We often think that fat = fat, true or not true? What do carbs =?
Adding whole grains to your carbs helps slow down the digestion and more importantly slows down the sugar absorption so they can be properly converted to fuel instead of stored as body fat.
Sugar & Lightning are both "organic"
"lightning is organic too"-PG. Just because something is free of chemicals, doesn't qualify it as "good for you"
Knowing the glycemic index is very useful to understand how food impacts our blood sugar and how high blood sugar impacts our health. So what is the glycemic index? Its a nutritional mathematic equation that stands for; how much sugar is in our food and how fast it will be absorbed. The higher the number, the bigger the negative impact is.
Whole Grain vs Refined
let me paint the picture of what the glycemic index is measuring. If you compare brown rice to white rice and understand that the sugar content is the same. The difference is that brown rice still has it's hard durable exterior which takes longer to cook and also longer to digest. Our system needs more time to break down the brown hull and mash into a size small enough to be absorbed through the cells. This creates more time for the liver and pancreas to produce insulin and properly turn the carbs to fuel. When we consume white rice, there is very little restriction on the speed that we absorb that sugar. When the liver is overworked it coverts sugar to fat, because it is easier. That is how carbs turn to fat. Plus, this creates insulin resistance and leads to metabolic syndrome X, diabetes, obesity....
The Sugar Scale
the speed limit of food
The low end of the scale is 0 and the high end is 100. 0-40 is considered low-glycemic 40-60 is the mid range, in moderation there is no cause to be worried, 60-100 is high and in the case of using food to starve cancer, it should be avoided. Here are some examples:
Low
Cabbage - 10
Onions - 10
Apples - 39
Strawberries - 40
Medium
Sweet Potatoes - 50
Bananas - 54
Mango's - 56
High
Sweet Corn - 65
Cantaloupe - 65
Carrots - 70
Watermelon - 72
Parsnips - 98
How Fiber Helps
When you read a food label, you'll see fiber falls under Sugar. Fiber doesn't get absorbed and passes through us. Hence why people suggest a high fiber diet when you are plugged up. It helps pass things through the colon pipes. Fiber will help slow down digestion, like the brown hull on rice. Fiber is also the reason that fruit and vegetable smoothies are better than juicing. Juicing removes the pulp and the fiber. The natural sugar become unrestricted agents and have the same effect on elevating blood sugar as soda does. Scary huh? It's common that people think just because it's a fruit or vegetable its good for our health. Moderation is important and so is fiber.