, and reduces workers’ compensation claims and costs.

THE GLYCEMIC INDEX - WHAT ALL DIETS HAVE IN COMMON

To lose weight and keep it off you need to adopt a sensible and healthy approach to weight loss that is sustainable for life. Highly restrictive diets (i.e. low fat, low carb, low calorie) are largely ineffective in the long term as they work against the body’s survival program, and often result in rebound weight gain and yo-yo dieting, notwithstanding the best intentions. In fact, for many people it is about one failed diet after another.

Let’s have a look at how the Glycemic Index (GI) works with the body to achieve effortless weight loss by regulating blood sugar levels. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scientific measurement that ranks how fast a particular carbohydrate containing food elevates blood sugar, on a scale where a reference food (glucose) is fixed at 100. The key to sustainable weight loss is proper carb selection, NOT reduction or elimination as promoted by popular low-carb diets.

The key is in learning which carbohydrates are low GI, what makes them so, and how they impact your ability to lose weight. Carbs should optimally comprise 45-65% of the calories in your diet. They are your body’s preferred source of energy and provide ingredients vital to health such as fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. Just as modern science showed us that not all fats are evil, we are now learning that not all carbs are created equal.

The fat promoting carbs (high GI carbs) are digested rapidly, elevating blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is a powerful hormone that shuttles sugar into the cells of the body for energy, and helps convert and store surplus sugar as fat, as an energy storehouse, for later use. High GI diets are primarily responsible for that mid-afternoon blood sugar (energy) crash which sends you reaching for more high GI carbs to lift you back up, taxing your body’s insulin-regulating response and sending you into a blood sugar roller coaster.

To avoid this from happening, you need to choose low GI carbs that are digested and metabolized more slowly, allowing for a gradual “time-release” of sugar and insulin into the blood stream – so your body is more likely to use the sugar for energy at that time, instead of converting it into fat. In addition to preventing fat storage, low GI snacks such as SoLo Gi™ Low Glycemic Nutrition Bars, are ideal for weight loss because they also prevent the spike, crash and crave cycle, provide sustained energy, and keep you feeling satisfied so you can get to your next meal on fewer calories. It is my goal is to educate you on the key elements of the Glycemic Index in relation to weight loss and how low GI carbs can help to facilitate this process.

As the GI is something to be adopted for long term health, let’s first focus on making some simple yet important modifications in your diet so you can get started today. Even these small changes will result in improved energy levels, better concentration and the shedding of pounds. Try, in general to cut back on products made from refined grains – white bread, bagels, crackers, as well as baked potatoes and white rice. These foods raise blood sugar faster table sugar. Instead, replace them with beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and when on-the-go clinically-validated snacks such as SoLo Gi™ Low Glycemic Nutrition Bars.

To speed up fat loss, you need to slow down your blood sugar! Tomorrow, you will learn more about how blood sugar balance is intricately regulated by the hormones in your body and how this relates to the magic behind weight loss using the GI. Tip of the day: Remember that fiber is your friend. Fiber-containing foods (those recommended above) help to slow the digestion process (and the GI), promoting blood sugar balance. Additionally, fiber can help you to feel full for longer, so you’re less likely to get hunger pangs and reach for the cookie tin. Other benefits of fiber consumption include keeping your bowels healthy, helping to lower cholesterol levels, and promoting healthy gut bacteria. Low Glycemic Index (GI), low Glycemic Load (GL) foods have been proven in studies to be beneficial for: diet, weight loss, obesity/diabetic, blood sugar management, sports/sport nutrition, energy foods, mental performance, concentration, acne, eye health, macular degeneration, disease prevention: diabetes, heart disease and forms of cancer.