Your glycemic index or GI is a system that will rank your carbs based on their blood sugar levels. If you ever hear the word glucose, remember that that is sugar. Carbs are now supposed to add weight, but sometimes they are good because you need carbs to stay active. They are your energy source.
The glycemic index of food is defined by the time that it takes to ingest the carbs and then turn it into energy. You should only have a 50-gram intake of carbs. Carbohydrates break down rapidly during your digestion process. Carbs with less energy will be converted quickly into glucose. This carbs break down very slowly and make their way gradually to the blood steam. You may not think that this is a good thing, but it is, you will find that lower glycemic carbs will allow you to need less insulin, the glucose is more controllable, and there is a reduction in blood lipids.
There is a glycemic index value for every different food. However, it is helpful when you are on a carb diet. When you are on a carb diet, you can only have a minimum amount. Now everything has carbs, the point is to eat less. You need to know that there are disadvantages as well with the system. The food is not defined in brands and the GI scale is culture dependent.
If you are going on a diet and need to know what carbs is in what, you may want to look it up online. You will want to get a few indexes because not all will have the food that you need to know about. In fact, most indexes only have about a hundred or two hundred foods listed. We eat way more than that. If you find yourself without a clue as to what carbs are in what you may want to eat things that state it on the package. Many dinners, cereals, and other healthy food will tell you what level of carbs is in the package.
However, you can also look it up on the food network. The food networks are now having more carb free shows, and when in doubt, ask a professional. On the website you can ask questions and they will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible. However, the free glycemic index should give you an idea about most of the foods that you eat. You should have a general idea of how many carbs you take in a day. You can also purchase software that will tell you exactly what to eat and how to keep your diet well-balanced.
Copyright ?2006 Lena Hilltorp
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